Reasonably charming setting.

Thus ends day two of my first Seminar in Academic Computing. There’s an interesting stillness to this conference. The numbers are relatively small, and the sessions are intense but often quite informal. It really does feel like a seminar. I even had homework, of sorts: yesterday I presented on Net Gen Learners with two very distinguished panelists, Joel Hartman and Chuck Dziuban of the University of Central Florida. Plenty of good energy in the room, and some very thoughtful Q&A. It didn’t hurt that the day began with a plenary address by Vint Cerf, Internet Evangelist for Google. I got a double dose of Vint yesterday: once in the very fine and astonishingly deep plenary, and then again late in the evening as I continued my reading in Mitchell Waldrop’s epochal The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution that Made Computing Personal. (Thanks to Ernie for recommending this book to me. It’s extraordinary.) Vint’s one of what we may remember as the Greatest IT Generation, those who took a dream and made it real through brilliance, perseverance, and stubborn naivete. To hear Vint continue to hold forth on everything from the limits of TCP/IP to ICANN to his plans for the interplanetary network was a great honor and a joy.

After my panel, I could relax a bit more and take in the surroundings, both topographically and intellectually. I’ve been to deep and informative sessions on Net Neutrality (support it!), Sakai, Directors’ insomina (and what to do about it), and grants from the Mellon Foundation. I’ve learned a ton in mealtime conversations, and deepened my relationship with some dear colleagues (you know who you are). I continue to be amazed by how smart, creative, playful, and committed my IT colleagues are.

I’m also amazed by how many English majors end up in this space, including Randy Bass from Georgetown, who delivered this morning’s plenary on “Recognizing the Visible Evidence of Invisible Learning.” I blush to admit I hadn’t known much, if anything about Randy’s work before this seminar. My loss. Randy’s hard at work in many areas, including the Visible Knowledge Project, and his address today resonated very deeply with me on many levels. I’ll be making up for lost time with Randy’s work in the weeks ahead.

After all the sessions this evening, I went into Aspen with a couple of superb colleagues, friends, and mentors. More great conversation ensued. Setting, food, drink, friendship, and a passionate commitment to real school. One could do far worse.

I am grateful.