Just to clarify my point about the talk times, I like the 2/7 minute slots too, as I pointed out in the post I believe they are a key strength of TeachMeet. Whilst a 15 minute mini-note has worked in the past (where publicised in advance) I’m not advocating that the presentation rules are binned and that everyone prepares 15/20/30 minute talks, I was signed up to talk last week too (hoping might be stretching it a bit…..) and was disappointed I never got to talk, but I would have been raging if I hadn’t got to talk because everyone else was doing 15 minutes.

I just feel that there should be a degree of flexibility allowed on the night from the MC/Chair. They should be able to ‘read’ how a presentation is going and how the audience are reacting, and be comfortable enough to allow a presentation that is going well to run over for a minute, the same way that they should feel strong enough to cut something short if it is a sales pitch. Even John Davitt was questioning the other night whether the camel was still a good idea, and telling me that he had it wrestled off him so that he couldn’t throw it.

Regarding breakouts, I thought the (genuine) ones at last year’s TMSLF worked well, and liked the idea that David Noble came up with last night – managing the space and time to ensure that everyone gets to speak that wants to, so perhaps choosing 4/5/6 micros at once and getting them presented at round tables could work, the crowd choosing which of the presentations they want to go and see.

Finally, I’m glad that in all the reaction so far to John’s posts and to my own that everyone has been happy to allow ‘tinkering’ with the TeachMeet format to see what people can come up with.

Change the rules for an event, but don’t change them mid event.

So far, imo, breakouts have not worked really well as folk just wander and chat.
‘preaching to the choir’ not too worried about that one, I see it more as a gathering to recharge.

The spinoffs are providing alternatives, places to test different ways of doing things I hope they keep spinning off, it has always been time to break the rules at teachmeet.

TMTech will probably go ahead after the TTA (tech teachers assoc) conf. in Nov, even if it’s just a couple.

Pubmeet is a variation on the format too.

All good fun, but how do you get more teachers to commit ? I only went to TMSLF09 cause I was speaking at a seminar at 4.30pm. I met two colleagues who used to work at my school and they turned their nose up when I said I was going to TMSLF.

I think you can’t change the format too much as it will then kill the whole idea, you can’t manage it. If it becomes managed people will stop going.

It’s always good to question why rules are there. One of the nice things about Teachmeet in my mind is that the attendees largely come up with the agenda. It’s the attendees that propose the subjects to be talked about and discussed, and are randomly picked to keep some semblance of impartiality.

I must admit, I’m a fan of the 2/7 minute slots, and I like the fact that these are strictly adhered to. I would like to think that those that speak at Teachmeet ’start’ a conversation in their 2/7 minute talks. If they say something that I’m interested in, I’m either going to follow it up online, or even better, ask them a question during the evening. If people knew the timing rule could be bent, then would they prepare for only 7 mins? There are a huge number of people that I have met or heard through Teachmeet that could keep me enthralled for hours, but by only giving them a short time, it helps them focus and me make a connection. It also helps keep the evening moving along and us all able to hear more people? (And what else would the teachmeet camel do with it’s time?)

I definitely think we need to widen the audience, and open things up significantly. I completely agree with Ollie that Teachmeet is the best CPD you can get, but I worry that the focus is still too techy. I’d love to hear more non-tech focused talks, as I know I learn a great deal from them. Perhaps if there were more non-tech focused talks on the list, then people might feel less intimidated? Is the barrier actually signing up in the first place? Local Teachmeets sound like a great idea – there has already been a few of them, but it would be great to widen this out more.

While this is not the area I’ve been focusing on, I agree with you on the timing issue. Strict adherence to the rules means we cut off inspirational speakers who might only have needed 30 seconds more, but they could also have taken 15 minutes.. I guess we have to ask why the rules are there. Why 7 minutes? Why can’t we run over a little? Would it become a shambles if rule bending was introduced?

I’m also quite concerned by the (very low) number of people who begin their talks with ’sorry, but this isn’t about ICT’. Perhaps if we had a balance of ICT and non-ICT talks, it would make Teachmeet a more accessible concept for non geeks.

Quite a few people I’ve tried to bring along said no because they were very intimidated by the presentation topics. Put it this way, if we’re going to introduce people like my mum to teachmeet, we’ve got to make her feel like she has something to contribute. Maybe I should ask *her* how we can do that!