Cathy Nelson’s Professional Thoughts

Processing the last 2 weeks of the Upstate Technology Conference and NECC, and I still can’t seem to put to words all that transpired or even how I felt about it all. I feel a sort of elation, though many have expressed disappointment or even more critical feelings about NECC. I’m still satisfied with my conference experience, as I got to meet SO MANY virtual friends f2f. This picture of nodes was shared frequently at NECC, but it really represents well how virtual relationships can expand your learning. My learning in the last 2 years can mostly be attested to virtual relationships I have cultivated in the last 2 years.

In the last 2 weeks, I met up with my friend Chris Craft at UTC, and together we went right in and met up with Ewan McIntosh and David Jakes there in Greenville. I also met for the first time f2f Pat “Loonyhiker” Hensley. I hung out with Heather Loy, Pat Hensley, Maryann Sansonetti, Julia Davis, and Chris Craft, and best, Daid Jakes and Ewan McIntosh came and ate lunch with us the one day I attended UTC.

At NECC, it was nice to meet up again with all the people I hung around with in Philadelphia at Educon 2.0, like Laura Deisley, Will Richardson, David Jakes, Joyce Valenza, Carolyn Foote, Kristin Hokanson, Robin Ellis, Sylvia Martinez, Chris Lehman, Maria Knee, Marcie Hull, and way too many others to mention.

I met f2f for the very first time Diane Cordell, Kitty Forbus, Doug Johnson, Derrall G, Vinnie Vrotney, Lisa Parisi, Stefanie Sanderfer, Darren Draper, Wes Fryer, Mighuel Ghulin, Scott Mcleod, Kevin Honeycutt (actually I did meet and get to know Kevin at EBC/NECC 07), and Dean Shareski, just to name a few.

The trip to San Antonio was worth it alone for just the opportunity to meet and talk shop with all these people. I had a great mixture of sessions and meeting up with my peeps while IN San Antonio. I am defintiely looking forward to NECC2009 in DC already. Can you believe I read where someone had already booked their rooms for next year’s NECC?

Today’s photos are compliments of Crafty184’s photostream, and mine.

Chris Craft, happiest person I know! An SC resident, no less. My mentor and friend.

David Jakes (from the Chicago area) and I–we made a pact to be buddies in real life, even though we are not buds in Twitter. Who needs Twitter when one can have a f2f friendship?

Upon meeting Ewan McIntosh (Edinburg, Scotland), he pulled me close, kissed me lightly on each cheek, and exclaimed, “Cathyjo, you look just like your avatar!” It was the sweetest greeting I think I’ve ever gotten!

Meeting Diane Cordell (upstate New York) was quite possibly icing on the cake! We met through social networking circles and have cultivated quite a friendship in the last year. What spunk!

I finally get to meet Kitty Forbus. Oddly enough I think we virtually met through my blog in its earliest phase, and then cultivated a friendship by playing with the tools (remember our foray into Skype, Kitty?) and most recently mentoring Kitty through some of her National Board Certification Process. Kitty is form Alabama, and recently my school district lured her superintendent away to South Carolina. Talk about a small world!

Lisa Parisi is from Long Island, NY, and we have met before in many social networking circles. She is so genuinely nice and SMART! I want to be like her someday.

Perhaps there will be more post-NECC reflections. But I just had to share about the people I met recently. So who did you enjoy meeting, and better, where are the pictures?

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