Suddenly it was November and I was home with my kid. It was a Saturday afternoon and the tweet feed exploded. Suddenly all my friends were talking about this phenomenal conference in Phoenix, and I was jealous. Why wasn’t I there? By dinner time I was itching to get out of the house, and people began to converge on Chino Bandido’s in Chandler. I told the wife to watch the kid, I was going out. I got there, checked in on Brightkite (as I do anytime I go anywhere) and waited for my few friends to show up. Suddenly my phone began to beep. Other people were checking in. People came into the restaurant in droves. They looked like me. Acted like me. I didn’t know them.

Suddenly what I thought was a small geek community in Phoenix was much much larger. I also realized that this PodCampAZ thing was for real, and I was missing it.

By Sunday morning I was at PodCampAZ, in my new, cool t-shirt and ready to rock ‘n roll. I spent a great day with all of these people, and quickly registered for PodCampAZ 2009. Next up was the call for presenters. What did I want to say? I had to say something? Why just sit there and not share? Something. Anything.
I found new ways this year to contact parents and communicate through the high school community as a teacher who is obsessed with technology, but as a parent I knew too few teachers thought like I did. Therefore, my market was both. Here’s Devon the teacher. Here’s Devon the parent. Which are you? Come find out. My proposal was accepted and I even get to present on my birthday! Woohoo! I am ok with that, since I’ve done it before in a former life.

So here are the basics for the conference, and I hope you can join us. It’s free. The only pre-req is to have fun, and if you have something to say, well then say it. I will see you there. Come say hello.

PodCampAZ is at the University of Advancing Technology on Baseline Road (just past Fry’s Electronics for all of us geeks out there). It’s next week November 14 & 15 (wow, I will be 35. Odd.) Some of the people will include YOU (yeah, you). … and New media innovators, enthusiasts, participants, and newbies who are interested the role of the internet in interactive communication. It really is two crazy cool days of learning, sharing, and people meeting. And Phoenix metro is gorgeous in November. An the coolest part is, it’s free!!! Totally free. But you could buy a t-shirt and support @podcampaz for years to come.

So here’s the skinny from my buddies around the valley who wrote the media kit for this event:

It’s that time of year again – PodCamp AZ is coming to the University of Advancing Technology November 14th and 15th! PodCampAZ is a FREE networking media unconference, dedicated to blogging, video blogging, podcasting, social networking, and all other relevant media. At the heart of the unconference is the opportunity to have a conversation at large with those innovators which have created a successful blend of relevant media and put it to work for them. Speakers will address emerging trends and best practices on everything from print and radio to mobile, interactive web, and in real life information exchange. During PodCamp sessions, attendees are free to drop in, listen and learn about what is relevant to their needs, and if they choose to, move on to other sessions. You can also become an interactive part of the experience by sharing your knowledge as a speaker or stimulating ideas and asking questions as an active attendee.

If you are an established or aspiring blogger, podcaster, video blogger, or social media advocote and want to meet hundreds of people with the same interests, head over to podcampaz.org to get more information about this exciting event. And above all else, register to attend PodCamp AZ!

Other Links and Topics
If you want to go beyond the basic information, there are several areas that we currently focused on developing. We’d love you forever if you picked one or two to highlight in your article/cast to help us spread the word.

• Sponsorship – We are actively seeking sponsors for everything from rooms to metals to after-parties. Find information about sponsor levels and contact Paul Valach sponsors@podcampaz.org.
• Speakers – We have an awesome speaker lineup already, and are still taking submissions, but only through Saturday. The schedule gets published Monday! If you have questions, contact Sheila Dee and Lawrence Riddick at greenroom@podcampaz.org.
• PodCast AZ – Every year we have live podcasting throughout the entire session. Contact Dani Cutler and Dan and CJ Feierabend at onair@podcampaz.org to get on the airwaves.
• Volunteers – We’ll need a small army of people to help on event days. We might even have some cool swag for you, like a t-shirt and other unidentified stuff. If you want to march in our army, contact Crystal O’Hara at volunteer@podcampaz.org.
• Tees – We have 600 t-shirts to give to registered attendees, and over 500 people are already registered. If you want in on the goodness, get registered.
• This year, there will also be a monitored Help Desk area to handle your issues as they arise.

Registration
Registration is open. Please make sure you link to the registration page. The event is free to attend, but not free to put together, so we have a pre-registration and donation option.

Graphics
For all your official PCAZ 2009 graphics desires, see our digital swag.

And one two last things…

1. We’ve created an awesome overlay for your Twitter avatar. Add it, or we’ll sic Chuck’s Chihuahua on you!
2. We’ve got Facebook flair to flair your profile and send to friends. (Include images on blog post.)

   http://apps.facebook.com/getflair/viewflair.php?id=11386354&ts=profmain
   http://apps.facebook.com/getflair/viewflair.php?id=11385790&ts=profmain

   http://apps.facebook.com/getflair/viewflair.php?id=11386354&ts=profmain

So will I see you there????

http://dcamd.com/podcasts/APLang_Podcast2_090805.mp3

Podcast transcript
This is Devon Adams and today is July 24th 2009. Welcome to the first AP Language & Composition podcast. The purpose of these podcasts is to relay information about the AP Language class at Basha High School. My goal is to get these out weekly or biweekly depending on the materials being covered in class.

Welcome juniors to AP English. This year prepares you for the AP Language & Composition exam administered by the College Board in May 2010. Today’s topic is the AP Examination and Dual Enrollment.

This time of the year I get a lot of questions about the difference between taking the AP Examination and taking this class for dual enrollment, so I am focusing this entire podcast on this one question.

First of all, let’s talk about each separately.

Many of you took a test called the Asset Test in the spring time in our cafeteria. You should have received a copy of those scores already, but if not I have them in my class. This is NOT the AP Exam; that is completely separate. This is a placement test used for the Maricopa Community College District colleges (including Mesa Community College and Chandler Gilbert Community College) to confirm that you have met certain academic requirements to be accepted into a college English program.

Once you have scored high enough on this test, you are invited by me to take AP English 11 for dual enrollment credit. This means you’d pay the MCC tuition for 3 credits, which I believe is approximately $230.00. This payment would enroll you in English 101 at MCC, and you would take AP English 11 for both college credit and high school credit. You do the same exact work as all of your classmates and you do not have to go to MCC at all. At the end of the Fall 2009 semester, you would be awarded 3 college credits at MCC with the same grade you receive in semester 1 of AP English 11.

MCC’s credits transfer directly to BYU, ASU, U of A, and also NAU. NAU is the only school that also requires you to complete the second semester of freshman college English (called English 102), and you can take that online or through my MCC course anytime before you graduate from Basha. If you are considering an out of state school, it is your responsibility to check with the admission office to see if they would accept your Freshman Composition (Eng 101) credit through dual enrollment.

If you choose to dual enroll, you will sign up through me in August. The dual enrollment option has absolutely nothing to do with the AP Examination in May 2010.

The AP Examination is the culminating assessment for AP Language & Composition. This is an internationally recognized test that is accepted (for varying scores) at universities through the entire world. Payment for the examination is approximately $86.00 and nothing is paid until second semester. Information on testing is given to you to take home to your parents. It is expected that most of you do take this test.

The AP Examination is what we will prepare for all year in AP Language. Unlike dual enrollment, there is no guarantee to pass this examination but the AP Exam is recognized in more schools.

Some people ask why should we dual enroll when we’re testing at the end anyway. This is a good question and there’s no easy answer. Dual Enrollment tuition is much cheaper than university credits would cost, but if you’re going out of state your school may not accept these credits. But three credits in dual enrollment is guaranteed (as long as you pass the class) while passing the AP Examination is not a guarantee.

I have seen students go to schools like ASU after doing dual enrollment and taking AP Exams and walking in there as sophomores. It all depends on so many variables. I would personally recommend taking dual enrollment since you’re sitting in the class anyway and doing the same work as everyone else. If you are financial unsound and need assistance is paying for the course, MCC does have a scholarship program. Basha also has a scholarship program for the AP Exam fees in the spring time.

Ok, I hope this initial podcast has answered all of your questions about AP exams versus dual enrollment. Up next time will be a discussion of the summer readings, which I am sure you have all completed.