DevLearn 2011 Conference Backchannel

Reflection: A Critical Piece of the #DevLearn Conference Experience

David Kelly — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:06:13 +0000

As the 2011 DevLearn Conference draws to a close, arguably the most important part of your conference experience now begins.

Over the last few days, those that attended the conference (in-person or virtually) engaged in a multitude of sessions and content. As with all learning, what matters is not what happened during a learning experience; what really matters is what you DO with the learning afterwards.

Now is the time to be thinking about that. I highly recommend that all attendees take a moment this weekend to pause and reflect on what you have learned at DevLearn this week. More importantly, consider what it is you will be doing differently as a result.

Two important points: I mentioned to reflect this weekend. I think that’s important, because it’s very easy to go back into the office and fall immediately back into our routines. Try to set aside some time (on the flight, during a meal, etc) to pause and think about what the most important things you learned about at DevLearn were, and how you can use that knowledge in your work.

The second point? Document and share what you have learned. This is a natural part of reflecting. It not only helps those you share your knowledge with, it also helps to better clarify and contextualize the learning for yourself. Share your reflections with your co-workers, your peers, and with the community at large using the #DevLearn hashtag.

The backchannel resources posting (backchannel.devlearn11.com) will continue to be curated to add the valuable reflections that people share about their DevLearn experience. Be sure to bookmark the site as a resource as you apply what you learned during the conference.

Connect Face-to-Face or Virtually During #Lrnchat LIVE at #Devlearn

David Kelly — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:29:53 +0000

Looking for a great way to expand your DevLearn connections and learning? Following the conference backchannel remotely and want to connect more directly with those at the conference? Then join us for #Lrnchat LIVE, starting at 5:30pm (8:30pm EST).

#Lrnchat is a regular online chat over the social messaging service Twitter. It enables those interested in the field of orgainzational learning and performance to connect and learn from one another. For more information about #lrnchat, visit http://lrnchat.com/.

The topic for Thursday’s chat is Learning in the Workflow. During the chat, we’ll explore how learners connect, how learning professionals can support those connections, and much more.

For those that are attending DevLearn in person, stop by the Lrnchat staging area in Demofest to participate and earn more. For those following and participating in the conference backchannel from home, this is a great opportunity to connect with the conference live through the chat.

New to #lrnchat or Twitter chats in general? Check out the post from my blog, “What’s a Twitter Chat?” for more details. In addition, there will be plenty of #lrnchat veterans present that can help newcomers get involved.

#DevLearn 2011 Backchannel: Collected Resources

David Kelly — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:00:46 +0000

This post collects the resources shared via the backchannel of the DevLearn Conference 2011, being held November 2-4 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Pre-Conference Preparation Posts
Expanding the Value of the #DevLearn 2011 Backchannel by David Kelly
What Exactly IS a Backchannel? by David Kelly
Getting Ready for the #DevLearn Backchannel by David Kelly
Backchannel Tips: Explore the #DevLearn Program Guides by David Kelly
Backchannel Tips: Get to Know the #DevLearn Conference App by David Kelly
Making the Most of #DevLearn by Kelly Meeker
DevLearn Conference and Expo Las Vegas by Kasper Spiro
Heading to DevLearn by Jeff Goldman
DevLearn Bound by Aaron Silvers
Getting the Most Out of Attending a Conference by Jeff Tillett
A Few Resources to Make the Most of DevLearn by Judy Unrein
What Happens in Vegas, Doesn’t Stay in Vegas by David Glow

Conference Summaries and Recaps
DevLearn Conference Days -1 and 0 by Kasper Spiro
#DevLearn Storified by Paul Simbeck-Hampson
1st night at DevLearn rocked by Neil Lasher
DevLearn11 Tuesday Recap video by Bon Chowder
DevLearn Day 1 – Initial Musings by Sarah Bloomfield
DevLearn Conference Day 1 – A Hectic Day by Kasper Spiro
DevLearn11 Day 1 Recap video by Bon Chowder
Devlearn Conference Day 2 – Curation by Kasper Spiro
Insights from DevLearn 2011 by Paul Simbeck-Hampson
DevLearn 2011 Reflections and Takeaways by Jay Cross
DevLearn Day 3: The Final Day of a Great Week by Kasper Spiro (Added 11/6)
DevLearn Conference 2011: A Restrospctive by Kasper Spiro (Added 11/6)
Shh An Academic Went to DevLearn by Kay Lehmann (Added 11/6)
DevLearn Day 3 (Last Day) Highlights – Tools and Tips For Making Learning Social by Mel Aclaro (Added 11/7)
DevLearn 2011: Clicky Clicky Bling Bling and The Aria Hotel by Kelly Meeker (Added 11/8)
View from DevLearn 2011: Thoughts about social and on-demand learning by Jim Farrell (Added 11/8)
Authoring Tools- The DevLearn Experience by Craig Weiss (Added 11/8)
Social Learning and My ‘Best Of’ List From DevLearn11 by Mel Claro (Added 11/9)
DevLearn 2011 Inspiration by Kevin Thorn (Added 11/14)
Confessions of a First Time #DevLearn Attendee by Lisa Chamberlin (Added 11/14)
Surfing the backchannel: #DevLearn 2011 by Ann Shea (Added 11/14)
Because I Know You’re Jonesing for More About #DevLearn… by Judy Unrein (Added 11/14)
Reflections on DevLearn 2011 – A Review of a Monumental Learning Event by Shawn Rosler (Added 11/14)
Our Takeaways from DevLearn 2011 by Judy Unrein (Added 11/14)
DevLearn 2011 Review with Brent Schlenker eLearnChat Video Episode By Terrence Wing and Rick Zannotti (Added 11/14)
DevLearn 2011 Recap: Expanding the Possibilities for Learning by Bill Brandon (Added 11/14)
DevLearn by Reuben Tozman (Added 11/14)
DevLearn 2011: It’s a Wrap! by Brooke Schepker (Added 11/14)
DevKearn 2011 Thought Leader Interviews video series by Jeff Tillet (Added 11/21)
DevLearn 2011: Cloud Computing, Mobile Learning, Gaming by Jeff Tillet (Added 11/21)
DevLearn 2011 by e-learning centre (Added 11/21)
In the Eye of the DevLearn 2011 Storm | eLW Mag by Eric Matas (Added 11/21)
DevLearn follow up: Not only curation but also moderation and didactics by Kasper Spiro (Added 11/21)

SESSION SPECIFIC

Michio Kaku Keynote
Michio Kaku #devlearn Opening Keynote by Cammy Bean
#DevLearn – Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku (Keynote Notes) by Tracy Parish
Michio Kaku Keynote MindMap by Clark Quinn
DevLearn Keynote with Michio Kaku by Neil Lasher
2057 The City part 1 video shared during Michio Kaku’s keynote
Dr. Michio Kaku’s blog
Dr. Michio Kaku’s Facebook Page
Keynote – “Physics of the Future” – Dr. Michio Kaku by Shawn Rosler

Steve Rosenbaum Keynote
TEDx Events shared by Steve Rosenbaum
Magnify.net Steve Rosenbaum’s website
Steve Rosenbaum on The Huffington Post
DevLearn Day 2 – Curator? Or Superhero? By Neil Lasher
The Future of Learning is Context – Steve Rosenbaum by Tracy Parish
Thursday Keynote: The Future of Learning is Context (S Rosenbaum) by Shawn Rosler
Steve Rosenbaum – Curation Nation – DevLearn Keynote by Cammy Bean

Miscellaneous
4 Great Twitter Applications for Teachers using Twitter in the Classroom by K. Walsh
On the Red Couch: Brian Solis, Social Media Guru by InsideFlipBoard
Workplace Monsters and Talent Management Best Practices by Thomas Stone
EDUCATION: Today’s Mobile Devices are Tomorrow’s Textbooks by Michelle Klampe
The 2011 State of the Industry: Increased Commitment to Workplace Learning by Michael Green and Erin McGill
Ayogo Games Inc. Acquires Tandem Learning by Learning Solutions Magazine
The Who’s Who of DevLearn – Beginning Next Week by Nicole Fougere (NOTE: References DevLearn 2010)
Project Tin Can Prototypes
Things We Should Ask the ROI Question About Before Social Media by Scott Stratten
Kuler Free Color Palette Tool shared by Kevin Thorn
What’s Your Kid Getting from College? by William McGurn
Jeff Tillett Interviews from mLearnCon 2011 YouTube Playlist
Here’s Why Slide Count is Irrelevant in Your e-Learning Course by Tom Kuhlman
Don’t Be Complacent and Content by Clark Quinn
Quality is a Subtle Distinction by Brian Dusablon
Flickr Album of DevLearn Photos
Charles Jennings Slideshare Channel
HTML5ROCKS.com resource for learning about HTML5
Google+ Currently the Highest Ranked NEW tool on the Top 100 Tools List 2011
The Twitter Guide Book by Mashable
Getting Started Today with mLearning: Video Podcasting by Dave Mozealous
In Defense of the Term Gamification as Used by Learning Professionals by Karl Kapp
The eLearning Bible- Part II- eLearning by Design by William Horton by Jon Aleckson
Top 100 Tools for Learning 2011 by Jane Hart
The Scrum Guide
Developing Personas via usability.gov
Seven Top Authoring Tool by Joe Ganci
And the winner is… #devlearn by Neil Lasher
elearninguncovered.com website with free tools and checklists for IDs
Sage At the Side by Clark Quinn
I am an Individual with Needs Even If You Can’t See Me by Nic Laycock
How to Make Karaoke Animation in Microsoft PowerPoint
Was Eric Schmidt Wrong About The Historical Scale of the Internet? by Klint Finley
Let’s Blame the Instant Messenger by Tom Glocer
The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint by Guy Kawasaki
Nuts and Bolts: Required Reading by Jane Bozarth
Van Halen’s Brown M&M Clause by Andrew Teman
RSA Animate – Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us Dan Pink video referenced by Jay Cross
openattribute.com widget for creative commons citations
HTML5 Authoring Tools slides by Judy Unrein
Culture and Technology – Synergistic in creating valuable Communities of Practice by Ollie Gardener
An interview with Alicia Sanchez by Jane Bozarth
Gamification: Using Game Mechanics to Enhance eLearning by Rick Raymor
Abobe Captivate 5 System Variables
AppFusion: Deploying the Social Graph by Terrence Wing
Avoiding the Trap of Clicky-Clicky Bling-Bling (Part 1 of 2) by Cammy Bean
Make Your Designs Shine from the Inside – Clicky-Clicky Bling-Bling (Part 2 of 2) by Cammy Bean
HTML5 and CSS3 – great web sites and resources for keeping with latest information #mlearncon by Nick Floro
Powerpoint Wireframe Stencils as Free Download by Michael Gaigg
Apple’s Keynote is one of the best apps for wireframing + design sketches, get some templates now (also work in PPT) by Nick Floro
Delivering Video via HTML5 and Flash to reach all platforms with one video codec – how to make it work today by Nick Floro
Rebel with a Cause by Tom Burton
The Toolbar Podcast series by Judy Unrein and Brian Dusablon
The Undercast Podcast series by Aaron Silvers and Brian Dusablon
The Overcast Podcast series by Aaron Sivers and Brian Dusablon
Social Learning for Managers Resources shared by Jane Bozarth
Thoughtful Filtering by Harold Jarche
Handbrake video conversion tool shared by Tom Kuhlmann
MySyncPad linked whiteboard iPad app
The ADL Mobile Learning Handbook
Over-Engineered for Information Transfer, Under-Engineered for Learning by Clive Shepherd
Microsoft Digital Literacy shared by Tracy Parish
Ikeepsafe.org shared by Tracy Parish
Rustici Software’s SCORM Blog
The Learning Registry shared by Aaron Silvers
The Average Video Gamer is 37 by Matt Warman
It’s the Pedagogy, Stupid: Lessons from an iPad Lending Program By Heather Beattey Johnston & Carolyn J. Stoll
DevLearn 2011 – Las Vegas Flickr Album from Rus Powell (Added 11/6)
How Much Does Informal Learning Actually Cost? by Barbara @ Dashe&Thompson (Added 11/6)
Office 2010 Training Demofest-winning course by Jeff Goldman (Added 11/7)
Become an eLearning Action Hero by Cathy Moore (Added 11/7)
eLearnChat Video Channel on Vimeo featuring Terrence Wing and Rick Zanotti interviewing industry leaders (Added 11/8)
Behavior-centered Design at Google: A Case Study by Learning Solutions Magazine (Added 11/14)
Clayton Christensen: Why online education is ready for disruption, now. by Courtney Boyd Myers (Added 11/14)
Animated vs. Static Learning Agents – My M.Ed. Capstone Research by Judy Unrein (Added 11/14)
Brandon Carson DevLearn 2011 YouTube interview from Float Learning (Added 11/14)
Open University research explodes myth of ‘digital native’ by Gerald Haigh (Added 11/14)
AR Lungs Augmented Reality anit-smoking message by SapientNitro (Added 11/21)
How To Treat Conference Speakers Like Rock Stars – #SoMeT Style by Sarah Page (Added 11/21)
Reader Mail: Which Version of IE? by Judy Unrein (Added 11/21)
Apple to Train Managers on Union Awareness by Josh Lowensohn (Added 11/21)
Adobe’s Flash Announcement: A Tipping Point for Mobile Learning in 2012? by Thomas Stone (Added 11/21)
If Mobile Learning and Support are Wonderful, Why aren’t They Everywhere? by Allison Rossett (Added 11/21)
Are You a Born Genius? Being a Learner is Smarter. by Dr. David Rock (Added 11/21)
What Can We Learn From Stanford University’s Free Online Computer Science Courses? by Seb Schmoller (Added 11/21)

Dedicated Backchannel Queries (Tool and Search Term(s) shown in Brackets)
Access the live #Devlearn Backchanel Feed [Twitter: #DevLearn]
Photos from the Backchannel [TwiPho: DevLearn]

I will be adding to this list as I continue to review the backchannel transcripts and find resources. I will tweet updates occasionally as additional links are added. If you know of a valued resource I should add to the list – or if something is inaccurate – please add it to the comments or tweet me a link to @LnDDave.

If you find these collections of value, I have posts that consolidate the backchannel resources from other conferences on my blog. An archive of all of these posts can be accessed by clicking the link below:

Click here to access my archive of backchannel resource posts.

Backchannel Tips: Introducing #DevLearn Hashcaster

David Kelly — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 06:47:14 +0000

In addition to the curated backchannel resources that are being posted at http://backchannel.devlearn11.com, DevLearn is pleased to announce another option for monitoring the conference backchannel: Hashcaster.

Hashcaster is a real-time social media platform that transforms events into conversations. It constantly monitors the DevLearn backchannel feed and dynamically filters content into an easy to read format. The DevLearn hashcaster website is always on, and available at http://devlearn.hashcaster.com/. Be sure to bookmark the site and visit it often during the conference.

Heres a quick synopsis of what you’ll find on the DevLearn hashcaster site.

Latest Photos – People are always posting pictures to the backchannel. Rather than clicking on links to see a picture someone has posted, this section presents those pictures as a gallery.

Top Infuencers – These are the people whose postings are resonating well within the backchannel community.

Top Contributers – These are the people with the most postings in the backchannel feed.

Latest Tweets – The last 5 tweets from the backchannel. This also includes a separate tab for reviewing the last five tweets from the backchannel curator.

News, Tools and Technologies, Best Practices, & Community – These sections share stories from the backchannel that apply to the assigned categories.

Twitter Stats – This section presents interesting stats about the activity present in the backchannel.

Hashcaster is a great tool, and an interesting way to follow the DevLearn backchannel in more of a newspaper format than in the text-based, rapid-fire format of Twitter. Check it out.

Backchannel Tips: Get to Know the #DevLearn Conference App

David Kelly — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 06:02:35 +0000

One of the features you see at a lot of conferences in the last year is the use of dedicated smart phone applications for the events. It’s a great idea that was built upon a simple concept: What if we could take all the information about the conference that we provide in printed form – including the sschedule and session descriptions – and make it available on demand on a smart phone?

It was a brilliant idea, and one that definitely added value to attending a conference. DevLearn was one of the first conferences to use such an application. That innovation continues in 2011 as DevLearn introduces a brand-new app for this years conference, one that introdcues new and exciting features that make the app less of a reference tool and more a part of the conference experience.

Yeah. IT’S THAT GOOD.

Sure, the app includes an interactive program guide and the ability to set your own agenda. But it does so much more this year. There are a multitude of sharing options integrated into the app, including social media services Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. There’s also a gallery through which attendees can take and submit photos. Best of all, there’s now an integrated attendee roster and messaging service. The app makes it easier than ever to make and build connections with your peers at DevLearn this year.

The DevLearn app is an extension of the DevLearn conference experience, and is therefore designed for conference attendees. While there is functionality in the app that is of great use to non-attendees following the backchannel, many of the functions of the app require a login which is only available to conference attendees.

To log into the app, you will use the your email address as your login ID, and ‘devlearn’ (in all lower case letters) as the password. The email address that you should use to log in is the email address you used to register for the conference.

The video below explores the app in detail, including each of the different pieces of functionality. The video features an iPhone, but the functionality described in this post and demonstrated on the video apply to the iPad and Android versions as well.

For reference, listed below the video are the different sections of the app, along with a time stamp that shows when that functionality begins to be explored during the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdK0w2cv45E

Agenda (0:45)
What’s On Now (1:40)
My Agenda (2:00)
Map (3:15)
Sponsors (3:38)
Attendees (3:52)
Messaging (4:10)
Game (5:05)
Speakers (6:02)
Social (6:35)
Info Booth (7:30)
Gallery (7:45)
Settings (8:00)
Search (9:20)
Review App (9:35)
My Notes (9:55)
TIP: Adjusting your privacy settings (11:15)
TIP: Using the agenda as a non-attendee (12:00)

Backchannel Tips: Explore the #DevLearn Program Guides

David Kelly — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 22:09:02 +0000

In my previous posting, I explained a few key pre-conference tasks people new to the backchannel should complete in order to get more value from the conference. Between now and the start of the DevLearn Conference, I will share some additional tips on things conference attendees and those following the backchannel remotely can do to get more value from the Backchannel.

This blog posts discusses the benefits of exploring the DevLearn program guides.

I remember the first time my family went to Disney World. A few days before we went, a friend asked “So what’s your plan?”. We replied with a puzzled look. Our plan pretty much consisted of showing up, and enjoying the entertainment that was available.

The problem with that, as we learned, is that there were way more entertainment options available than we could possibly take advantage of. There were multiple points during that trip where we didn’t know what to do next, because there were so many options. Worst of all, when we returned, we discovered there were a lot of great things we missed, simply because we didn’t plan ahead.

From that perspective, DevLearn is the Disney World of conferences. At any given moment, there will be a great number of choices to attendees and backchannel followers. Take some time and explore the program guides, and decide which sessions you would like to attend. Your plans will likely shift some during the conference, but having at least a loose plan as a starting point can greatly help you get more value for the conference, especially for 1st-time attendees.

The program guides are also a great resource to those following the backchannel feed remotely. The session descriptions provide an excellent backdrop against which to view the feed. If you review the guide ahead of time, you can have an expectation of what may be discussed, adding more context to the backchannel sharing.

One special tip I recommend for the those not attending the conference in person: make note of the keynote times. The keynotes are an especially valuable part of a backchannel. During the keynotes, almost all of the backchannel feed will be in sync, discussing the same presentation. I was unable to attend DevLearn last year, but intentionally blocked out my calendar during the time period of Marcia Conner’s Keynote. I’m really glad I did, because reading the backchannel feed live and interacting with attendees there in person felt like being in the room, despite the fact that I was sitting behind my desk on the opposite side of the country.

One last recommendation related to the program guides. If you have a smart phone or an iPad, download the conference app. It allows you to review the program guide right on your device. It’s always available for immediate reference, whether you’re sitting in a live session at the conference, or reading the backchannel at your desk back home.

The app is so much more than an electronic program guide though. It is an amazing resource to conference attendees while on site, and has great resources for those following the backchannel as well. DevLearn’s app this year is a great example of why DevLearn continues to be a part of the innovations of our field, as it adds great new features never seen before in a conference app.

It’s such a great resource that I won’t be discussing it any more here. My next post will be fully dedicated to exploring the conference app and the value it can add to your conference experience.

Getting Ready for the #DevLearn Backchannel

David Kelly — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 05:31:06 +0000

The DevLearn Conference is little more than a week away, so now is a great time to be setting plans in order to get the maximum amount of value out of the conference. One thing that should definitely be part of your conference plan is participating in the vibrant conference backchannel.

For many people, the backchannel is a new concept. A great many others may have heard of the backchannel but never actually participated in one. If you’re at all interested in participating in the Backchannel at DevLearn, it’s something you should get yourself ready for in advance. This post will briefly walk you through some things you can do to prepare yourself to participate and enhance your DevLearn experience via the Backchannel.

For starters, do you know what a Backchannel is? If not, check out my previous post: What IS a Conference Backchannel? Once you are comfortable with what a backchannel is, let’s look at the two critical things you must do before you arrive in Las Vegas for the conference.

Step One: Join the TwitterVerse

In order to participate in a conference Backchannel you must have access to the technology through which the sharing takes place. In most cases today, including DevLearn, the Backchannel exists predominantly on Twitter. So if you want to join in the fun, it starts with joining Twitter.

Joining Twitter is actually very easy, and can be done in less than five minutes. Visit the Twitter signup page and follow the on screen instructions. During the signup process Twitter will ask you to look at your online profiles for friends and recommend celebrities you may want to follow. These are steps that you can (and arguably should) skip. Where you do what to take an extra few moments is in setting up your profile.

In Twitter users can decide whose updates they subscribe to. If I am interested in hearing what Britney Spears is tweeting about (side note – I’m not), I would choose to ‘Follow’ her Twitter account. By choosing to follow someone, any time they post an update (or tweet) you will be able to read it in the twitter feed of your account. What does all of that have to do with your account profile? Plenty.

Your Twitter network grows based on who you follow, and who chooses to follow you. For many Twitter users, the decision to follow someone is based on a few key questions, one of which is quite simple: Who are you?

When someone looks at your profile, there are a few key areas that they look at before deciding to follow you. The ones that I look at most often are a person’s Profile Picture and Bio. These are two fields that you really must take some time to complete, as they are the primary ways in which you and the “Who are you?” question for another user. Consider my profile with that of a new Twitter account set up without completing that information.

Which account do you think is more likely to be followed? If you are going to join the Twitter community, take a few extra minutes when creating your profile and tell people a little bit about yourself.

Step Two: Participate

If you want to participate in the DevLearn backchannel, it’s important that you do everything you can BEFORE the conference to remove the barriers to participation.

The first, and most obvious barrier to participating is becoming comfortable with the Twitter tool you are going to use – of which there are many. I recommend newcomers start with a simple tool without ‘bells and whistles’ and get comfortable using that. More importantly, I recommend that you first consider what sort of technology you will use at the conference. Most people that connect to Twitter during a conference are not doing so using a laptop. More often, people are connecting using a smart phone or tablet. Consider what device will be with you most often. If it is a smart phone or tablet, choose a Twitter app, and start participating. The goal here is to get comfortable with the tool, so that when you arrive at the conference you can concentrate less on ‘How to Tweet’ and more on ‘What to Tweet’.

A related barrier is understanding the language of twitter, and how that language translates into connecting with the community. Twitter’s support page has a great glossary of terms that you can reference to help with this.

One term that you MUST become comfortable with to participate in the backchannel is hashtag. A hashtag is the foundation upon which a backchannel is built. It is a concept that grew organically from the Twitter community, who realized that one thing that Twitter lacked was categories. For instance, if I was interested in seeing what people were tweeting about pertaining to the learning field, I could search for the word ‘learning’. The problem with that is it brings back any usage of the word learning, including a long string of complaints from a teenager about not learning anything in school today. When I am searching for something on Twitter, I’m often searching not for the use of the word, but for people who are discussing the topic.

That’s what the hashtag provides. By placing a number sign in front of a word or acronym, I am informally categorizing my message with a topic or group. By including ‘#learning’ in my tweet, I am essentially saying that this message is connected to the concept of learning. If you remember one thing from this post, make it this: #DevLearn.

That is the commonly accepted hashtag for the DevLearn conference. People contributing to the conference backchannel will be adding the #DevLearn hashtag to each message they post. Similarly, anyone that wants to review or monitor the conference backchannel can do so by searching for the #DevLearn hashtag.

There is one additional barrier, and it is arguably the most important reason to get signed on and participating in the Twitter community before arriving at DevLearn, and it is a technical one. Any time someone performs a search in Twitter, there is certain logic being applied to ensure the search returns the most valuable information possible. Some of that logic actually works against a new user. Here are a few examples, pulled from the Twitter Help Center:

Twitter user search surfaces results with preference to those users who have a complete name, username, and bio on their profile.
It is also important to Tweet, retweet, and mention regularly to gain resonance amongst your followers so that search results are up to date.
New accounts may take a few days to start appearing in user search.

That last point alone should be all the reason you need to set up your account and start participating in the Twitterverse. You can even start using and monitoring the #DevLearn hashtag, as many people are already starting to connect with one another through the conference hashtag.

In my next post, I’ll share some additional tips and tools that can help further enhance your DevLearn backchannel experience.

What exactly IS a Backchannel?

David Kelly — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 05:53:11 +0000

The DevLearn Conference is quickly approaching, and it will undoubtedly feature a vibrant backchannel community that shares and expands on the knowledge being exchanged on site. It’s a tremendously valuable way for both conference attendees and non-attendees to enhance their conference-related learning.

The value of the backchannel is in the sharing, not in the technology. In much the same way that a person can not really appreciate the joy of riding a bicycle until they can do so without consciously focusing on balance and pedaling, getting the full value of a backchannel requires an understanding of what the backchannel is and how you use tools to participate in it. This post focuses on the the first question: What exactly IS a Backchannel?

Wikipedia defines a backchannel as:

…the practice of using networked computers to maintain a real-time online conversation alongside live spoken remarks.

That definition, while accurate, is somewhat misleading. The phrase ‘networked computers’ conveys an image of desktop PCs that are connected to one another through a network. In most cases, the computers used in a backchannel aren’t found on a desk; they’re found in your pocket. If you’ve been to a conference or training event in recent years, you’ve probably had this experience.

You’re sitting in a conference listening to the speaker, and the person next to you appears to be more interested in their mobile phone than in what the presenter is saying. Then as you look around, you realize that there are plenty of others that are typing away at their Blackberry, iPad, or laptop – all while the speaker is presenting.

Years ago this sort of activity would be seen as rude and disrespectful to the person speaking. It was a sign that the attendee was completely disinterested in what was being discussed, and had their attention elsewhere.

Quite often, the setting described here is actually showing the exact opposite.

In some cases it may simply be that the notes that were once taken on paper are now being taken electronically. What’s taking place in increasingly large numbers is that people are going beyond just note taking, and have begun to interact with the information being discussed in new ways.

Through social media (usually Twitter), conference attendees can share their thoughts and ideas about the information being shared with others. It could be as simple as taking the notes I might normally compile for myself and sharing them with the world at large. What’s more exciting about this sharing is it extends beyond just notes from the presentation. Conference attendees share their own thoughts and experiences about the content. They share additional resources that add to those shared by the speakers. In short, through their sharing, they expand the content and become a part of the presentation.

Even more powerful is that this sharing breaks through the walls of the session, sharing the content with anyone that is interested in reading it – even those that are not attending the session. It is this sharing and expansion of content during a live event that is referred to as ‘The Backchannel’.

To truly understand and appreciate what the backchannel is though, you really need to participate in it. The time to do that isn’t when you arrive for the first day of the conference. That would be like throwing a first-time swimmer into a stretch of river rapids. If you are interested in participating in the backchannel, the time to think and prepare for it is now, before the conference begins.

My next post will walk through what you need to do to participate in a conference backchannel, including signing up for a Twitter account and tips for monitoring and interacting with the backchannel feed.

Expanding the Value of the #DevLearn 2011 Backchannel

David Kelly — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:24:12 +0000

In just about two weeks one of the best development opportunities for professionals in the Learning and Performance field will be upon us: DevLearn 2011.

The annual DevLearn conference, hosted by The eLearning Guild, continues to be one of the best events to attend if you want to learn about what organizations are doing in our field, and more importantly, where the field is going. It has a reputation for being a conference that perfectly balances visions of the future with immediate skill takeaways professionals can apply today. This year, DevLearn will expand to its largest size ever when it arrives at the Aria Resort and Casino November 2 -4.

One of the themes of this year’s conference is Curation, a subject that I have much interest in. If you have visited my blog in the past, you may have noticed that I often follow conferences online, and post curated lists of the many valuable resources that are shared via the conference backchannels. If you are not familiar with these posts, I recently posted an archive that collects them in a single location. You’ll find a link to that archive at the end of this post.

My interest in the backchannel really began at DevLearn last year, or more specifically, through its backchannel. I was unable to attend the conference in person, yet still discovered tremendous value from the conference by following its vibrant backchannel, and the sharing taking place there. DevLearn 2010 was actually the first conference I posted a collected resources list for, and I enjoyed it so much that I have continued to do it for other conferences over the past year. I look forward to once again collecting the resources shared through the DevLearn backchannel again in 2011.

But this time, things are going to be a little different.

The organizers of the DevLearn conference value the backchannel very much. They see the added value it is able to generate not only for conference attendees, but for people that were unable to attend the conference in person, and for the field in general. With that perspective in mind, the organizers of the conference reached out to me with a fairly simple question: “We like your Backchannel Resource postings and the value it adds to our conference; what could we provide to you to help take that to even higher levels?”

As someone that often thinks of ways to better leverage the backchannel concept as part of a learning and performance strategy, this opportunity is tremendously exciting. At its core, this support will enable me to do what I’m already doing, but with greater access and outreach. That in itself could be enough to add value, as it will result in more shared resources. We’re also looking at doing other things to enhance the backchannel.

One of the first pieces of that will appear here, in my blog. For many people, the backchannel concept is still new. In my experience, many people first learn about and experience backchannels at a conference.

I’ve coached people on participating in the backchannel at conferences, and it’s often like trying to teach someone how to drive for the very first time… and taking them straight to the parkway. Driving on a parkway requires an almost subconscious knowledge of driving mechanics so that the driver can focus on the interactions with the other cars. The backchannel is very similar. It’s hard to take in the value of a backchannel if you’re struggling with the mechanics of the technology required to participate.

Over the course of the next two weeks, I will be posting a series of blog entries that are designed to help both attendees and those monitoring the DevLearn backchannel from afar to prepare to participate, and to get more value out of the conference.

While we do have some plans as part of this process, what excites me most about this role is that it will be very much like the backchannel itself: something that develops organically and ultimately becomes what the interactions of the backchannel community determine it to be.

If there are ideas you would like to share on how the value of the DevLearn backchannel can be expanded this year, please do share them. Post a comment to this blog, send me a tweet to @LnDDave, send me an e-mail to LnDDave@gmail.com, or just post to the #DevLearn hashtag to share your idea with the backchannel community at large.

I can say this though; what we’re doing here is very reflective of DevLearn. Many conferences do a good job of reporting on what organizations are doing to take the field to greater heights. What I’ve described here is an example of DevLearn actually being a part of that advancement, and looking to help drive our profession forward. I’m honored and excited to be a part of it.

I’m looking forward to meeting many of you, either in person or virtually, at DevLearn this year.

See you there- David

** Click here for an archive of my backchannel resource posts