Guest Post: Conference Blogging in the Open
We are excited to share the next in a series of guest blog posts. This one was written by Chahira Nouira .
For those who don't know me, I am Chahira and for many years the EdTech
community has known me as CosmoCat or the queen of retweets ;) When I got the invite to speak at the new Blogging Community of Practice I did not hesitate for a second!
Thank you, Jim and Maren, for the opportunity! It is great fun to be contributing to events of a community I admire. In the community session we talked about conference blogging and blogging in the open, and this post captures some of the key points and my reflections:
What makes a really good conference blog post?
Disclaimer: I am not too sure that there is one right answer, but I'll try to capture what makes it work for me 😺
A good way to share a story is a hook, something like an “aha moment”. For example, how many times have you been at a conference thinking “not this again?” or "why are we going back in time?” or “very innovative but who will have the money to implement this?”. But then there are those other moments. When, after listening to a talk or participating in a workshop, in a room literally buzzing with ideas, in so many languages with new and old faces, something really captures your attention. I am sure you had an encounter or two with someone telling you their journey and how they struggled to find the best solution on both a pedagogical level and a technological one. I think you know what I am getting at. It's not the jargon, nor the complexity even, of what we do that makes the difference - but the enthusiasm, the inspiration, the power of connecting people and thus so many dots. Capturing these moments of inspiration or clarity in papers or technical reports does the job, but blogs proved to be a beautiful space for the magic that happens beyond the technical, academic stuff. Of all the genres, it is blogs that can offer spaces where different ideas, different points of view can co-exist and add value not only for people attending the conference but also those following along remotely.
What blogging does well is shaping the human connection. It also offers the possibility for those of us who practice storytelling and value taking the conversation beyond where it originates. There were times when I was not able to attend conferences, for example when I was still living in Tunisia and getting on a plane to attend a conference hosted in Europe wasn't straight forward. Even just the logistics were very complicated. But, because the members of the EdTech community share their stories through social media and blogs, I could be part of many events which would have otherwise been inaccessible to me. It was the open practice that gave me the chance be a virtual participant back in the days where live-streaming was not even a thing yet. Without the generosity of others who took the time to blog, either live or on a regular basis, me and many others would have not have the chance to be part of the conversation. I tried to pay it forward whenever I could because it helped me immensely to have a voice in the community and learn from those authentic exchanges happening around, in and after EdTech events.
My motto: Engage, Practice, Share, Connect
This was my motto when I started a blog many years ago. Over the years I have come to realize that it's not always obvious why one should take the time to blog, but it is still a relatively easy way to share from events. Consistency can be hard but may enhance the most amazing conversations and I know that once you start or get back to it, it gets better :)
So here is my promise to myself to give it a shot again as I believe this could be fun and part of my learning journey!
Meet our guest blogger
Economist by training, Chahira Nouira is currently working at the University of Göttingen, Germany, as an Instructional Designer. 18 years ago, Chahira has started her career as an educational technologist. While working at the United Nations University (UNU), she contributed to European projects about Open Educational Resources. The focus of her work is the development and implementation of methods and tools that help teachers and students strengthen their digital competences and enhance collaborative teaching and learning.
From April 2020 to March 2023, she was in charge of Digital Teaching and Learning in the DAAD funded IMKD project ´liveSciences³ – Transnational and Digital Linked Life Sciences. Her current tasks are related to the project LInK aiming at enhancing interactivity and collaborative learning in large classes.
