From the conference blog for SUPERNOVA, this post on "Decentralizing the Conference" had some resonance for me in thinking about the classroom experience. What happens when we substitute "classroom" for "conference" in this paragraph? (This is the same thought I kept having at Pop!Tech this year...)
I'm convinced, though, that distributed online communications can enhance physical events. Many conferences ban blogging, or refuse to provide any live coverage on the Web. The theory is that any public exposure will make people less likely to pay the registration fee. I think that's short-sighted. If prospective attendees aren't convinced of the value of the conference, no amount of hiding the content will help.
We'll see if the class blogs I've set up for my Web Design and XML classes add value by decentralizing content...
