Introduction
My colleague, Amy, (and my boss’s boss, also Amy), have been attending Digital Pedagogy Lab for years. Amy has attended as a learner several times, and co-taught with Amy last year. Amy, on the other hand, has often led one of the tracks. For both Amys, this is an event that they look forward to, and enjoy attending.
Me? The word “Pedagogy” kind of makes me feel sick. I just don’t like the sound of the word. Ped-a-gogy. Whether you pronounce it with the “a as in father” sound, or the long “o” sound, the hard “g” followed by the soft “g” just gives me the willies. It will probably grow on me, but it’s gonna take awhile.1 I also find the concept hard to swallow.2 I don’t see myself as an academic, and for the first two years of my employment in this office, I didn’t even know what the word meant, nor did I need to. Not against people who enjoy that sort of thing, but if I had the choice to take it or leave it, I would most definitely have left it.
However, that is not how you grow and evolve, by shirking away from things that make you uncomfortable, no matter how much you want to hide under your desk when someone says that you are being offered the chance to attend Digital Pedagogy Lab, and isn’t that so wonderful?
I really don’t want to sound ungrateful. I actually appreciate any professional development opportunity I’m given, and I do my best to find the golden nuggets in them all. But I need to bare my soul for a second here, and tell you that I didn’t think this was the right conference for me.
However.
Several of my work colleagues would be attending as well, including many who work in Vermont, so as a California-based employee, I thought it would be a good opportunity to spend time with them in person. Also, bonding time with my office-mates. And time spent in summer—hot weather we just don’t get on the Central Coast.
And, time to eat humble pie, I signed up for a writing-related track that seemed intriguing, so I was actually secretly excited about going.
About the Conference
Digital Pedagogy Lab took place in Fredricksburg, VA, on July 30-August 3. According to their About statement,
“Digital Pedagogy Lab offers professional development opportunities in Critical Digital Pedagogy that prepare learners, educators, librarians, and administrators to teach, collaborate, and think with technology.”
It was a 1+4 event, where the first day was a 1-day “course,” out of 6 different options, and the remainder of the week was a 4-day course with a small cohort, with 7 total courses to choose from. (See program here.) It was a small-ish conference, with a little over 165 attendees. I was signed up for the “Tools and Tool Hacking” 1-day course, and the “Writing About Teaching” 4-day course, both led by Jesse Stommel.
My Expectations
I think the Intro mostly sums up the angst I was feeling about the event. However, by the time the actual conference rolled around, I was mentally prepared, and mostly looking forward to seeing what I could learn, meeting some new people from other schools, and excited about getting out of the office for a few days.
How did it go? Stay tuned for my reflections.
