Phelan Corrimal: as you can see around us we have a couple of photographs up from the conference itself

Phelan Corrimal: we had what I hope was a wonderful time in Sacramento

Phelan Corrimal: and there was lots of things that we managed to get accomplished while we were there

Phelan Corrimal: I’d like to start off by asking everyone if they have a particular memory of the event they would like to share

Bevan Whitfield: there are too many to limit it to one but most certainly meeting Iskye

Wisdomseeker (lissena): 🙂

Bevan Whitfield: is first

iSkye Silverweb: Hi Tab!

Bevan Whitfield: but there were so many things – the Delta King was just something else

Bevan Whitfield: amazing

Bevan Whitfield: Hi Tab!

Letty Luckstone: yes, having a conference on a ship was an interesting experience

Phelan Corrimal: welcome Tab

iSkye Silverweb: so much history and so many things to learn

Bevan Whitfield: very cool, very elegant, very eccentric in a good way though

Letty Luckstone: It gave the conference its own charm

Phelan Corrimal: while speaking of the ship there were a lot of pros and cons to it

Tab Scott: Thank you Phelan

iSkye Silverweb: it did!

Bevan Whitfield: yes made it very unique

Phelan Corrimal: I’m wondering whether or not people like the idea of having a unique venue like that for the event

Tab Scott: Hi Bevan

Wisdomseeker (lissena): will the next one be in CA too?

Phelan Corrimal: yes the next one will be in San Francisco

Wisdomseeker (lissena): ah

Bevan Whitfield: Well, it certainly was *not* cheap

Phelan Corrimal: we are already looking at venues for next year

Tender Skytower: The boat was small, which was great for a small gathering.

iSkye Silverweb: one pro – the boat was part of Sacramento’s history so it was really fitting, but the con is that it would not be accessible to people in wheelchairs

Phelan Corrimal: not cheap but not as expensive as the conference in 2009

Bevan Whitfield: nods

iSkye Silverweb: awfully bumpy bridge to the boat 🙂

Letty Luckstone: One of the things I like about attending conferences is connecting the history and richness of the place to the learning. So I agree with you iSkye.

Phelan Corrimal: yes accessibility is going to be a core requirement as we go forward

Bevan Whitfield: I rarely get to leave a conference, this was the first time I left a venue for more than a quick meal

Bevan Whitfield: so I really appreciated that

Tender Skytower: One of the big drawbacks for me is that they were in the middle of construction that we did not know about until after we planned the conference. It will be much easier to access after they are finished.

Phelan Corrimal: I think we need to find a balance between staying on-site and being able to tour and visit various places of educational and historical interest

Letty Luckstone: For a small conference, the ship was perfect, but for a larger one, we would definitely need a place that is more accessible for those with mobility issues.

Phelan Corrimal: yes the construction was a bit of a surprise

Letty Luckstone: it made for an interesting memory, though

Bevan Whitfield: Well it was very unique and very apropos to the uniqueness of our conference!

Letty Luckstone: One of the topics of the conference was connecting the idea of location with technology and immersion.

Letty Luckstone: Sacramento was rich with examples

iSkye Silverweb: very much so!

Phelan Corrimal: one of the core activities for the conference was to look at the bridge between technology and how it’s being used for various museums

iSkye Silverweb: I was thinking of ways to overlay with AR some of the displays…to enhance learning even more, while visiting one museum and getting excited about the technology we have and that we are on the cusp of being able to take advantage of for learning purposes

Bevan Whitfield: indeed!

Phelan Corrimal: and though we didn’t get to talk about that as much as I was hoping we did get a good opportunity to see how museums around Sacramento were integrating technology

Letty Luckstone: yes, and I was very excited by how some of them were also using concepts of gamification to appeal to people

iSkye Silverweb: *nods*

Phelan Corrimal: yes the Museum of California especially

Phelan Corrimal: they were starting to make much better use of technology than some of the other places

Letty Luckstone: there were some aspects of multimedia that definitely made the visit more “immersive”, if one can apply that to a real location. 🙂

Phelan Corrimal: one of the interesting things I found their was the fact that they had a guide in braille

Bevan Whitfield: It would have been interesting to speak to the curators and ask them questions about their future use of technology.

Phelan Corrimal: and yet the exhibits themselves had no braille on them

Phelan Corrimal: actually that would be a really good idea for next year

Phelan Corrimal: I’m wondering if people would be more interested if we had more behind-the-scenes tours

Letty Luckstone: some museums actually allow for “private” tours, particularly historical ones, by those that curate the items

Phelan Corrimal: where we could actually talk to the curators

Letty Luckstone: yes!

iSkye Silverweb: I’d like that!

Phelan Corrimal: speaking of talking to

Letty Luckstone: Communication was a large part of the conference.

Letty Luckstone: it brought to mind how diversely we speak to each other

Letty Luckstone: and how this virtual environment–while allows us to say what we want to say–leaves out the richness of expression

Bevan Whitfield: yes!

iSkye Silverweb: While I know my gratitude will be met with a bunch of “pshaws” I want to thank VERY MUCH the care that everyone took to make sure I could follow the content of the conference, with and without interpreters. Being deaf sucks. But being able to be on a team like this is an enormous joy for me.

Letty Luckstone: I found Bevan to be very animated and energetic, and there was an amazing calm and composure to the way iSkye shared.

Phelan Corrimal: yes I was wondering exactly how well that worked out

Phelan Corrimal: other things that we should look at changing for next year

Letty Luckstone: It was amazing to see the interaction between people talking, the interpreter using sign language and iSkye reading lips. That was amazing.

Bevan Whitfield: it was !

iSkye Silverweb: *Leans forward to look at Tender* Your shepherding skills are matchless. You helped make sure everyone was where they needed to be, and I thank you very much for all your careful attention to details.

Bevan Whitfield: Yes! Bravo Tender!

iSkye Silverweb: At the State Capitol, she made sure that the interpreters and I found each other.

Tender Skytower: iSkye, I was thrilled to be able to facilitate the translators for you.

Phelan Corrimal: I think there were some additional logistics that we can improve upon later but overall I think the experience actually worked fairly well

Letty Luckstone: getting involved in roundtable discussions with someone who doesn’t know VR or Second Life, was also interesting. We had to give the interpreters up to speed on what we meant by “Sansar” and “AR/VR”. It was great to do that, and marvel that there are still people who don’t know about these things.

Letty Luckstone: Yes, Phelan. And logistics will get more challenging the more people attend the conference. But I think your team is ready for the challenge. 🙂

Phelan Corrimal: for next year’s conference I’m hoping we can start on a mobile application which will start to integrate more augmented and virtual reality

iSkye Silverweb: one suggestion that may not be possible but worth looking into is having the same set of interpreters throughout – then I can pass them a sheet of terms we use and explanations so that they and I can work out signs for those words and phrases that are unfamiliar to them.

Phelan Corrimal: I like that idea

iSkye Silverweb: it will help the interpreters quite a bit

Letty Luckstone: yes, it will

Phelan Corrimal: we had a number of conversations with the interpreters explaining some of the technology and some of the terminology

Tender Skytower: iSkye, if we were always in the same city I could arrange that. Moving to a different city will make it impossible

iSkye Silverweb: I have connections… *singsong*

iSkye Silverweb: I can probably locate the interpreter agencies in the area through my network of deaf professionals

Tender Skytower: lol.. yes, but my budget doesn’t darling. The further they travel, the more it cost

iSkye Silverweb: that’s why I said in the area

Phelan Corrimal: there are still other things we can do to help out with that so we will keep all options on the table

iSkye Silverweb: there are a LOT of deaf professionals in San Francisco and Bay Area

iSkye Silverweb: for one example

Tender Skytower: Yes. I just won’t be able to get the same people.

iSkye Silverweb: so if I know the city I can probably find them

iSkye Silverweb: they don’t have to be the same interpreters year to year

Phelan Corrimal: so I’d like to ask tab and lissena what would be some of your expectations on a face-to-face conference

Letty Luckstone: we didn’t think to ask this time for the same ones, so if we ask next year, that might help

iSkye Silverweb: *nods*

Tender Skytower: Letty, I did ask. They were not available for all our time slots

Phelan Corrimal: I’m wondering if we need to poke Lissena with a stick or not

Letty Luckstone: Yes, we did have some people ask why we didn’t do this conference virtual, and some of the activities we had would not have been possible if they hadn’t been co-located.

Phelan Corrimal: 🙂

iSkye Silverweb: *blows out the fire on the stick Phelan is brandishing*

Wisdomseeker (lissena): the conference sounded very interesting but I live on the east coast and it is not possible to get away in October –I came today because I was curious abouot what you did there

Phelan Corrimal: so what would entice you to commit to San Francisco?

Wisdomseeker (lissena): I would have enjoyed attending at least part of it via zoom for instance

Phelan Corrimal: 🙂

Bevan Whitfield: Did you get to take a look at the gorgeous schedule ISkye and Letty put together for us? 🙂

Letty Luckstone: Zoom would not have captured effectively what we did, unfortunately

Letty Luckstone: It’s one of those things where you have to be there

Wisdomseeker (lissena): I understand

Bevan Whitfield: we were so busy doing so many wonderful things, it really was great

Phelan Corrimal: Or actually a better question we are trying to establish a value proposition for having a face-to-face conference

iSkye Silverweb: I agree. It took a bit of convincing for me to come this time but it was worth every bit despite the … flight flickerup that happened with my arrival and leaving times

Wisdomseeker (lissena): my reason for coming would be to meet others who are doing innovative things

Phelan Corrimal: so what are the aspects of face-to-face conferences that would get you to come to one if it was on the East Coast. We’re trying to find something different that will engage people beyond what they’re used

Bevan Whitfield: oh yes, a lot of that going on

Letty Luckstone: True. Some people are willing to travel across the country to attend a conference. So it would be good to know what would prompt you to make that expense.

Wisdomseeker (lissena): for me it is the timing that is bad

Wisdomseeker (lissena): we have a son and his family living in SF

Wisdomseeker (lissena): sp we do go there when we are free–but my husband still teaches

Wisdomseeker (lissena): I would love to meet you all

Wisdomseeker (lissena): in the flesh

Wisdomseeker (lissena): the content and approach sound very interesting

Phelan Corrimal: are there other things that you would find interesting. We tried to make this conference very experiential

Wisdomseeker (lissena): goes back to when it is held

Letty Luckstone: I think that in some ways, we tried to break the typical “conference” offerings. We didn’t want to spend hours sitting and listening. We wanted to do and experience and then connnect.

Phelan Corrimal: essentially keeping people’s butts out of their chairs as much as possible

Letty Luckstone: That’s what attracted me to this conference.

Wisdomseeker (lissena): learning more about gamifying what we do here and how to engage more people are 2 big interests of mine

Wisdomseeker (lissena): and yes, experiential

Bevan Whitfield: I loved the unique way in which we did it, looking at things with different eyes, then round-tables right after over lunch or drinks.

Wisdomseeker (lissena): always more engaging and enlivening

Letty Luckstone: definitely

Phelan Corrimal: yes I think we learned our lesson on that one lunch should be lunch and Roundtables should be let roundtables

iSkye Silverweb: a couple talking about their fitbits “omg I passed my goal of steps already!” but that was also part of the conference, getting around and it wasn’t just about ‘x’ thousand steps but what we were doing while taking those steps

Wisdomseeker (lissena): yes that sounds very good

Letty Luckstone: it’s always more fun to exercise when your movement is with purpose

Bevan Whitfield: oh my gosh, yes!

Phelan Corrimal: so we should get everybody a fitbit for next year?

Bevan Whitfield: We certainly ate some fab food but burned the calories off!

Letty Luckstone: I think Joe’s Crab Shack will never be the same again, lol.

Bevan Whitfield: hahaha!

Phelan Corrimal: and then we could have the rock cliff fit bit challenge

iSkye Silverweb: hahahaha

iSkye Silverweb: I EASILY polished off my dinner much to the surprise of everyone at the table…

Wisdomseeker (lissena): always consults her fitbit

Letty Luckstone: that was impressive, iSkye 😀

iSkye Silverweb: and well, to myself as well once I saw the pile of shells …

iSkye Silverweb: everything there was wonderful

Phelan Corrimal: certainly wearable technology is something that I want to be able to promote more along with virtual reality

Phelan Corrimal: the way in which we connect with our surroundings

Tender Skytower: It was also from sustainable sources. Everything you ate while you were here was locally grown or caught.

Letty Luckstone: I think, Liss, that what you mentioned about being interested in gamification is an application with some of the tech Phelan mentioned.

Letty Luckstone: It adds a layer of motivation and action

Wisdomseeker (lissena): yes–one reason I would like to have attended

Letty Luckstone: We had some rich discussions around the topic of game based and gamification, and we saw some great examples in some of the places we visited. Also had a bit of fun using VR headsets for different purposes.

Phelan Corrimal: I think as we continue to move forward interaction between the external world and the virtual world is going to become more important

Letty Luckstone: definitely

Phelan Corrimal: digital literacy is certainly one big topic for right now

Bevan Whitfield: I think it’s going to happen rather quickly

Phelan Corrimal: ethics and responsibility is another big one

iSkye Silverweb: very much so

iSkye Silverweb: I am hoping they don’t forget about accessibility

Phelan Corrimal: yes and I’d like this conference to be a focal point for those discussions

Bevan Whitfield: oh you should do a panel on those topics pretty soon

Phelan Corrimal: we will not forget about accessibility

Tender Skytower: iSkye, I will always be sure to watch accessibility

iSkye Silverweb: I know this team won’t but developers of the new tech

Bevan Whitfield: if we start doing panels again and getting the forums populated, we will have a lot of food for thought for the next conference – and be well advanced in our knowledge

iSkye Silverweb: they need to remember this

Bevan Whitfield: of these topics

Tender Skytower: Very true

Wisdomseeker (lissena): ways we in SL can lead the way to digital literacy would be super

Letty Luckstone: yes, and we need to keep the focus on those types of innovations and how accessibility needs to be a part of them

Phelan Corrimal: so I know we had people do a lot of walking how did everyone feel about the mix between what we did in the conference rooms versus what we did outdoors

Bevan Whitfield: different animals

Letty Luckstone: I liked being able to do activity and then discussion, but I would probably cut back on how much in one space of time. I was exhausted!

Tender Skytower: We did forget to take into account also how much people enjoy just talking. We should have made break times longer apparently.

Bevan Whitfield: But being out and about with a very serious timeline and agenda allowed us to experience those things we might have not gotten around to.

Bevan Whitfield: Yes we do love to chat but that’s normal, a bunch of smart, fun, innovative people with visionary ideas in one room????

Wisdomseeker (lissena): one thing I dislike about most conferences is the sitting–so this sounds great

Letty Luckstone: Yes, and adjusting the times in which we do those would probably be a good idea. You’re right, Tender, that there never seemed to be enough time to talk. 🙂

Bevan Whitfield: lol

Phelan Corrimal: well my thought was that if people were going to fly all the way out Sacramento that we should try to cram everything in that would be reasonable

Letty Luckstone: that’s true – make the expense worth it

iSkye Silverweb: I like walking, even if it gets tiring at times, we were able to sit when we needed to, rest a bit, go on, so I had no problems

Bevan Whitfield: Yes it was great – we crammed a lot in and I loved it, really one of the highlights of my year and yes, the expense was worth it

Letty Luckstone: I certainly thought so

Phelan Corrimal: originally I was going to have nighttime activities as well but somebody talk me out of that

Letty Luckstone: I would have been asleep by then. ;P

Phelan Corrimal: Could have gone underground Sacramento

Bevan Whitfield: well we didn’t get to bed very early anyhow!

Phelan Corrimal: visited all the ghosts

Phelan Corrimal: and goblins

Bevan Whitfield: Oooooo

Phelan Corrimal: in spooky things

Letty Luckstone: yes, I did want to see underground Sacramento, but didn’t have time

iSkye Silverweb: could have been fun!

iSkye Silverweb: but what we did see was hugely beneficial

Letty Luckstone: But we did cap the activities with a fabulous Dinner Mystery Theatre! Great food and great entertainment.

Wisdomseeker (lissena): you are making me envious 🙂

Phelan Corrimal: well it just means you have to show up next year

Letty Luckstone: yup 🙂

Bevan Whitfield: If you go back and look at the (can’t say this enough!!!) amazing calendar that Iskye and Letty put together, it’s like wow you guys did a ton!

Phelan Corrimal: will plan a barbecue at your son’s place

Letty Luckstone: lol

Wisdomseeker (lissena): I have to rephrase that to …I feel envious when…

Bevan Whitfield: http://erudition.confcenter.org/2017sac/for-attendees/erudition-schedule/

Bevan Whitfield: look how well done this is!

iSkye Silverweb: I had to miss the dinner but I am so glad it was fun

Tender Skytower: I’m more sorry you missed your lava cake, iSKye

Phelan Corrimal: we’ll see if we can arrange for lava cake next year

Tender Skytower: LOL .

Phelan Corrimal: we’ve already started the planning process for next year

iSkye Silverweb: ys

Phelan Corrimal: we have a couple of really good facilities were hoping to use

Bevan Whitfield: I like RUCC: then title

Bevan Whitfield: or theme

iSkye Silverweb: YES hopefully a chance for lava cake next year

Tender Skytower: Umm .. when is this planning being done?

Bevan Whitfield: I used #RUCC: Erudition a bit today, was shortter

Tender Skytower: iSkye, if I have to I will order you one special from Delta King and hand carry it to you

Bevan Whitfield: shorter for my tweets

Wisdomseeker (lissena): are you planning for october again?

Phelan Corrimal: over this month coming up November

Phelan Corrimal: yes it will be October 11 12th and 13th

Phelan Corrimal: the Thursday after Columbus Day

Wisdomseeker (lissena): perhaps you could consider having something online for part of one day?

Wisdomseeker (lissena): just a thought

Bevan Whitfield: I agree with that

Bevan Whitfield: we could do it on one of the workshop days

Bevan Whitfield: set up a camera

Wisdomseeker (lissena): so we could feel we can be part of it in some way?

Phelan Corrimal: because we have more time to plan this year we will probably arrange for a portion of the program to be available virtually for registered attendees

Bevan Whitfield: I’ve done it before, it’s very doable.

Wisdomseeker (lissena): or couold record a small piece of it?

Bevan Whitfield: both

Phelan Corrimal: but because we want to encourage people to actually come to San Francisco it will not be made open access

Wisdomseeker (lissena): that would be good–I would pay for that

Bevan Whitfield: right

Bevan Whitfield: but having a bit of that does tempt people to come to the next one

Phelan Corrimal: we heard from a number of people that expressed a similar concern

Wisdomseeker (lissena): most conferences I attend are attended by people whose agencies or organizations pay for them to attend

Bevan Whitfield: and anything taped could be shown to potential attendees, sponsors, city council etc

Wisdomseeker (lissena): so not having a fiscal sponsor makes a difference

Wisdomseeker (lissena): I do agree that having something to show people encourages attendance

Bevan Whitfield: even have it available for RUC Professional Members

Phelan Corrimal: certainly we were going to need sponsors for next year

Bevan Whitfield: Well, we’ll be in SF so let’s think about hmmmm what companies are there?? lol

Wisdomseeker (lissena): haha

Wisdomseeker (lissena): how about ones that are also in SL?

iSkye Silverweb: the thinking too is that it is important to do this hands-on, face to face

Letty Luckstone: right

Phelan Corrimal: oh geez who might be in San Francisco Apple Google high fidelity unity

Bevan Whitfield: it really is

Bevan Whitfield: I know silly! lol

iSkye Silverweb: I can tell that people who were at the conference, when they met me in person, well…they got an education

iSkye Silverweb: lol

Bevan Whitfield: 🙂

Tender Skytower: SL office is in SF also. It was just blocks from the fire a few years ago

Wisdomseeker (lissena): I have to leave to put dinner on the tabe for a hungry husband — thanks for giving me a sense of what I missed

Wisdomseeker (lissena): I was curious

Wisdomseeker (lissena): and wished I could have attended

Bevan Whitfield: Thanks for coming over! and we wish you could have as well 🙂

Phelan Corrimal: yes will thank you for coming over I do appreciate it we will have information on next year’s conference hopefully out before the end of November

Wisdomseeker (lissena): if I can help in some way I would be happy to

Wisdomseeker (lissena): bye for now

Phelan Corrimal: I would like to thank everyone for coming by we will have another opportunity to talk about the past conference and the upcoming one at the nonprofit Commons I believe on November 17

iSkye Silverweb: that’s at 8.30 or 9am SLT on the 17th?

Phelan Corrimal: usually that’s at 8:30