Tagged: conferences

February 6, 2016

On organizing ELT conferences and events

This is part three of a three part series on conferences. The first two parts looked at what attendees want and what what presenters want from ELT conferences. In this post I will share survey responses related to planning and organizing conferences or other events. If you click on the first post linked above you can find out about the background of this survey. Once again my thanks go to those who took the time to answer the questions (and he who helped created the questions). As might be expected there were less responses to the section of the survey related to organizing events. I hope and believe that the responses here might be of use to those planning events I share them with that in mind. Comments (including your additions) and questions most welcome.

Photo from the 34th TESOL Greece Conference via Vicky Loras of the Loras Network

As a conference organizer, how do you define your goals?

Forget about the “WOW!”, just get rid of the “Arrrrgh!”
Everyone should want to come back next year is one measure. Sometimes financial. Did we get enough people in to cover costs? But, ideally there should be a good vibe.
At the beginning of the process, I talk with the other planners about what we want to see as a result of the conference. Sometimes we start with problems or challenges that we see in our teaching environments. This helps us put together a conference theme and a list of possible speakers.
Looking at my aims.
With a team.

As a conference organizer, how do you determine how to allocate resources?

Get the basics (location / facilities / advertising / printing) covered and prioritise from there on the continuum from ‘Absolutely essential’ through to ‘Nice to have’.
According to regulations.
I look at budgets from previous conferences and then adapt them to the needs and the numbers of expected guests. The cost of the venue often determines how much room we have for other resource-demanding things.
Tough one. And one I’m not usually that involved in. Try to be fair to everyone as far as things like people who sign up commit early get get the spaces they deserve. But, also try to allocate some resources (presentation slots, features, etc) for people “on their way up” not only the “names.” But, you usually do need name “star” presenters too.

As a conference organizer, how do you evaluate proposals?

There are rubrics etc. but a lot of it comes down to a gut feeling at times. Usually have to deal with too many seemingly good proposals.
According to appeal and feasibility.
I create or borrow a rubric, which I distribute to the proposal vetting team, and when I am more organized, I also link to the rubric from the proposal submission form. Since I have never had a huge number of proposals to deal with, all of the reviewers give comments about all of the proposals. The comments are summarized and sent back to the presenters with requests for revision if necessary.
RRR – Recent, Relevant, Reliable: recent/new ELT info; relevance to the local ELT context; reliable presenters who are knowledgeable on the topic.
I wish I knew the answer…

As a conference organizer, how do you determine prices?

Always a negotiation. The past few years I have been on the side of “raise the rates” but that does have negative consequences too. In an ideal world, sky high rates for those who can afford them, but coupons, discounts or rebates to keep the community diverse.
We charge what we think people will be willing to pay. That is often determined by the prices of local conferences of a similar scope.
Estimate costs and divide by expected participants – compare with similar conferences.
According to cost and averages charges for similar events.

As a conference organizer, what, in your opinion, is the greatest challenge in preparing a conference? How have you addressed it (assuming it can be addressed)?

Sourcing great speakers.
Getting people to attend, promotion.
Getting help.
My biggest headache is fundraising because I hate, hate, hate asking for money. My second biggest headache is publicity because I am by nature much more talented at keeping secrets than shouting from rooftops. The best thing I can do with these challenges is work with a team. Either my teammates will compensate for my weaknesses with their own strengths or my fear of letting my teammates down will make the challenges seem less fearsome by comparison.
Getting the word out to as many people as possible, and even more so to the “right” people (people you want to have come who should be there but might not be if they don’t know or don’t know far enough in advance) as far ahead of time as possible, but not therefore lock everything down too far in advance. It’s a trade off.

Additional thoughts as a conference organizer:

No good deed goes unpunished. No matter what you do, people will complain endlessly, so once the opening words of the conference are uttered try to just enjoy it. There isn’t much you can do at that point to change the direction. But if you are enjoying it, others will too. Real actual issues of safety, execution, etc need attention, but try not to pay too much attention to the squeaky wheels. Much better to pay attention to someone, anyone else.
Have a nice day ~ : )

January 30, 2016

What ELT conference attendees want

WordItOut-word-cloud-1414484 Some time ago my friend, colleague, one time co-presenter and writer, and two time guest (1, 2) blogger on this very blog Michael Free contacted me. He wanted to get a conversation started about what people want from conferences here on ELT RRR, writing:

Some of us ELTs have to attend them, others don’t.
Some teachers (really) like them, others (really) don’t.

Speaking for myself, I love a good conference. A chance to hear about new research, talk shop, and hopefully pick up a practical technique or two for the classroom as well as a few books. Of course, my reasons might not match with your reasons. So, I’d like to ask you a couple of questions.

Before I do, I’d like to tell you why I’m asking. I’ve recently been asked to help organise a fairly large conference (a solidly packed single-day event, if you must know). In beginning to put this together, I’m wondering what, for you, makes the conference experience worthwhile.

I thought it would be helpful to start off the process with a (completely unscientific) survey so that the responses to the survey could give readers something to think about and add to (as well as agree and disagree with). Thank you very much to the 30 people who responded! The questions were a joint effort but most of them were from Michael Free (thank you Michael). Below you can find the survey questions and the answers related to attending conferences with some minor edits for clarity and organization. Responses on presenting and organizing conferences will be in subsequent posts.

As you read the responses I wonder, what do you think of them? What would you add? What would you cut? What is interesting or surprising for you?

Background information

The respondents were based in:

South Korea (5)
Japan (3)

The UK (3)
The US (2)

Portugal

Chile

India

Israel

Spain

Taipei

France

In terms of experience attending conferences 59.3% of the respondents have attended 11 or more conferences which gives an indication of the level of experience with conferences from respondents. 14.8% have attended 7-10 conferences, 18.5% have attended 4-6 conferences, and 7.4% of respondents have attended 2-3 conferences.

As a conference attendee, what do you want in a conference?

Opportunities to discuss what we’ve heard, but informally and not because that’s part of a session.
To learn new and inspiring things and to meet good people.
An interesting range of presentations that are not scheduled before 9:30am. Not too many parallel sessions because the odds of me wanting to really see than one or two of the presentations end up being very high.
To be energised, inspired, learn new things
Pleasant venue (comfortably heated rooms, not a massive space to trek around, convenient location, etc.), quality talks (original, well-researched, professionally presented) and well organised i.e. speakers encouraged to stick to timings, technology working, no ridiculous queues for coffee!
How many answers do I get? All of the following are important: a good venue, good organization, friendly hosts, great presentations (even though that is often out of the hands of the organizers) interesting group of participants. Something new to learn. A good audience if presenting. Wifi.
Well-grounded, well-argued, well-illustrated presentations – preferably innovative
New ideas, knowledge, support, time to network, etc.
“Big Name” plenary speakers! Current and relevant info about ELT; networking opportunities; freebies from publishers!
To learn something
Yes: Thought-provoking ideas backed by data/theory; new & practical classroom activities.
No: preaching to the choir (please present at a conference targeted for administration instead).
Good ideas and good thinking, preferably backed up by evidence
New approaches on ELT
Variety of topics and session types.
Interesting sessions, interesting people, food & drinks, maybe fans (‘groupies’) recognising me
Healthy balance between plenaries, sessions, and free time to talk to people. Spacious but clearly laid-out venue. Engagement with participants via social networks (official updates and shares!)
To come away having learned stuff or not wasted time.
The last few conferences that I have been to have been a little unsatisfying from a presentations point of view. I wonder if this is less a function of poor presentations than just where I am in my development right now, and also the fact that it’s actually pretty difficult to tackle a topic in depth in 45 minutes or so. I also can’t remember the last time I saw a decent plenary. Recently I have got much more out of conversations at conferences, and especially those with newer teachers. I’m keen to see what happens with the demo classes at ExciteELT: I think those could be very interesting. Overall then, I’d say I want a chance to deal with the smaller stuff of teaching, that doesn’t always make it to the “big idea” presentation stage.
Interesting presentations, good research, strong speakers
Thought provoking and inspirational ideas for improved teaching, opportunities to discuss and network with colleagues, learn about R&D, clarification on any government changes in immigration law, visas and exams.
Networking opportunities and exposure to a variety of points of view.
Useful thought provoking stuff
Knowledge and meet others
Practical ideas based on theoretical knowledge
Something different. Something new. Something true.
New teaching ideas, current research, connections with other teachers
Materials or books
If a session is practical, lots of take-home ideas. If it’s theoretical, I want it to be really theoretical and high-level, not banal or oversimplified.

As a conference attendee, what is absolutely essential?

Good coffee that’s not outrageously expensive (for reals).
A very practical glance-and-go conference handbook-schedule with accurate, quick-glance/one line summary of each presentation.
Good visuals
A variety of useful workshops, exchange of ideas with colleagues.
Interesting conferences and events organization
Theoretical knowledge
Good organization. Without that, the rest (above) can get lost. Ok, and wifi. But seriously, a conference team that works well.
Accurate locations and room numbers in the conference program, a variety of topics addressed
A location that is easily accessible from an airport in abroad and a major train station of in Japan. 10 minute breaks between presentations. A welcome reception for networking/bonding with others.
A variety of presenters.
Interesting and varied sessions and that the summary is accurate about what we’ll hear.
Conference schedule shouldn’t choke the attendees.
Interesting talks
Good organization
Good organization -sessions in the correct rooms, not many cancellations, a good schedule to plan what to attend.
Range/Variety
A wide choice of quality non-commercial talks, workshops, etc
Learning something
I thought about this, and I don’t think anything is totally essential (not even a venue, if you don’t include the internets in that definition). If I am there physically, somewhere to charge gadgets is probably top of my priority list.
Proximity to restaurants, WiFi
Clear programme and lay-out of venue, WiFi
That the learning is useful and relevant, although not always mainstream. Easy access and good facilities.
Learning something, meeting people.
A chance to network
People talking about more than what’s usually talked about. I get pretty tired of hearing the same old things all over the place all the time. I want to hear people sharing what works for them in their particular context – especially if it’s some outrageous thing that should not really work but does.
Transparency in the conference abstracts; NO disguised marketing
One decent talk minimum.
Current and relevant info about ELT in presentations by great speakers.

As a conference attendee what is useful, but not essential?

Publisher/promotional talks. I know they pay the bills, but they usually have to bribe people to attend and have very little bearing on practice.
Bookstores and editorials showrooms
Wifi? Coffee. These help but anyone can live without them.
A bag and printed schedule
A job searching center, with interviewing, can be a really great add-on.
Good food and a lot of coffee on-site
I quite enjoyed the wine and cheese event at this year’s [KOTESOL] International Conference. I’d like to see that kind of stuff encouraged more, but with more of a teaching focus. Kind of like a chillout room at the conference where the interested can go and find people to chat to.
Good coffee. If it’s not on-site, it’s essential to be able to get some close by.
Food options around =)
Lots of Q & A time
Discounts on books during the book fair.
Places to meet other people
Convenient location
Free stuff.
Freebies from publishers.
Commercial talks. I rarely (if ever) go to them, though that could be just me 😉
Boards
Updates on relevant government legislation: any new or changed requirements; updates on R&D.
Book exhibition
Venue in an interesting, easily accessible location.
Solid vetting of speakers~no terrible presentations
meeting other teachers
Exhibition

As a conference attendee, what do you usually hope to take away from the conference?

New ideas for research and teaching
Ideas, useful contacts
New ideas for content, methods, projects…
New connections; broader perspectives; new learning; renewed enthusiasm for teaching.
Ideas for improved teaching and a feeling of being part of a mutually supportive group of professionals.
Memories of and ideas from conversations with other teachers; new acquaintances; ideas that would speak to me and that I will be ready to follow up on
Ideas, information, excitement,
A new way to think about something
New ways of looking at things, new skills and new/stronger friendships with people in my field.
Lots of new connections and at least one new idea.
Something I didn’t expect is always welcome. New ideas, better ideas, new people. Especially that last one.
One idea to use.
Some reviews of speeches
Directions for further reading/investigation
Increased motivation
Big thoughts, questions, connections.
A sense of community. Thought-provoking ideas; a few handouts, links, activities, or articles to revisit later.
Lots of ideas + some connections for networking.
Lots of things! For me though, what goes on between sessions (meeting peers, networking, etc) is just as valuable as the timetabled stuff
Ideas on how to improve as a teacher or questions to reflect on my teaching
An idea to think about more later and/or an inspiring way to approach learning.
Good ideas and new thinking
New teaching ideas, current research, connections with other teachers
New ideas, professional contacts, memories, etc.
New ideas for classes
New ideas for practice and new perspectives on practice
Inspiration
Ideas about new trends, a sense of what is/isn’t working for teachers in ELT (and why/why not)

In another survey potential attendees said they prefer quality speakers over speakers with “star power.” What, for you, are the characteristics that make a quality speaker?”A related, indeed overlapping, question is “What makes for a quality presentation?”

A quality speaker has a good story to tell and can tell it clearly and maybe adjust on the fly if needed. The difference between quality and star power is if you feel like you are getting the same attention to the work of presenting and preparation if there are 5 people in the room or 150.
It’s kind of like quality teaching – the speaker lets the audience know where they are starting from, builds from there, encourages (but does not force) participation, and leaves the audience feeling like they have explored a new way to think about something.
It should make people think. Shouldn’t be only theoretical.
A presentation that delivers what is promised, well-organized materials, engaging content.
I get why someone would say they want quality speakers instead of speakers with star power and yet it’s those people with star power who often bring in people who might otherwise not be there to share ideas that might not otherwise get shared. When we get a Tom Farrell or a Dorothy Zemach or a Shelly Sanchez Terrell or a Penny Ur (giving quality presentations and working with people throughout the conference) then that’s something good. And what makes for a quality presentation? Real ideas, connection with the audience, a bit inspiration. and confidence (but not over-confidence) in the ideas being shared. I particularly like speakers who say things like “well, I could be wrong but …”
Theoretical background to what they are saying.
NOT preaching to the choir — it is absolutely the worst to be told in detail all about things in education that are primarily out of the hands of teachers to change and in the hands of administration to be informed about (in other words, wrong audience for the content; don’t tell us what we already know but can do very little about).
A sense of wanting to help people to do stuff better in their classrooms.
Quality presentation includes questions, visuals, discussion and a q&a session
A quality pres is one that a) tells me something I don’t know and b) is not just someone’s opinion. Also, enough with the ‘5 ways to use a [tech] in class.’
Good speakers engage with the audience instead of preaching. Their slides are not all full of text, but they may choose to share some important quotes or other written information that is a little text heavy. Good speakers Don’t have to be funny, but humour is appreciated.
Relevance and preparation. Knowledge of the audience.
People who know the area they are talking about in great detail, can connect different ideas. Someone who makes even a potentially boring topic interesting and engaging. I don’t want to see a presentation by someone who has just had a look in a few of the common ELT textbooks. I can read the texts myself
While I’m guilty of responding “Big Name” presenters to the first question, I have certainly attended conferences where the “Big Name” presentation was not particularly relevant (or in my opinion “good”) to me or my teaching situation. However, it may have been great for another so each to their own – participants can always move around. The bottom line is this: Depth of knowledge from a subject matter expert is essential. A presenter with character will certainly go a long way but (excuse my French) attendees can smell bullshit a mile away.
An innovative topic
Confidence, good timing, a small number of carefully chosen key points, time at the end for questions (that are thoughtfully answered), and the ability to still deliver the talk if PowerPoint falls over.
A quality speaker for me is someone who knows their subject, is passionate about it, and delivers it in an engaging way. A quality talk is well prepared, researched thoroughly, rehearsed, and highly relevant to the audience it is pitched at.
Quality speaker: a speaker who knows the topic well and communicates effectively. A quality presentation: The presentation flows logically and involves more than platitudes. Concrete examples are given.
An enthusiasm to communicate something they feel strongly about. It doesn’t matter if they have “star power” or not.
New ideas, comfortable speaking, solid ‘presentation skills’, aware of the audience
A quality speaker, for me, does not overuse jargonisms, does not sound superior, does not state the obvious. A quality speaker shares stories. A quality presentation is honest and feels right, because the presenter, again, has a story to tell. A quality presentation is NOT a dry presentation of research data.
Someone who knows their topic well and who understands their attendees’ needs. Someone who won’t beat about the bush, but would use their time to maximum effect.
Passion, knowledge, interactivity, preparation, respect of time limits, clear and appealing visuals.
Effective communicators with a clear message that links the theory to the practice and gives me something I can use in the classroom
Concision, NOT reading aloud, precise timing, discussion time, economical and unobtrusive use of resources e.g. PowerPoint, humour
Well planned, prepared and rehearsed. That they have something to share – something they’ve tried, researched or thought about – that’s worth passing on.
Knowledge of practical realities.
Wit, humour – but not at the expense of content, content, knowledge of the topic, occasional references to research, possibly mentions of and links to other sessions presented at the same conference and last but by no means not least well designed PPT/Prezi slides

Have you ever seen anything that made a presentation particularly fantastic in your opinion?

Yes, when speakers interact with the audience
The above and elements of surprise.
Ideas presented in thought-provoking ways. Ideas that are informed by theory, research, or experience that serve as a spring-board for trying it yourself.
NOT pedantic, but well-informed.
Brief chances during a presentation to talk about, process, or experience the content with others in the audience/colleagues.
When a presenter or their posse shuts down that one kook who is asking unrelated questions/trying to upstage/control the presentation inappropriately (the more swiftly and diplomatically they do so, the greater the “teacher take-away”!).
Speaker getting into the crowd and talking.
Fact packed, challenged preconceptions, and funny
I remember a very satisfying pronunciation talk where the guy basically admitted he had no idea how to teach it, and just turned it into a big sharing thing. I thought that was cool.
Paul Nation (quality star power) giving a 90 minute plenary without notes or PowerPoint slides. He has such presence you just want to believe everything he says and yet … I also once saw a presentation from a completely unknown person (meaning I have no idea who it was really) which was all about how she took a group of students who thought they were failures, gave them a few tools, and led them forward into making a video documentary about how their lives sucked and why they were working so hard to make their lives not suck. We learned about the kids, the city, the poverty, the whole thing. Then we saw the video and we cried with a kind of joy.
It’s almost always the speaker for me. Engaging, well prepared, solid message
Engagement with the audience – catching the audience’s attention (usually some kind of ‘hook’ but interesting / surprising facts work well!). Not relying on slides (not reading). Knowledgeable about the topic and happy to interact with the audience – asking and answering questions.
A good mixture of preparedness and (easy, natural, unforced) connection with the audience
I once saw a presentation on writing research findings that could have been dry and boring, but was incredibly engaging. They involved the audience in many small tasks.
One of the best ever was a Paul Nation plenary with no slides and seemingly no notes. There was a brief handout on each seat and he balanced theory, information, and a good anecdote or three.
Fantastic presentations have a lot of audience participation that is not forced
I think it has a lot to do with expertise with the content and being able to present well i.e Scott Thornbury and Ken Wilson = inspirational. David Nunan reading form slides full of text = checking social media
One of the speakers were guiding us for pair working and it worked very well.
Conviction, even passion, on the part of the speaker, but not dogmatic or hectoring
My favorite presentations are the ones that caused me to try something new because they gave me a clear idea of what they new thing was and they convinced me that this new thing would be useful.
Yes. The presentation file simply wouldn’t open. Laptop was swiftly turned off and the presenter delivered an engaging talk, without referring to any notes.
Involving audience.
An amazing command of lecture skills~like an actress
Presenter being at ease and enjoying the time with the audience makes it fantastic enough.
Russ Mayne’s 2014 IATEFL talk
I’ve maybe been lucky but, in the short time I’ve been in ESOL, I can’t remember a presentation that was boring or felt like a waste of time. Some are more pedestrian in their style than others but I’ve never found any tedious. Of course, a touch of humour usually makes a presentation memorable.

Additional thoughts as a conference attendee:

Back to back talks, many running at the same time, is unnecessary. Much better to be more selective with number of speakers and build in ample time between the sessions. Most attendees I meet at conferences are, like me, just as interested in sitting down and talking over coffee (or something stronger) as they are in attending talks.
Ensuring that although the theme is adhered to, that there is sufficient variety.
Scheduled time as some people come from out of town.
I don’t like when presenters decide to use PPT and then skip half their slides.
Too much dross ant EFL conferences makes it hardly worth anyone’s while going. I really don’t know why people go when you,could read a book which is cheaper with better info. I think conferences are just about networking.
Make them affordable. Too many conferences can only be afforded by those with research budgets and good salaries. JALT in Japan is too expensive for everyone. Also, conference organizers in general: get over yourselves. There are lots of conferences in the world. Just because you’re organizing one doesn’t mean you can learn from other people organizing conferences.
Free coffee is always good.
Conferences are well worth the effort. They refresh your thinking and re-energise you. It’s good to make new contacts and feel part of a professional and supportive community.
Think of logistics~minimize buildings, floors, etc. Keep It Simple
Having affordable food options or enough healthy food options can make a conference experience much nicer!
Plenaries or sessions should not start before 10 am
Friendly, welcoming atmosphere created by the organisers and helpers.
There should be room for reflection in any conference. Some quiet time where attendees can do anything else other than attending talks or sessions.
Long breaks are good for networking
Potentially off-topic, but themes can be overrated. When they work well and are organic to the conference they add a lot, but often seem to be just something that has to be there. Especially true of big conferences. Sometimes I really prefer a small tightly knit conference
I don’t want to be shilled.
I just want to learn and get new ideas.

March 27, 2014

A conversation about conferences

The following is a conversation between present day Michael Griffin (MGN, as in MG now) and Michael Griffin circa 1999 (MGT or MG then). This is, of course, a fictional conversation because I don’t own a time machine and even if I did I wouldn’t risk messing up the space time continuum by talking with myself. No offense to any humans or groups is intentional. I also would like to emphasize my aim and hope for there to be no hint of the aroma of sour grapes here either.

MGN: Hi buddy how are you doing?
MGT: Hey. ‘Sup? What is going on?
MGN: Not too much. One thing on my mind is how I am so gutted because I am not going to either IATEFL or TESOL for yet another year.
MGT: What does “gutted” mean? And what are IATEFL and TESOL?
MGN: Oh, right, sorry. IATEFL and TESOL are professional organizations in the field of English teaching. This is, by the way, your future career.
MGT: Wild. Really wild stuff. There’s more than one organization? OK.
MGN: There are tons of them. Regional ones and country specific and interest specific and probably lots I don’t even know about.
MGT: Wow. Weird. And how often are these conferences?
MGN: The really big ones are yearly but there are regional meetings and all sorts of other events all the time.
MGT: You mean to tell me that there is so much happening in English teaching you need to have major conferences every year? What can change? It is not like English changes all that much, is it? Are there radical changes in teaching styles every year? What could possibly be so new and important that you need to have a new conference so damn often? That sounds bizarre to me. You didn’t answer about the meaning of “gutted” bee tea double you.
MGN: Ahh, sorry, it means sad or hurt or something like that. It is British English. Many of my mates from the Irish Isles use it. MGT: You really *shouldn’t use such words. It sounds like an affectation and makes you sound like a wanker or a jerk or something. Don’t do that. Seriously. Anyway, why are you so bothered about missing conferences?
MGN: Nice question. I think you are onto something with this word “missing” as I think it sort of feels like I am missing something. You know that thing about how you can’t go to bed until you are sure that all the possible fun has been sucked out of the evening? This is sort of similar. It is like a feeling that all the fun and excitement is going on without me. While on the subject, I can report that this feeling of not being able to go to bed while there might still be fun to be had dissipates as you get older.
MGT: I see. I guess that is pretty good news about “Griffin’s Disease.” And as for the conferences., well, what exactly is so fun? MGN: I think part of the fun is meeting like-minded people. I am pretty geeky about this stuff and it is really to find people who share the same interest. It kind of reminds me of a baseball card show or a comic convention. Oh yea, while i am thinking of it, believe it or not, a friend you are going to make in the next 18 months actually attended a Star Trek convention one time.
MGT: I keep learning crazy things from you. So what goes on at these English teaching conferences? Do people seek autographs? If so from who?
MGN: I guess I have seen some autograph hunting but not all that much. It is sometimes fun and interesting to see people freaking out about authors and big names in the field.
MGT: I hope that I..you…we never engage in such nonsense.
MGN: It might be too late. Anyway, your question here got me thinking a bit about the nature of celebrity in this field. I guess it is sort of a peculiar thing.
MGT: It sounds like it. I still don’t really have a clear idea on what goes on at these conferences.
MGN: Presentations and workshops and things like this. It is a chance for networking and learning and sharing.
MGT: I guess I had an idea already. Thanks. Why can’t you go this year?
MGN: Time and money mostly. Those are always key factors with most things as you surely already know. It is also tough to fly out of Korea and get to the US or UK in time to really do much without missing too many classes.
MGT: Wait, what? You live in Korea. ~~South Korea, right?~~ That is something else. Wow. So, it must be hard for people from around the world to get to these big conferences.
MGN: Sure.
MGT: Aside from the fact that such a conference is all these nerds getting together to talk about teaching English and god knows what else related to it something seems strange to me that in 2014 you’d need to get together in an actual physical place to talk about this. Can’t you meet online? Don’t they have video conferencing, in the future? And yea, what about flying cars?
MGN: Video conferencing is common enough but being at the venue is a special buzz. Nothing on the flying cars yet.
MGT: I can’t help but wonder about the teachers that can’t afford to make it to the US or UK. Surely that is most English teachers in the world, right? I have only heard about this stuff for the last few minutes but I am wondering who is served by these conferences. Who exactly benefits and how? Is it for teachers? All teachers? Or teachers with access to money and time? Teachers from certain places? What is the main purpose of such conferences? Is it for students in the end? Are there other ways to disseminate knowledge? Is it about disseminating knowledge? What is it about, ultimately? You mentioned networking and buzz a few times. Is there more?
MGN: Those are some good questions to consider. I am not sure I really have the answers to them now. Maybe I need to think about them some more. But again, I do think conferences can be a valuable chance for teachers to learn what others are doing and to connect with like-minded people. It can also be inspiring and motivating. I also don’t think you are saying anything that couldn’t be said about any sort of conference in any field.
MGT: Yeah.. OK but somehow it seems different to me when related to something like teaching English. Another thing, while you are wondering about conferences it you might also want to consider things like carbon footprints.
MGN: I never thought of you as the party-pooper type. Gosh. But at the same time, I do thank you for the fresh and outside perspective.