Bring Your Own Laptop
Recently I read about a conference that caught my attention and curiosity – BYOL elearning 2009. (http://elearning.byol.com/). Bring your own laptop (BYOL) is a concept created by Rapid Intake Conferences based in Provo, Utah. Rapid Intake Conferences (http://www.rapidintake.com/) has designed a unique approach to technology training conferences in that all attendees will have hands on experience in every session attended. Unfortunately this is taking place next week, but there will be more next year, and hopefully I can attend.
"The idea behind this new line of conferences is simple," says Isaac Hess,
Director of Conferences and Events for Rapid Intake. "Every session in these
conferences will have a hands-on experience. And when I say every session, I
mean every session. These will be the only conferences of their kind in the
entire industry. No one else is doing this, and we're really excited."
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS63455+19-May-2009+PRN20090519
For me, I find this idea exciting and helpful for my learning style. I am definitely a kinetic and visual learner; I tend to drift off during an audio lesson (no offense to my professors – it comes from a very short attention span!), which makes a lot of my learning via research and online tutorials. The training sessions I lead are all hands on – each student has their own computer and several have commented it is much easier to learn and do at the same time, rather than read/listen and do later. If this is an effective training style in a classroom, why not in a conference setting? Not only does it give the attendees a chance to immediately practice what they have been taught, but it gives the presenters a chance to interact with the participants.
Do you think you would benefit from this type of conference, or would having a laptop in front of you be too much of a temptation and pull your attention away from the presenter? Would you have the strength to keep the laptop closed until it was time to play?
This idea is great!! It actually allows the person in the conference to interact with the person leading the conference. This reminds of our classes with Dr. Wilcox and Dr. Thall, that have the computers in front of us and we can utilize the computers while they lecture to keep up with powerpoints, websites, etc.
ReplyDeleteWhat might help those who may drift away is to only pull out the laptop when the lecturer says to. Having the "BYOL" is very helpful with those who are visual learners and those who teach visual courses alike. I can also see the future of paper and pencil, and "going green" as an effect of BYOL!
I personally believe that I could benefit from this type of conference. I think whether or not people would get distracted from this form is a matter of self-discipline. I was interested to see the cost of the conference, and I read that it was $999; therefore, 100% of my attention would be directed to the speaker, because I'd want my money's worth. I think this is definitely a unique approach, yet it makes perfect sense.
ReplyDeleteI really like this concept. I would benefit from it personally. I am a visual learner, so I would benefit from seeing the speaker and being able to interact on my laptop. I would focus on the speaker to get the full benefit from the presentation. If there would be software to take home, it would be an added bonus and continue the learning at home.
ReplyDelete"BYOL" is something that I think will only become more common. With today's economy, and all the efforts that are being made to "go green," I think that by giving students or attendees at a conference the chance to bring their own laptops and follow along with the presenter is a great idea. I personally learn better when I can follow along with the use of technology, as opposed to being given a powerpoint hand-out and being told to take notes. My attention span is much less when that is the case.
ReplyDeleteIf temptation to play games or surf the net is a problem for specific individuals, then they should come up with creative ways to beat the temptation. However, I feel with adult learners, the temptation is much less, than with child learners. Adult learners are more mature, and are usually at least somewhat interested in the what the instructor is saying, so they would be more prone pay attention to the instructor and not play games or surf the net. For me specifically, I'm not usually tempted to "play" when I'm not supposed to, so I do think that I would benefit from attending a "BYOL" conference.
I am in agreement with Kelli in that the “Bring Your Own Laptop” conferences will catch on quickly. It makes complete sense as most people are taking their laptops with them everywhere they go. Especially, in a workshop setting that is teaching new technology.
ReplyDeleteThis type of session would work best for me, as I too am a hands-on learner and would benefit greatly from the practice sessions. Often times, we go to conferences and cannot wait to return and try out the new information we have learned only to find out that it doesn’t quite work the way we remember.
What a phenomenal idea! Someone has hit a gold mine!
I love the idea of BYOL. I think that no matter what kind of learning style you are being able to apply what you just learned is very beneficial. By applying the knowledge right away, or while you are learning, this will increase the chance of transfer of learning. Transfer of learning is key when designing instruction. As a trainer you need to make sure that what you teach will be used in the trainees real job/life. If there is no transfer of knowledge then the trainer did not do his/her job.
ReplyDeleteBYOL reminds me a lot of how we learn in our tech class. Dr. Wilcox will give us some general instructions on how to use a certain application and we use what we learn to test it out. I learn very well using this approach.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kellie, BYOL will become very popular in the near future.
I am a habitual multi-tasker and have learned much from continuing ed classes when I've had a computer or the material in front of me. Immediate gratification is a strong motivator.
ReplyDeleteAlso, studies show that people learn more by using more than one kind of sensory tool.
The learning pyramid works in my classroom. People really do seem to remember more of what they learn if they have the opportunity to do it or even better, explain what they are learning or teach it to another person.
After reading this, it seems to be a very exciting concept! I would definitely benefit from a conference like this! It appears to me to be the future of where conferences should go.
ReplyDeleteBYOL seems to give the conference attendees a since of responsibility in requesting that they literally bring something with them to the conference. How often do we attend conferences, trainings, etc where we are asked to bring paper and pencil to seldom if ever use them? I personally began this semester with seperate notebooks for each course that have been used VERY minimally. Having the responsibility of bringing something with you creates expectation of how that something will be used and the fact that they promise that use will take place in EVERY session is great! It gives a deeper learning experience because you are more open to making full use of your brought materials (in this case a laptop.) Wonderful concept!
I have to say that having a lap top in front of me while someone is presenting material can be beneficial and detrimental at the same time. I’ve had many experiences with having my lap top in class with me, and depending on the topic at hand, it either keeps me incredibly engaged or incredibly disengaged.
ReplyDeleteIf the topic is interesting to me, then I will use my lap top to help me learn. However, if the information is boring to me, then I will spend almost 100 percent of my time “surfing” the web. I hate to admit that, but it is very true. So, I think that presenters should take into account how engaged the audience will most likely be before deciding if having a lap top in front of them is a good idea.