Sunday, July 8, 2018

My Reflection from ISTE 2018



My first ISTE Conference & Expo was a whirlwind of learning, sharing, and connecting with educators.  I enjoyed sessions, volunteering, presenting, meeting new friends and walking some serious miles!

Here are my top four takeaways from ISTE 2018 in Chicago:

Personalized learning is important! 
We know that each child is unique, and educators see ALL of the unique faces looking back at them.  The conversation about meeting students where they are to prepare them for THEIR future was loud at ISTE.  Students are standardized and we need to stop teaching and testing them as if they are. Throughout the conference, I saw great sessions on student passions, positive digital citizenship, supporting student creation, and so much more.  I more than ever am passionate about relevant educational experiences for each learner, not delivering content and covering what is on the pacing guide.  "We all have complex identities that should be valued and incorporated into education.”  (Credit: Luis Perez)

We are all learners!
When walking around an ISTE conference, the energy is palpable. Everyone is excited to be there, enthusiastic about learning, and driven by pure passion to do all they can for learners.  I needed a full week to process all the learning from my time at ISTE and will need even more time to comb through resources and ideas to “sharpen my tool” (Credit: Nadia Lopez) for the new school year.  I am also excited to share what I learned with you, my colleagues.  Please let me know how I can support you and your students this year and share my learning.

Always have a plan!
This conference is enormous!  I used the ISTE app and had several sessions listed for each day.  Lines are long and seating is limited.  You may not get into your first choice, so have a second or third.  Also, be aware of time!  There is so much to experience and do, so know when you need to get on the shuttle so you arrive to your session, make it to socials, get a good spot in line, and arrive to important events on time.  Also, don’t be afraid to leave a session that isn’t meeting your needs so you can find one that does.

Finally, present and volunteer!
You meet some awesome people, have some laughs, and stretch yourself as a learner when you take a risk to present to a room of colleagues or work at ISTE Central or a booth.  I absolutely enjoyed my time presenting to a full room on BrainPop Mash-ups in the Run With It session.  I also had a blast with the Flipgrid crew while volunteering in their booth sharing Flipgrid ideas.  And, being an ISTE volunteer offered me the opportunity to interact with hundreds of educators from all over the world.

I am only scratching the surface of my experience in this post.  It was a fantastic learning event and I hope to repeat it again next year at ISTE 2019 in Philadelphia.



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