IACON 2006

Last week I attended the Iowa Connections 2006 conference for IDLA & IACT. Good times, plenty of snacks and coffee to go around, and some interesting sessions to boot. Here are some highlights.

1. Spaces and Environments: I have been thinking about space lately. And as the radio seems play sad songs when we're sad, I couldn't help but notice the spaces many of the products on display have created. Microsoft's Learning Gateway presents a fairly standard space that integrates many of the tools we are already using. Course management meets life management. iPrismGlobal showcased a 2d perspective of a virtual office space -- go with what's familiar approach. And the Croquet Project expands the idea of space to an entire world, but then also goes beyond by giving users control of that world. Very new, on the cusp of revolutionary.
2. Sound: Who doesn't love audio!? iPrismGlobals work with text to speech software is inviting. I wonder if they will make their voice engine available outside their other products. Apple was present talking about podcasting and iTunes U. If you haven't listened to a podcast yet, you are missing out on some serious content. iTunes U certainly seems like a viable solution to podcast delivery, but still we would need some server to host all the audio.
3. Community: Can't attend a DL conference with talking about community, right?! Absolutely! Drs. J. Ana Donaldson and Mary Herring shared their experience with Phases of Engagement. A very nice structure for facilitating the kinds of collaboration they expected from students. Moving from "Newcomer" to an interactive agent to a collaborative learner to an interactivity initiator. Smart and well planned. I really liked the idea that groups worked together to form consensus and that consensus is what was presented to the instructor and the rest of the class.