Conferences!

Disclaimer: I'm typing quickly before a lunch session with sun glaring on my screen. I apologize in advance for typo's -- I'll come back later to edit but wanted to post an update from the last two days as soon as I could and while my thoughts on the sessions were fresh. (It's later now & I'll add the links and correct typo's!)

Here's why I love conferences: I learn so much!!! Yesterday the CSCC conference ended at 3:00 and by 3:30 I was in the "new attendee" session for AACC. I even managed to find people I know from my former district :-) This morning I attended a session on connecting research and practice -- here are the positive outcomes from that session: networking with other researchers (I feel like I'm really a scholar now ... it's hard to explain...but it's about identity development: my sense of who I am as a university faculty member is really deepening this year) and talking about ideas for projects...and here's the thing: they are excited about my research on leadership development and succession planning -- and practitioners are also excited about this. Larry Ebbers from Iowa State is a great mentor and colleague. The second session was on using social media to help shape a college's image. Check out Fox Valley Technical College to see how they're using social media. I started thinking about how I could apply the strategies on an individual level -- to network, find out about other research, and to (quite frankly) promote my own work. So many ideas and way too little time to write before lunch ...