This was my first InstructureCon, although not my first (by a long shot) Educational/EdTech conference. This one blew the others out of the water. I'd put it on par with the NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) conference but with a much better venue and a more fun/entertaining vibe.
I really don't do altitude well at all. The anti-altitude-sickness medication I got from my doctor helped, but not 100%. But it's SO PRETTY up there! I really did love the location. I LOVED being able to ride the Orange Bubble Gondola on Tuesday - I only wish it was open later in the week as well - nothing beats an open-air view of that area! I also liked that the gondola rides were free and there was enough time here and there to ride them. I certainly had no time to explore anything else in the area (if I can swing it next year, I'll plan for an extra day or two to do just that).
I was EXTREMELY happy to find the "Special Diets" food in the Farm. As a pescatarian, I appreciated not having to second-guess what was in the food, and the chef and his staff went above and beyond to give us creative, healthy, beautiful food. I kept hearing complaints about the "regular" food, but the Farm was just a gem.
The sessions were short, which at first I thought would be a problem, but most tailored their presentations to fit the time slot and promised us we'd have access to slides and video later, so it felt OK. A few I wish had a longer time slot - maybe there could be a variety of session lengths with a few going 60-90 minutes each day? Just a thought. Nearly all of them were crowded, no matter how large the room. I quickly learned to hop on the nearest golf cart (THANK YOU for those!) and head to the front of the room to find a seat (there was almost always a front-row seat available even when the room looked packed to overflowing - only once did I have to sit on the floor). I spoke to someone driving a golf cart who said the conference had nearly doubled in size this year - wow! I think that showed in the crowded session rooms. I'm not sure what the best solution is - are there more rooms? Cap attendance (boo)? Maybe erect some smaller tents or use the bigger tents for some breakout sessions? Maximize the space you have!
Despite being involved in the online Community Space and jumping on the Twitter bandwagon, I felt like I was missing some information all week. I discovered the Unconference VERY late in the game, but managed to get into the "course" on time and attend part of the it. I was already registered for some Pre-Conference sessions, so I couldn't attend all of it (which I suspect is why it was on the down-low - free vs paid sessions). I didn't understand what the General Sessions were about and almost skipped them in favor of a nap - until I asked a conference veteran who explained that's when we learn about new stuff in Canvas. In retrospect, I think all the information I needed was indeed, somewhere, but for some reason, I felt a bit scattered compared to other conferences I've attended. The hugely enthusiastic, energetic, and helpful Instructure staff more than made up for it though - They were easy to locate with their matching shirts, they were EVERYWHERE, and not one ever hesitated to help out and make everyone feel super-welcome. They really made the difference in this conference in my opinion. Kudos to Instructure for fostering such a great sense of community and welcome in your staff!
The Wi-Fi issues were, in my opinion, inexcusable. During the Pre-conference, I was unable to participate at all in one session due to not being able to connect. I eventually got onto the hotel Wi-Fi, but their connection was so slow I was unable to keep up with the hands-on class. It felt like a huge waste of $100 for that session. 😞 I asked the IT guys I found in the hall during that session why my laptop couldn't find an IP address - I was told they were "working on it". But the connection issues continued all week - some times I was golden, others, I couldn't connect at all. Incredibly frustrating! Especially for a tech conference where folks were encouraged to bring multiple devices. Again, I suspect this was a function of growing pains, and I hope and trust that it will be much improved for InstCon2016.
I liked the theme, but the color scheme left a lot to be desired. All the yellow was extremely hard to read - both on the website prior to the conference as well as in the PowerPoint templates presenters were given.
There was almost too much to do - I wanted more time! More time to meet and chat with folks from around the world. More time to play games at game night, more time chat and learn at Hack Night. I may, possibly, have tried to do "everything", which may not have been the best plan. But I had a blast!
The swag was generous, but perhaps include some more practical items like water bottles (I HATED to keep using plastic bottles and then searching for a recycling bin), a notebook (I found one on the last day - I could have used it earlier to take notes during the sessions), etc...
A huge THANK YOU for the air-conditioned giant tent for the keynotes and general sessions. If those had been held outside in the blistering sun, I would have had to look for a live-feed or wait for the YouTube video.
Overall, I had a ton of fun, learned enough to keep me busy for weeks if not months, met a whole new community of awesome people, and came home both energized and exhausted. Well played, Instructure. Rock on!
you people rock! Didn’t
