The Launch Behind the Scenes
This morning at 6:30 am I log on with one of my co-convener Lani Ritter-Hall to make sure all is ready to launch for the K12Online07 Preconference Keynote (David Warlick's) presentation.  My first stop is Gmail to see if any fires need to be put out. Then I open Skype. Then to Twitter. Interestingly, enough David and others are already Twitting in excited expectation of this year's preconference presentation launch. Lani and I chat briefly and decide that since the virtual line to see David's presentation wraps around the blogosphere- we will go ahead and launch 30 minutes early. And then the fireworks begin!

Twitter and David's back chat channel (pictured above) burst into life with folks comparing download times, asking last minute clarifications, giving a live analysis of the presentation, and seeking helpdesk kind of support. Lani and I were very busy for awhile until everyone got their questions answered and the video downloaded. An international audience of "gotta hear it first" folks grabbed the video and started blogging.  David's chat transcript will be available soon here.

So What Do You NEED to Know this Year?
There are a couple must knows for this year's conference.

1. The conference blog got a face lift. We tried to make it more user friendly. Content is linked in several places so you do not have to struggle to find things.
2. There is a companion wiki that also links to content and information.
3. The conference tag is k12online07 and each presentation has a unique tag. Those can be found on the conference schedule.
4. There is a first time attenders page that give tips and tricks for surviving the conference.
5. There is a video feed and a podcast feed.
6. You can earn PD credit
7. There are live events in Elluminate
8. There is a helpdesk
9. There is a Twitter update line
10. There will be a post conference NING community to keep the vision alive.
11. K12Online07 is totally volunteer. Conveners, keynotes, presenters, and committees all volunteered hours and hours to make this a successful event. So help us spread the word.

So make plans to join us for the K12Online07 Conference. We want you to be part of our online community.

Scroll Down for Message!

Time for a new blog meme to help us spread the word about the upcoming K12Online07 conference. Please share either three (3) reasons to participate based on your experience from last year or (if you didn't attend last year) three (3) things you hope to gain from the experience this year.

If you are new to memes--when you are tagged-- simply create a blog post where you link to the flickr photo above <img src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/snbeach/1438944952/">
And write your 3 reasons and then tag several others who will do the same thing. After you tag someone in your post, please email them to let them know so they can help spread the word.

My Three Reasons

1. The Afterglow is real 
http://21stcenturylearning.typepad.com/blog/2006/11/k12_online_conf.html

2. The relationships you will make are lasting
http://21stcenturylearning.typepad.com/blog/2006/11/k12_online_when.html

3. The content is forever
Want to view the conference content and lost track of how? Access all the presentations here:
http://k12onlineconference.org/docs/k12online06-agenda.html

I tag:
Brian Smith
Carolyn Foote
John Pederson
Will Richardson
Jeri Herd
Chris Betcher
Darren Kuropatwa
Wes Fryer
Lani Ritter-Hall
And anyone else who would like to help us spread the word... tag you are it.

The time is fast approaching for the kickoff of the

International K12Online07 Conference for educators by educators!

We hope that you will help us spread the word! The phenomenal PR committee has prepared a slurry of messages and media to help us get the most novice of tech users involved.

If you would like to email your friends, schools, and listservs in your circle of influence here is a pdf. to get you started! (in both letter size and international A4 size)

Download k12onlineflyer_letter.pdf

Download k12onlineflyer_A4.pdf

If you prefer a press release we have included one below.

The conference blog has teasers and very soon will include more basic information for the first time conference attendee.

Please help us spread the word... the keynotes and presenters have been hard at work preparing sessions that will help us all bring the kinds of change to teaching and learning that are needed in the 21st Century. Each one Reach one.

Here is the code if you'd like to put the badge on your blog!
<a href="http://k12onlineconference.org/"><img src="http://k12onlineconference.org/wp-content/themes/default/images/k12badge.jpg" width="120" height="60" alt="Participate in the free K12 Online Conference"></a>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
Phone: 757-450-3784
Fax: 757-301-7436
E-Mail: snbeach@cox.net
Press Release No. 001

K12 Online 2007 – Playing with Boundaries
Worldwide Online Conference for K-12 Educators

Breaking free of traditional conferences, the upcoming K-12 Online Conference: Playing with Boundaries (October 15-19th & October 22-26th) provides educators with an engaging, ongoing learning experience without time constraints. The K12 Online Conference is a unique professional development opportunity for teachers to engage with ideas and technologies that are having a real impact on 21st century classrooms.

The entire conference will be delivered as downloadable digital media via the Internet with over 40 sessions presented in four strands: Classroom 2.0, New Tools, Professional Learning Networks, and Obstacles to Opportunities. The conference launches with a keynote address on October 8th from respected blogger and author David Warlick and concludes with a global 24 hour live event, As Night Falls.

For more information, please visit http://www.k12onlineconference.org

Online Multimedia 2006 Release 2006 Conference Archive

Slideshare presentation about last year's conference(with audio)  Teasers (previews of sessions from k12 online created by presenters)