With another OLC Innovate in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to once again compile resources, reflect, and attempt to evolve a new generative mental model that brings me, and my small sphere of influence, to a better place with regards to these fleeting experiences full of of clean linens, uncommon calories, and excess coffee.
OLC ROI
This year, more than ever, I’ve been focused intently on ensuring that events such as OLC Innovate are generative, and the inherent energy is focused towards sustained change and success (personally and broadly within the field of education). Too often, we attend events under a guise of pursuing honest change, and instead, conferences become a pleasant excuse to escape the work we don’t truly appreciate or enjoy in the first place. If these events become our wasteful rationale for escapism, then at minimum, we might as well leverage the time away to reflect on our work and discover new ways to enjoy it a little more upon our return. #Amirite?
With my role once again fairly scattered between session presentations, assisting with newcomer orientation (Rangers Program), and helping with other engagement-related initiatives, I placed added focus on avoiding the inevitable FOMO (too many sessions, too little time), and instead, I further embraced the idea that the true value of these events comes from authentic connection. While there are occasional sessions that truly challenge our thinking, I’m now more content than ever to forgo yet another PowerPoint for the pursuit of experiences that reveal the authentic humanity of fellow attendees, and in turn, hopefully my own.
For me, this became the event of killer keynotes, vendor vengeance, and an unresolved perspective on tribalism.
Killer Keynotes
OLC Innovate absolutely nailed it with the keynotes this year (IMO). The initial Campfire Stories were conceptually superb and the break from tradition was both bold and necessary, Jordan Shapiro connected a historic lineage of tales and tools that caused me to quite literally rethink my use of the word context, and Ruha Benjamin wove together social and emotional learning with social-scientific insights on equity and justice into one of the most impactful narratives I’ve ever heard. This conference wasn’t flawless, but for my particular techno-philosophical affection, the keynotes came very close.
Vendor Vengeance
As they have prior, the ed-tech vendors once again created a troubling subtext to OLC Innovate. The marketing emails came early and often (see tweet below), leaving unsavory perceptions in many minds prior to arrival. How might a conference create a mutual and collaborative scenario where I rush to the vendor hall in anticipation as opposed to creeping in with a cynical and skeptical eye? This inbox attack prompted what we later discovered to be independent retaliations from both myself and Adam Croom. While I took to Twitter, Adam responded individually to each and every vendor in an effort to reverse the roles and make a direct and poignant statement about what this marketing onslaught represents to the educationally-minded.
One simple piece of vendor advice: Build empathy and create relationships, don’t sell products.
In a very relevant (and surprise acceptance) session titled, Is Ed-tech Killing This Conference, myself, Adam Croom, Jeremy Dean and Shelly Rodrigo, were reminded by Amy Collier of the often unaddressed role that gender plays when discussing vendor relationships and the unavoidable white maleness of ed-tech. We asked attendees: What does a healthy practitioner-vendor relationship look like? While the session may have only further illuminated the complexities of this issue, we were happy to see OLC leadership represented in the room and even caught hints of potential modifications to future vendor qualifications based off of the discussion.
We found the following intro slide to our session to be a useful examination of the liminal spaces and complexities which currently exist in higher education. Thank you to Jeremy, both for organizing this panel/discussion, and for the brief history lesson and article dissecting this unconventional, but ultimately fruitful, relationship. Whether vendor or practitioner, the Barlow/Hooks exchange has something to teach us.
Tribal Tendencies
If I had one lasting criticism of this year’s event, it would be to point out an undeniable and dangerous gravitation towards tribalism that persists within the OLC community (and surely others with similar goals). While this might be an unavoidable byproduct of a well-structured and persisting conference, I still think it’s worth exposing. As I’ve navigated the varying levels of volunteers, attendees, vendors, and leadership structures within the OLC ecosystem, the hierarchies, cliques, and tribal tendencies have only become more distinct. At one point, someone literally said to me, “it looks like you found your tribe.” And while I’m fairly confident that this was said with the best of intentions, it still represents an underlying problem, and leads me towards an important question: Is the potential for corrosive tribalism an inevitable byproduct of a strong community?
With every good community, there seems to inevitably come the potential for exclusivity and elitism. The OLC has done a wonderful job creating a network of devoted education professionals willing to pour endless, uncompensated hours into their events, but the more I understand the structures that help build community, the more I become aware of the personalities and factions working implicitly (and perhaps subconsciously) to maintain an impenetrable mentality of us vs. them.
Let us all keep a keen eye on the emergent strengths of our shared humanity as we look towards reinventing future events, conferences, political structures, institutions, and societies. Creating community leads to some of the best aspects of our shared existence, but only if in creating such community we don’t overshoot our target and exclude the diverse perspectives which will ultimately allow us to grow stronger.
Though this event came with its flaws, as they all do, I returned home full of optimism and a reinforced belief that personal connection is, and always will be, what ultimately matters. Below is a small sample of this lasting truth:
Clark Shah-Nelson continues to blow my mind with his endless selflessness and honest interest in borderless, inclusive community. #SocksandSandals
Eddie Andreo was my personal chauffeur and brew buddy throughout. I can’t thank him enough for his friendship and unwavering pursuit of honest, unapologetic conversation. #Yazoo4Life
Angela Gunder received every damn OLC award available, and now that I’ve had the time to truly get to know her, I’m realizing that she absolutely deserves every single one. #JustGunderful
Ben Scragg seemed to be at every turn keeping the OLC wheels greased, while continuing to inspire endlessly with Whose Design, the Innovation Lab, and a style of thinking every institution would be better for having. #Improv4Life
Keegan Long-Wheeler was the genuine, kind-hearted geek practitioner that everyone said he was…not disappointed and glad we finally got to meet. #YearofKeegan
Tom Evans is my new Twitter-crush. His raw media intellect and satirical prowess is rare and infectious. We shall meet again within the infinite tubes of light. #OLCConspiracies
I’d be remiss not to thank Kate Sonka, Maddie Shellgren and Jess Knott for keeping equity, diversity, and accessibility center-stage. #ThatShitMatters
This, of course, is but a mere scratch upon the surface of those I’ve found great pleasure in having met, conversed with, laughed at, and learned from. OLC Accelerate is on the horizon and then Innovate comes home to Denver for 2019. Hope to see you there and thanks for another memorable week!
