Last year’s NASPA Technology Conference [2] was a turning point in Student Affairs. In many ways, the event was an experiment. NASPA had never put on a conference that was dedicated to technology. We didn’t know who would attend. Would #NASPAtech be too techie? Would social media dominate most of our conversations? There were a lot of questions.

It turned out that a variety of student affairs professionals attended last year. Social media was definitely a dominate topic. And, techies and Luddites journeyed side by side. Year one was a success. Those of us who had been dreaming of an event like #NASPAtech were practically giddy.

Sequels can be amazing. However, they can also sometimes struggle with matching the initial wonder of the “first time.” Indulge me for a sentence or two as I get quite nerdy. Star Trek: The Motion Picture was not a great movie. It was exciting to watch, especially for Trekkies. But, most critics agree that it was a bit of a letdown. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is generally regarded as a science fiction masterpiece. The identity of Star Trek was reestablished and #2 surpassed the first movie. I’m hoping that #NASPAtech can maintain the generative momentum of year one. However, we don't need to go around screaming "KHANNNNNN!!!"…okay, enough of my nerdiness.

As I travel to Indianapolis to speak, participate, and engage at #NASPAtech [3] this week, I am excited for the next experience on this student affairs and technology journey. We may disagree on the topic of technology "threads [4]" and "competencies," but it's nice to see that we're still coming together to chat about it. The connections that were created last year have grown quite a bit. It’s thrilling to know that a vibrant community of technology-minded student affairs practitioners is once again coming together to boldly go.

Do you tweet? Let's connect. Follow me on Twitter. [6]