Just back home, exhausted and jet-lagged but extremely happy to have integrated the 10-day FLNW unconference in New Zealand. Unlike regular conferences, during which presenters pour their words to an audience , the unconference or open space conference boosts the energy by increasing contact and contributions from participants and encourages interaction and connections.
We moved around the country talking to different people, successes and obstacles met. Almost ALL moments were covered by the participants through blog posts, podcasts, videocasts, and photographs. Several vital educational issues and topics emerged during the trip. New ideas, scenarios, projections for the future are just two or three examples of the whirlwind of creativity, which hopefully will be compiled into an album recording some of the best moments of this trip.
It was an intense experience, which brought close together gurus, experts and newbies (like me), most of whom had not met f2f before. The poor and expensive Internet connection, time and place constraints were two elements we had not fully aprehended beforehand and caused some stress as I did not manage to reach other networks as planned.
However, full interaction occurred among those travelling together at different levels, at different times and places and an attempt was made to map out what constitutes group and network action and the different pressure they may exerce on the individual.
Plans are being made for new unconferences in Canada and who knows Brazil?
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