In a far corner of the noisy exhibition hall, separated from the fray by festive Mardi Gras-style curtains, was the tiny space where the Computer Connection held their technology -related sessions.
I know this because I chaired one of these sessions. I'll devote another post to the remarkable work that these two scholars shared with us, but this post is devoted to how annoyed I am with the 4C's about the ever-so-slow way that they use technology at the conference, but more importantly, how shabby the situation was yesterday.
Although elegant and certainly indicative of the bon temps to be had by all, the curtains were thin and did nothing to insulate the room from the noise outside. Convention noise--people talking, walking, shuffling papers and books, coughing, dropping things and so on-- noises appropriate and expected for an exhibition hall, too.
However, the presenters inside the room had to compete with this noise and the audience had to deal with the distractions as well.
The whole situation wasn't fair. In 2008, there's no good reason for any technology exhibit/presentation to have to be that way. Given that computers and online tech have become part of so many of the regular sessions, at least in the presenting, if not in the work presented, it doesn't make sense for the Computer Connection to be relegated to a dusty corner of the exhibition hall. There should be either one room dedicated to the Computer Connection sessions for the duration of the conference, or the sessions should be collapsed into the overall schedule and highlighted by topic as the other sessions are. Not to do so gives the appearance that the 4C's views technology as something that should be exhibited, like an artifact or an oddity, at a county fair (and the curtains don't help with the image!).
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