Top 8: What I Learned from FUSION 2022

1. Brightspace Gem: Creator+

This year, D2L FUSION's Solutions Spotlight was spectacular, both in what was presented and how it was presented.?My favorite spotlight segment was Kathleen and Jeannette demonstrating/sharing Creator+ (for which VHS Learning is participating in the Early Adopter Program*), but I would be remiss if I didn't encourage you to watch the full Solutions Spotlight Session (be sure to scroll down on that page and watch the full ~50 minutes at full screen).?In addition to product highlights, you'll also get a chance to see some of D2L's brightest superstar staff in action.

2. My "sleep number" at home is wrong

I don't know if it was the 14-hour action/info-packed days and great conversations, the beds at the Copley Place Marriott, the white noise from the AC, the blackout curtains… and where-oh-where can I find one of those pillows and how long do they last??Or maybe I'm being influenced by the seemingly endless flood of media/ads focused on Sleep Well = Be Well and better sleep as the panacea for happiness*.?Bottom line: I got the best sleep in forever during this conference, and I was grateful for it because that allowed me to maximize my conference time.

3. Wendy Suzuki [will have] changed my life

I honestly wasn't familiar with her until I did a bit of pre-conference exploration after hearing that she would be keynoting.?Even after that, Dr. Wendy Suzuki's Closing Keynote exceeded my expectations, and I loved every second of it!?First, she connected her passion slightly/appropriately to the audience, and then we were taken on an exciting ride to learn "How To Harness The Power of Good Anxiety." ?(I'm probably not alone but) her message spoke to me directly and tied to my personal why = the reason I love my job and online learning*. ??Overall, this keynote was one of my favorites of all time, and it was a great way to close the conference with an amazing amount of positive energy throughout the crowd.

4. Conference Energy

It's not a secret that D2L knows how to throw a party, and they really outdid themselves with the social event this time around (full private access to the Museum of Science with something for everyone).?That said, each hour/minute of the conference day was packed/sandwiched with positive energy, great content and info shares, delicious meals and snack breaks, great content and info shares, "hangout" sessions with fun activities/games, great content and info shares, amazing networking opportunities, and did I mention great content and info shares??This conference was the epitome of "work hard play hard" and work/life balance.?I want to emphasize the "positive energy" for a moment.?During past LMS conferences I've attended there was a fair amount of platform/vendor griping; in fact, some sessions were purposefully designed as "listening sessions" to collect complaints… er… opportunities for improvement, and it always struck me as strange that the organizers would waste attendees' precious time/energy to collect constructive criticism and feedback.?I've always felt that D2L has considered VHS Learning as partners on their/our journey, and I've been pleased with their attention/focus on client satisfaction 365 days/year (no need for "listening sessions" at the conference).?I heard this belief echoed from other clients during the conference.?And, in fact, this year was the first time I also heard the same sentiment from each sponsor/vendor I visited.?D2L understands and appreciates the fact that we're all #OneTeam working toward a common goal and we can get there faster and better together.

5. Brightspace Gem: Course access extensions for (only) individual student(s)

There IS a clever way to allow one/some student(s) to remain active in a course for incomplete/extension purposes without keeping the course open to all students.?I'm just as happy to have found this gem as I am about where I got it.?D2L's newer Affinity Networks are my/your peeps! ?D2L is currently building these communities of clients (and staff) who have common responsibilities, challenges, needs, and solutions.?The Networks were established last year, and time was carved specifically during FUSION 2022 for four of the most popular Affinity Networks.?I had the pleasure to attend the track for D2L Site Admins, and it was during the open discussion session (thx for facilitating this, JP Dunn!) where the question/challenge was posed for keeping courses open after the end date for select students.?It was clear that there were a good number of others in the room who have/had this same struggle, and I was pleasantly amazed when two clients spoke up with two different clever approaches for addressing the challenge.*?I will be forever grateful and wish I had caught their names.?The next D2L Site Admins Network meeting will be online in October, so maybe I'll get a chance to put names to their faces and thank them personally.?In the meantime, I will encourage all D2L users to find their peeps by joining one of these D2L Affinity Networks.

6. Boston is A+-mazing

I've lived here (30 min. out) all my life but have never appreciated the beauty and attraction of Boston until I've heard about and seen it through FUSION attendees' eyes – thanks for sharing!?Two of my favorites were Fenway Park (sincere thanks for the history lesson Lee Poteck) and the view of Boston and the Charles River from the 27th floor of the Copley Place Marriott (thanks for joining me on my test run Dan Ehrlich).?I cannot wait for FUSION to eventually come back to Boston/Copley Place Marriott, and I will seek out other well-known #edtech and #education conferences that book here until then – Poke: #DLC (www), #VLLA (www), #1EdTech (formerly IMS) (www), #Aurora (formerly iNACOL) (www), #ISTE (www), #FETC (www).?Who did I miss?*?In the meantime, I will be making a point to visit more of the FUSION 2022 list of "Things to Do in Boston" since these are just about next door to me.

7. ReadSpeaker Gem: "Proof Listening"

ReadSpeaker IS currently looking into (working with D2L to determine) the best UX for enabling "proof-listening"* into the discussion board.?If you're a D2L client and don't yet have ReadSpeaker integrated, I highly encourage you to check it out for yourself!*

8. D2L has gotten their mojo back

VHS Learning has been fully utilizing D2L's course platform since 2009 when D2L was only 65 employees – a small but amazing company, learning from and with their customers.?As D2L has grown over the years (did you just say over 900?!) we've seen some ups and downs, and only ups in recent years, but imho never as focused and agile as the early years.?FUSION 2022 introduced us to an amazing team of new and veteran staff.?I have too many favorites to list, but from the conference I was most excited by my discussions with some of my newer contacts: Patrick Beh, Christian Pantel, Neil Milks, Jacqueline Nelles, and Stephen Laster.?It was a pleasure during the conference to see/experience this current team of superstars all rowing in the same direction behind John Baker and his leadership team.?D2L is once again bringing their A-game to learners and educators around the world!

In Closing

I have honestly collected too-many-to-count great take-aways from this FUSION 2022 conference, and another [just] one or two don’t rise to the top for me, so I missed the boat on leveraging the "Top 10" hashtag.?If interest dictates, I may share a follow-up post once I have sorted through my/our notes.*

In the meantime, calling all the best #onlinelearning providers, including @MichiganVirtual, @MontDigAcad, @gavirtual, @IDigLearning, @Media_VirtualSC, Colorado DLS, @VirtualVirginia, @ncvps, others from @vllaonline, and YOU!:

We need more of your voices at this table because the future is BRIGHT[space]!

#OneTeam #lovemyjob @VHSLearning

*P.S.

What would you like to hear more about??Each asterisk above has a story behind it that is waiting to be shared.?Please consider voting for the one(s) that most interest you, and I'll/we'll prioritize to serve up your interests through future posts:?Tell Me More.