Winding down from Learning Technologies

So another Learning Technologies conference and exhibition comes to a close, in fact the tenth - an accomplishment for any event. The organisers may have worried that attendance was going to be affected by the downturn, but they could have saved themselves the sleepless nights - this was by far the busiest and buzziest event yet. How can this be? Well ...

• There clearly is a heightened interest in e-learning as organisations look to cut budgets and speed up training delivery - in this way e-learning seems counter-recessionary.
• E-learning seems to be at the tipping point; as an industry we are no longer racked by self-doubt, because we're hearing so many great case studies. We know there's a lot of poor use of technology still, but by and large organisations are learning the lessons and beginning to get it right.

The highlight for me was George Siemens' keynote this morning. I'm a complete convert to connectivism and, for me, his combination of tremendous intellect and cool, confident delivery makes for an absorbing experience. I know his ideas may be a little abstract and academic for some, but I believe it is worth sticking with it and reflecting carefully on what he has to say. A great start is his book Knowing Knowledge.

Some suggestions for next year:

• With all due respect to my peers who have done a sterling job in provoking thought, let's be on the lookout for the next generation of thought leaders - not just baby boomers in Gen Y clothing but the real thing. Would it be outrageous to suggest a better male/female balance as well?
• There are controversial issues in learning technology, but we're not experiencing the debate; a bit of Q&A perhaps and a few polite comments, but nothing remotely challenging. The final session was a great example: three excellent speakers in Jay Cross, Charles Jennings and Donald Clark, each putting forward some great ideas, but all more or less in total agreement with each other. And even if they weren't, we'd never have known.

In summary, big thanks go to Donald Taylor and the event organisers for putting together such a worthwhile use of time, money and energy. Here's to ten more years.