Thanks for providing me with more food for thought on this. I can see the cultural aspect could well be an advantage in Russia and I can see that the inclusive nature would be strengthened by such a format. I can’t honestly say I’m totally convinced, but I’ll definitely try to attend such an event as soon as possible to see for myself!

One thing I can’t help but notice, having now read several articles on these events – sticking un- in front of every aspect of the event evokes feelings in me similar to McMuffins, McToast and McNuggets. ;o)

Thanks for your help in getting me to understand this thing better and I hope to see you at one of these events sometime in the future.

Olaf

could I interfere and try to answer some of your questions from a position of an ‘insider’? I was one of the facilitators of the unconference and I am Russian, which is important in this case.

Of course, a virtual discussion phase would be incredibly helpful (just as when all your students do your homework on time), but I had a person in my session who found it hard to type. Unfortunately, we have to face to fact that quite a lot of teachers in Russia are still ICT-illiterate, so we had to rely on what they came up with on the spot. But I’m positive – some time, some day

As for exactly this type of even was, this is by no means a replacement of a traditional format. Partially, this was a friendly get-together before a tiring school year (in Russia all schools, nurseries and universities start their academic year on September 1). To fully appreciate the sense of the unconference in Russia, not in any other country, one has to realize that usual teacher-training events are rather boring and very official. I can hardly imagine talking to any of traditional teacher-trainers sitting at the same table in a cafe during the debate Usually, you just sit and listen (maybe, write if you are diligent enough, or sleep as I did a few days ago). You can hardly ever speak up. The Soviet legacy is still strong…

So, for us, events like these are something quite shocking, but thought-provoking. They demonstrate that education can be fun!

The aim of this blog post (as you point out) is to provide a general description of the types of activities/events that might appear in an unconference for those who might be unfamiliar with the format (like me). I have to admit I also had my doubts about the format, being the kind of person who likes to be ‘well-prepared’. As a facilitator at an unconference, it’s a very interesting thing to let go and move out of one’s comfort zone.

For example with my co-facilitator Neil Ballantyne, we tried out a fishbowl discussion in one of our sessions (see here for a description of how this works: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishbowl_%28conversation%29 This is a technique I’d never tried before with a large group, and I was impressed and pleasantly surprised with how quickly participants took up the discussion and had lots of very interesting things to contribute on our topic (mobile learning).

You ask what the benefit of an unconference format is. After experiencing one, I’d say there are several: it draws on everyone’s expertise and experience, it focuses on process and development rather than discrete input and content, and it allows participants to set the agenda. This means that their concerns are more likely to be addressed. Certainly we weren’t sure how any of this would go over with the participants, and the feedback was a lot more positive than we had expected (90% delighted, 10% not completely convinced).

Having said all that, I don’t think it’s a case of either/or (conference or unconference), or that one format is better than another. They are different, and they serve different purposes and needs. In fact, within a traditional conference structure, there is definitely space for these more unstructured open space events.

Hope this helps clarify things a bit? And thanks for your questions!

Would love to do a similar event in Budapest, perhaps approaching your local British Council, or a teachers association such as IATEFL Hungary (www.iatefl.hu) would be a good place to start. Let me know if I can be of any help!

But… (after such a start there has to be a “but”)

When I look at innovation I always ask myself what benefit the new idea brings over the what we already have and with unconferences I feel there are more than a few open issues.

Is this just being different because we can be different? At a traditional conference I know the programme in advance and can plan my personal development alongside networking and other activities. I can’t guarantee that the experience will be good, but I have more to go on than a list of headline names.

The description here focuses mostly on the infrastructure and it certainly is impressive, but ultimately a(n) (un)conference stands or falls on its content. The idea of spontaneous presentations sounds good on the face of it, but wouldn’t a virtual discussion phase before the conference give the opportunity for better-prepared presentations?

Please don’t get me wrong – I’m not dismissing the idea out of hand. But what is the benefit of an unconference? Is it just the different atmosphere? Or is there a real learning advantage for the participants? Is the unconference a replacement for the traditional conference, is it a development of the traditional conference, or is it a marketing gag?

I hope these questions don’t come across as being aggressive – it’s just that reports of such events always seem to stress the features rather than the benefits.

The Unconference you described above sound just like ideal teaching would be like. Wow!
Wish I’d been there.

You look great and exhausted in the photo . You and the rest of the team must have done a lot of work.

Why not come along to Budapest to do a similar Unconference? I’ll try to look into its organisation and will get back to you. If you have any tips on this, I’d be grateful.

Thanks,

Erika