Social Media and Technology Sessions at #NASPA12

It's almost time for the NASPA Annual Conference. As usual, I've browsed through the conference schedule for those sessions that relate back to this blog. This year's slate of sessions features an impressive line-up of topics.

Monday, March 12:

• Crowdsourced Unsession "An opportunity for current discussions post program-book printing." Attendees of Unsessions need to realize that the sessions are only as good as the energy that they bring to the room. Get ready to mix it up and mull over the latest technology-related news.
• Technology and Teaching Excellence "Topics discussed will include online and distance learning, integration of social media, and enhancing virtual classroom participation and discussions." Sounds like my cup of tea. I'm pleased by the inclusion of a session that will cover online and distance learning.
• Hashtags to Handles: Maximize your #NASPA12 through Twitter "An overview of Twitter and how it can used at live events." Always a good idea for folks who are curious about Twitter to attend a session like this one. And, seasoned Twitterati should drop by to provide coaching and assistance.
• Identity 2.0 - It's Not Who You Know But Who Knows You "Building on the 'social' in social media, this session is all about helping you understand, develop and share your professional identity online." Full disclosure: I'm co-facilitating two unsessions at NASPA this year with Lisa Endersby. We're all about digital identity development.

Tuesday, March 13:

• Crowdsourced Unsession "An opportunity for current discussions post program-book printing." It will be interesting to see if attendees attend both Crowdsourced Unsessions to create a continuity of thought and discourse.
• The newest fad? Google Plus to Pinterest "Join this unsession to talk about the core principles of social media and how individuals and institutions are using new channels such as Google Plus, Pinterest, and other channels in new and interesting ways." It will be interesting to hear what folks have to say about Google Plus and Pinterest. Last year's Unsessions were a shift in practice for NASPA. It's nice to see that Unsessions are back for another year of community created conversations.
• Using Social Media to Create Boundary-free Communities Representatives from the Office of Residence Life at Syracuse University share how they work to build "connected communities using Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and other electronic methods." Any session that uses social media to create community is of interest to me.
• Facebook, Cocurricular Involvement, and Their Relationship Status "Does Facebook assist with promoting involvement in intentionally developmental activities, or does it inhibit that participation?" I had the opportunity to meet Christopher Weiss at last year's NASPA Tech event. I'm a fan of his blog.
• How Facebook Use and Social Networks Impact Student Performance "In this project, data collected from Facebook is being used to better understand how student social networks form, evolve, and influence one another." Fascinating.
• My Mom is on Facebook! Technology Solutions for Involving Parents This presentation examines technology solutions to parental involvement for small schools or institutions with limited resources to support parent programs. Ideally there will be space in this session for info on communications solutions for parents AND families. Also, I'm quite content with the fact that my mom is still not on Facebook.
• Social Media 101 for Senior Student Affairs Officers "This presentation will explore how SSAOs can effectively use social media to establish a positive online identity, including creating a social media strategic plan." One word: awesome!
• Social Media: Advanced uses, tips, and strategies for SA Pros "This unsession will be a facilitated conversation for members of the community to share their social media best practices and advanced techniques for using social media to enhance their professional "tech-deavors." The second unsession that Lisa and I will be facilitating. Look for Lisa throughout this year's schedule. I think she's participating/presenting/facilitating at least 4 separate sessions!

Wednesday, March 14:

• Facebook Natives: Professional Identity and Online Persona "This grounded theory study responds to the 21st-century dilemma that professional student affairs faculty and administrators have encountered as social networking sites like Facebook reveal more and more: “Do incongruous online behaviors indicate a lack of essential traits required for the profession?" I'm very intrigued by this session. It appears to be a combination of the ongoing dialogue about social media privacy as well as the debate around the existence of digital natives/immigrants. It's at 8:30AM on the last day of the conference so it's not in the best time slot, but this session should create an interesting discussion.

Additionally, the NASPA Technology Knowledge Community tweeted out a list of technology sessions [pdf]. See you in Phoenix!

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