My first experince at Eden Park was about twenty something years ago. I was a young Mum with a bunch of kids and we were not attending a sporting event. We were however sitting outside in the stands. I vividly remember being whipped around by the cold wind.
Today brought back some memories of that first experience. It’s been pretty wild, wet and windy here in Auckland and that weather has brought chaos to the traffic. It also brought a bit of chaos as we looked for the driest route to the conference breakouts today. At least once in the sessions the rooms were warm and dry!
I particularly enjoyed the keynote speaker’s first breakout session today. Miguel Guhlin’s session was about using opensource tools to create a safe, “walled garden” for teachers and students to collaborate and network. I have been playing with Mambo, Moodle and Elgg recently and Miguel’s work has given me some more ideas to play with.
I think the funniest
moment came late in the day. Like the good conference attendees we all are, several of us stayed for the prize draw. I was sitting next to a teacher who appeared to do some sort of worship maneouver at the first draw. He was repeating his “I never win”, mantra so loudly that I don’t actually think he realised that he had won a prize until the rest of us errupted beside him. Go Owairaka District School! Go Nga Taonga Cluster!
The next prize, the ‘man bag’, went to a teacher from Parakai School (Kirikiri Mangu Cluster) so I was pretty happy about that. Then they did the draw for a copy of Kidspiration. Some one else did the”I never win” mantra (see the photo to the left) and the name of another teacher in the cluster was called. The trouble was that she’d gone home. The mantra started again … and it was … another Owairaka teacher! Fabulous!
I wish I’d remembered my camera – the lighting in the conference hall wasn’t great for the camera phone!
In the mean time here’s one last little gem from the trade’s hall!
Don’tcha just love a good ICT conference?
Related posts:
“I was a young Mum with a bunch of kids and we were not attending a sporting event.”
They never tell you when you embark on motherhood how useful the experience will be to the day job 20 years later…
Hmm. Those were the days. Yeah Right.
(which will only make sense to Kiwis)
Hey Nicki…thanks for the blogroll info…I knew I could count on you
looking forward to exploring your ‘walled garden’.
Cheers
Fiona
Hiya Fiona,
I’ll let you know when I get somewhere. At the moment, even I’m locked out!
Sounds like the final four sessions of TUANZ were incredible. I am missing New Zealand something fierce. I have added you to my feel and I am looking forward to learning more from you and all you have to share.