Images by Bryan Ledgard - the official GA photographer...Saturday 10th April
Another early start and snatched breakfast before giving Rich Allaway another lift up to the campus.
Sun was already raising the temperatures inside the atrium, and the delegates were buzzing around the exhibition stands.
I had another busy day ahead.
Started with a trip up to the lecture theatre to say hello again to Carl Lee. He has written an excellent book called "Home: a personal geography of Sheffield". He's producing a 2nd edition of the book.
Up to the Digital Worlds workshop, and had a chat to some of the delegates. I hope to get in touch with all of them shortly to follow up the experience that they had on the day. The teachers worked through some of the new resources on the MY GIS section.
Image by Alan Parkinson
In to take my seat for the Doreen Massey keynote lecture and was hoping to record the lecture again, but my laptop didn't want to play ball... first signs of it getting a little flaky...
The address was titled "Why geography still inspires me after all these years..."
It took in a view of Skiddaw from a B&B, the wandering boulder of Hamburg, the impermanence of nature, the power of a geographical imagination, power geometries in Venezuela and the nature of maps as a surface over which infinite stories are taking place...
Sent a stream of tweets to sum up the main points that Doreen said for those who couldn't make it to the conference.
Out into the sun to find the Mission Explore intervention tent was up, and the participants being briefed by Dan and David.
Emma Johns was meanwhile leading the SPC's Geography Swap Shop.
Was good to see Nell Seal, one of our Primary Geography Champions getting involved in the Mission Exploring: the teachers headed off and very soon we started to get replies via Text and Twitter that they were completing missions and also sending through some images...
Went in to introduce the Teacher to Teacher session of Stephen Ruddick, and to grab some lunch and offer some technical support.
It was then up to the lecture rooms to chair and introduce David Holmes, who did a useful session on the various free 'GIS' type packages which exist to support students when they do their controlled assessments. There were a few technical 'issues' but we got there in the end.
An SPC workshop on Extending ICT use was meanwhile underway on the floor below...
Rushed across the conference venue, and was able to meet Dan Box, who I'd contacted previously following his RGS-IBG funded journey to the Sinking Lands of the Carteret Islands. He was interested in the Mission Explore work, and had previously done some work with Dan Ellison so it was good to arrange for them to meet up again.
As the final sessions were winding up, I packed up and grabbed my boxes of things, then down to the car and saying goodbye to GA colleagues who had done a fantastic job.
A sunny 150 minute drive back across country to Norfolk, and conference over for another year. Next year, it's down to the University of Surrey in Guildford again - although I won't be sleeping in a barn this time !
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