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The EDUCAUSE Institute Learning Technology Leadership Program 2010 starts today in Portland. As a 2009 Burlington alumni of LTL I'd like to offer the following advice to participants:
Intensity and Focus: LTL is an incredibly intense 5 days. If there is any possibility that you can refrain from electronically working back to your home institution than I'd strongly recommend that you do so. Your colleagues can survive without you for 5 days back at the ranch. If your co-workers and team are so dependent on you that they can't survive without hearing from you on e-mail or phone than you are doing something wrong. You will need all your energy, focus and attention on what is going on at LTL to fully take advantage of all the opportunities for learning and growth. Your social, emotional, and analytical attention should be focussed on your fellow LTL attendees and the faculty. Let your partners, dependents and colleagues know that you will be out of pocket for five days. You will need the space and time away from e-mail and other forms of electronic tethering to think and to focus on the people and tasks at LTL.
The Faculty: What makes LTL stand-out from other professional development opportunities is the talent, warmth and generosity of the faculty. You are incredibly lucky that Shelli Fowler is heading up this year's LTL, as she is wonderfully smart, accessible, and energetic. Go out of your way to seek out each member of the LTL faculty for one-on-one conversation. Come ready with questions. The LTL faculty are tireless and accomplished, they will actively listen to your questions and provide amazing advice. All of the LTL faculty are incredibly experienced and successful, but they also have very high levels of social and emotional intelligence. You will learn a great deal from your conversations with the faculty, and by carefully watching how they model the leadership skills that are the focus of the program.
MTC: On Thursday your LTL will peak in the Making The Case (MTC) presentations. I don't want to give too much away about this experience - my only advice is to trust in the process. The MTC experience is one that you will not forget, and is the single most valuable educational and professional development opportunity that I have experienced. Allow yourself to dive into MTC with 100% of your energy, flexibility, and emotional/social intelligence. Hopefully you have separated yourself from your work and family obligations, so that you will be able to synthesize the other aspects of the LTL curriculum into your MTC work. Be willing to push on through, as by the time Friday rolls around you will be able to truly see the benefits of what you have just experienced.
To all LTL 2010 participants, students and faculty, I wish you all a wonderful week.
Any LTL alumni out there? Any advice to this year's participants?
