Reflections on attending ISTE 2010 primarily as a vendor, the allure and limitations of the exhibit floor, and why we value conferences that focus on authentic learning over shiny tools.

A 5:30 am reflection on TEDxNYED: powerful ideas, passionate speakers, and the lingering question of what actually changes in education after all the inspiring talk.

We argue that what matters most today is not teachers as master knowers of content, but as master learners who model and apprentice students into the processes of learning—especially within social and technological networks that extend far beyond classroom walls.

We reflect on a conversation from Educon about the “big” questions schools should be asking in light of tectonic shifts in social learning online, and invite readers to help narrow a substantial list of essential questions down to a top ten for deeper exploration.

A look at how restrictive technology policies and low professional regard undermine teachers as learners and leaders, and a question about whether social web tools can help raise the perception of the teaching profession.

Our professional focus has been shifting from classroom practice toward individual learning and helping educators see the potential of online spaces for their own growth first. Community building, not traditional training, is emerging as the core of meaningful professional development—continual, collaborative, and on the job.

Reflecting on unconference-style gatherings at BloggerCon and EduBloggerCon, and questioning whether we’re really moving beyond tools and vendors toward deeper conversations about how learning, networks, teaching, and schools are changing.

We left the ThirteenCelebration conference inspired by powerful speakers yet deeply concerned that many education reform leaders lack real engagement with networked, Read/Write Web learning. Until we focus urgently on building 21st-century skills for educators—and expect them to publish, converse, and model connected learning—we’ll struggle to take calls for 21st-century skills for kids seriously.

We’ve been watching the flow of content coming out of Illinois, and it’s obvious we’ve reached a tipping point in how conference ideas escape the ballroom and reach the world. Here’s our tongue-in-cheek checklist for the ultimate, hyper-connected conference attendee.

We’re reposting Chris’s announcement of EduCon 2.0, an education and School 2.0 conference focused on innovation and the future of schools, built around inquiry, co-creation, and networked learning, and issuing a call for proposals for interactive conversations due November 1.