InstructureCon 2017: Mission Accomplished

[garth]

So this year I attended InstructureCon solo.  Not for one minute did I think I would be alone, but honestly I had no idea what to expect.  And look what happened....

Over the course of the week I ran into all kinds of people.

During the Canvas Intelligence Exchange I was able to meet many new people.  I had a really nice side conversation with  @pchaney  about Canvas Data, and got to meet the all famous  @travis_cox    After firing back and forth through the Community with dgrobani‌ , we finally had a chance to meet in person and share ideas about what we've been working on, very cool.  I have seen several posts in the Community from  @peter3  and actually‌ got to sit and talk to him at Hack Night, where we engaged in a conversation about XAPI and Caliper with a developer from Penn State and a member of Unicon which was a great intro for me into these tools.  Did I mention I got to shake the hand of snufer‌?

Of course there were Canvas peeps all over the place, too many to name... Hillary Melander enlightened me on the Canvas Network‌ and hooked me up with the guys at ShinDig for some great info related to a real time course collaboration project I have been working on.  I got to catch up with our awesome CSM Deactivated user‌ and had a really good sit down with Deactivated user‌ and some friends about the API.  Of course if you didn't run into  @Renee_Carney ‌ or  @scottdennis ‌ or stefaniesanders‌ or  @kmeeusen , you might have spent too much time looking at your phone while you moved around the conference.  I would love to list ALL of the Canvas people that I met during the week.

The vendors were great too.   @Kim_AspirEDU ‌ and  @Chris_Munzo ‌ continue to do great things with Dropout Detective, and it was really nice to be able to catch up with them.  Annie Chechitelli and the folks at AWS Education were able to answer some questions that have been on my mind and will help to start thinking about strategy.  Mike Zackrison at CidiLabs enlightened me on their product to assist with instructional design, and I look forward to learning more.  There were many vendor conversations and the time spent was valuable.

However, as much fun as it was running around solo, there were a few faces that I continued to run into over and over.  Somehow this group came together at River Run for the last night, and we had a great time shutting down the village.

The picture above includes  @kenneth_rogers ‌,   @kschneider25 ‌,  @rseilham ‌, awilliams‌,  @G_Petruzella ‌ and  @erin_milne .  These guys really made the week fun.

Attending the conference on my own absolutely lived up to expectations, honestly it was hard to find time to stop, breath and regroup.  I hope everyone walked away with some good stories, new friends and new contacts to help make their Canvas experience the best that it can be.

 #instcon> operation -instructurecon 0017  -mission accomplished
 #instcon> successful
 #instcon> _ 

[kschneider25]

It was great to finally meet you in person and run into you throughout the week. #Instcon is an amazing networking opportunity where you can meet like-minded individuals or adventure out to meet and see so many others.  You (and many others) helped make my InstructureCon experience amazing and fun this year. 

[rseilham]

I concur! I met so many people who I adore in the community (I'm looking at you  @kenneth_rogers ‌) and many others who I was much less familiar with but were Panda awesome (I'm looking at your  @kschneider25 ‌). I hope we all get a chance to be there again next year with more stories and fun times! In the meantime, let's collaborate on the community to make some awesomeness! 

PS: Thanks  @garth ‌ for the ride home, if not, I'm sure I would have run into a moose or been eaten by a bear! 

[kenneth_rogers]

Thanks,  @rseilham ‌. I'm not sure if "adore" is the correct word there (I figured you'd say abhor), but I'll take it!

[rseilham]

Well, I said adore "before the conference" - but now, you're correction is more accurate. 

[kschneider25]

 @rseilham ‌  -

"PS: Thanks Garth Egbert for the ride home, if not, I'm sure I would have run into a moose or been eaten by a bear! "

I don't think it would have been a moose or a bear but that little, fuzzy squirrel or the chipmunk that we saw when walking to the Mountain House.  There's never a dull moment with this group.

[Chris_Munzo]

That's a great note,  @garth ‌.  Now that I've attended my 4th straight InstCon, it's really fun to catch up with people, especially to see their growth.   @Kim_AspirEDU ‌ and I always enjoy hearing about your challenges and how you approach them.

 @jlvankley ‌ and Stacy Moore at Olivet Nazarene Univ both got great new promotions; congrats!  I kept missing  @nick_sun ‌, one of my favorite people; I was always talking to someone as he approached.  It's awesome to see  @kona ‌' Canvas babies growing up.  Deactivated user‌, Jace Gilbert and Deactivated user‌ are in the circle of interesting and interactive Instructure folks.  There are a lot more people that I enjoy seeing but I suppose that's how I gauge InstructureCon...it's about the people.

[rjacobson]

Always good to see you,  @Chris_Munzo ‌. You and  @Kim_AspirEDU ‌ are the host's with the most and I am excited to tag along with a few more new AspireEdu clients at InstCon 2018. 

[Chris_Munzo]

Great to see you Deactivated user‌ - you are one of the good guys!

[kmeeusen]

 @garth ‌ You listed me with way too important folks.......

Of course if you didn't run into Renee Carney or Scott Dennis or Stefanie Sanders or Kelley L. Meeusen, 

One of my highlights was finally meeting you, and the nice talks we had. And I have to agree with  @rseilham ‌ about how nice it was to meet the awesome  @kschneider25 ‌.

As I've said so many times it  sounds like a Rocky Mnt. echo - It is all about the people!

And I thank all of you for making this one my best ever,

Kelley

[kona]

I greatly enjoyed working with you on the Intel Exchange and getting to know you better! Looks like you had an awesome conference and I look forward to connecting with you in the future!

[awilliams]

I couldn't have said it any better and I couldn't have found better people to spend time with on the last night. Thanks for all the great moments. I look forward to keeping them going in the future.

[kenneth_rogers]

Thanks for the write up,  @garth . It was not only a pleasure to work with you on the Intel Exchange, but to hang out throughout the week, and then to close out the week together. I'm looking forward to working together here in the Community (I'll come knocking for some LTI work, trust me!) and then hope I can come next year and we can do it again!

[erin_milne]

It was great to meet you this week,  @garth !  I especially like how this picture replaces my face with that of Luke Wilson

[rjacobson]

 @garth ‌, I don't care what anyone says, you sir, are one of the very best. 

Thanks for all the help this week and for dropping some Rubrics API knowledge on me. Your ability to talk with anyone, regardless of their level of Canvexpertise, and immediately be able to offer some truly valuable advice and insights, continues to be an inspiration. Keep up the good work, my friend and Ill see you soon!

[garth]

Deactivated user‌ thank you for the kind words, I enjoy jumping in, ready to brainstorm any time.

[dgrobani]

 @garth ‌, I'm piling on here at the love-fest and saying again how much I value your contributions to the community and how much I enjoyed meeting and talking with you at InstructureCon!

And I'm happy to say also that I've solved the great mystery of why you look nothing like your profile photo--I just uploaded it to Google Image Search and discovered Idiocracy. I don't see many movies, but this looks like a good one, so thanks for that!

[garth]

dgrobani‌ what I tell my friends is that it may be the dumbest movie you ever watch, but it is a brilliant movie to reflect on

The concepts put forward years ago can easily be seen today.

I hope you enjoy it.

[Bobby2]

Garth you have created InstructureCon envy. But also advertised the next event beautifully. Starting saving now.

[Bobby2]

Brilliant. Fly on the wall. Thanks Kona

[Bobby2]

Dates and venue for the next one?

[Stef_retired]

 @Bobby2 , InstructureCon 2018 will be held July 24-26, 2018 in Keystone, Colorado: Instructurecon July 24-26, 2018 | An Edtech conference in Keystone CO. 

[kyoung]

So we are being solicited to submit proposals but I can't find the #theme for 2018?  

[kschneider25]

The theme hasn't been released yet.  Hopefully soon it will be released!  #SoExcited!

[Stef_retired]

kyoung, presentations don't need to hew to a conference theme; in the past, many presenters have chosen to shape their presentations around the theme, but that's not been a prerequisite. We hope people will submit whatever they think will be of interest to the IC18 crowd!

[mjennings]

In fairness.. knowing the theme can help direct the creative juices. #ifeelthepain 

[kschneider25]

The theme was released - Instructurecon July 24-26, 2018 | An Edtech conference in Keystone CO. !