Tangential Connections

I'm using vacation on April 11-14 so that I can go to the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association conference in Boston with some of my grad school classmates.  I've been trolling through the conference program, trying to decide what sessions I want to attend. 

I should probably briefly explain why I'm in grad school.  The short answer is that I love working with adult learners, like all of you.  I like helping people connect with resources that will help them do their jobs better. Perhaps I have the soul of a reference librarian.  The longer answer is that I'm hitting mid-life (eep).  We didn't end up having kids so I'm looking for a new personal challenge.  Being a geek at heart, I decide to go back to school to get theoretical underpinnings and more background for the work I do.

As a history museum person, I'm most interested in the learning that occurs in informal settings, like a museum visit or in a hobby group.  I'm thinking of doing my research in the quilting community since it's something I have some familiarity with, as a lifelong needleworker, but am not part of personally.  So, back to the conference program.  There are no sessions that tie at all to quilting or other related hobbies.  How can I use the opportunity of the conference wisely, given that the university and I are both investing money in my attendance?

I'm obviously going to the session where another Penn State grad student is presenting, especially since I know him through a former job, to provide support as well as keep up my network.  But what might relate in some way to my research?  I'm currently thinking that I'll follow the "Fandom" track - yes, there is a scholarly community studying fandom - because fan groups have a lot in common with quilting groups.  They are voluntary, informal groups of people with a common interest.  I'll keep my notebook handy for eureka moments inspired by the presentations and discussions.

So why am I writing about this?  Presumably you expect some part of our topic to apply to your teaching or you wouldn't have applied.  But everything won't apply directly to your classroom.  So, as you move through this year, be on the lookout for ideas and content that may appear to only tangentially relate to your classroom and be prepared to capture the eureka moments they may inspire.