I’ve been woefully negligent on a number of blogging fronts. None more so than concerning next month’s Canadian Network for Innovation in Education Conference here at TRU – May 13-16.

A few of the many reasons I am looking forward to this conference:

• A strong program highlighting many gifted and passionate presenters.
• Some fantastic experiential pre-conference workshops – I’m looking forward to co-facilitating another SoundCamp with Grant Potter, Jason Toal, and Jon Fulton.
• Besides Grant and Jason, old friends like D’Arcy Norman, Giulia Forsythe, Will Engle, Novak Rogic, and many more will be coming to Kamloops. I’ll be enjoying some Northern Voice and Open Ed flashbacks for sure.
• I’m thrilled by the keynotes: writer and rabble-rouser Audrey Watters, “learner, mom, gramma and chocoholic” Nancy White (also doing a full-day “Drawing on Walls” visual facilitation workshop), and Ojibway author/journalist/storyteller Richard Wagamese.

Perhaps a little less thrilling, I am slated to deliver a keynote as well. Knowing I will need some help to begin to match the occasion, I’ve enlisted a DJ to keep the sonic environment lively and tidy.

I would add that this part of the country is extremely beautiful and distinct, and if you were to come to the conference I would advise staying a little extra and taking some time to explore the surroundings. This is one of the sunniest parts of the country, so the weather should be great in mid-May. We’ll be wrapping the event with a “Hoot & Howl” at nearby McQueen Lake led by TRU’s Dean of Science Tom Dickinson and First Nations Elder Estella Patrick Moller, with a birdwatching walk (the “hoot”) around the lake, followed by a “howl” for coyotes as night falls. Should be a fantastic way to enjoy some BBQ as the week winds down.

I hope you’ll consider joining us in the Loops for what I expect will be a fun, stimulating and memorable week in BC’s interior. There’s still a day left to register and receive the early-bird rate (see, I really was negligent not to blog about this sooner).