The new websites and technology resources that I learned about at NECC 2009 will come later this week in the “normal” style that you’ve come to expect from me.

NECC 2009 is concluding as I begin to draft this post. Without any exception, NECC 2009 was an absolutely amazing, at times almost surreal, experience made possible by all of you. It was especially made possible by those of you who donated to the fundraising effort. And a few more huge thank you’s to Beth Still who organized the fundraising, to VoiceThread which essentially matched all of the donations, and to Lee Kolbert who made the connection between VoiceThread and the fundraising effort.

As Jeff Utecht and others have noted, some of the most valuable experiences at NECC, particulary for early adopters is the conversations that take place between educators. Those conversations could be planned or impromptu, but either way they are valuable. For example, I had innumerable conversations with people about the value of creating a personal learning network or PLN. None of those conversations were planned, yet each one was experience in sharing and learning.

In the end the best way that I can describe the NECC experience is as an opportunity to build your own professional development. If you’re the type of person that enjoys going to seminars to learn, you can do that at NECC. If you’re the type of person that enjoys learning through conversation, you can do that at NECC. If you want to experience a mix of those two styles, you can do that at NECC too.

Throughout the next week, as I have more time to reflect (and rest, I’m not home yet), I will share more of my thoughts about the NECC experience.