EdNET 2007
Writing from Chicago, where Nelson Heller has again put on a great educational technology conference. In addition to seeing plenty of friends and colleagues in this corner of the larger IT industry, I can’t help but be moved by the uniform passion and sincerity of everyone I’ve met here. This makes two years attending for me (last year, when I had time to plan ahead, Nelson was kind enough to ask me to keynote), and I can confirm that people involved in improving educational IT are among the most dedicated and passionate I’ve met anywhere.
Chuck House, most recently of Stanford’s Media X program, gave a smart, funny keynote today on what ubiquitous bandwidth and ongoing technology change will do to the world. His most provocative claim: the disappearance of Intellectual Property rights, or at least a drive in IP values to something approaching zero.
Though he later recanted a bit during private discussions, he got things going. Chuck believes, as I do, that much of the excitement today is to be found in the borders between disciplines, and he is running programs mixing ten of them at the university. I think we may dive into this program with Chuck and look for one or two program slots for FiRe 2008.
Did I mention that my good friend Bruce Sterling, sci fi author extraordinaire, will be at the next FiRe? Just found out. Nobelist Lee Hartwell is coming, too. Better catch the Early Bird discount before the 15th—