Seven Takeaways from ISTE 2022

It’s tough to believe that the ISTE 2022 meeting has already appear and long gone. For a lot of attendees, this was the initial in-man or woman convention attendance given that before March of 2020. The excitement surrounding it has been constructing for 3 a long time as we have experienced to change to virtual events. The final in-human being ISTE was in Philadelphia in June 2019. For the past two yrs, ISTE was held nearly, which enabled educators from about the environment to hook up and find out jointly, just as we have carried out in-man or woman, but devoid of the additional electricity of connecting in the exact same actual physical space. Thankfully, with technological know-how, a lot of more educators were equipped to participate in prior a long time, as perfectly as this year. 

This celebration took position in New Orleans from June 26th to 29th. There had been 16,581 total attendees, of which 14,282 had been there in man or woman. A full of 88 international locations ended up represented with attendees from 65 nations around the world becoming in NOLA for the conference. The conference kicked off on Sunday afternoon with an opening on the principal stage with ISTE CEO Richard Culotta, who was joined by Zach King, Brandon “BMIKE” Odums and Avis Williams. A important message was a reminder to “Bring again the joy.” The principal stage situations had been normally entire of music, strength and inspiring conversations. Sunday’s opening completed with a marriage among two of my mates, David Lockett and Tara Linney, a initial in the ISTE conference experience. 

There ended up so numerous highlights of this year’s conference, the most significant remaining that we were being capable to re-hook up in particular person with close friends and come to feel that ISTE vibe and the electrical power of becoming connected. Enthusiastic educators all over the place saw every other for the 1st time in a long time and in several scenarios, met for the initially time just after having fashioned friendships by Twitter and other finding out spaces virtually. In this article are some of the highlights from this year’s ISTE experience.

1. The Persons

What I feel to be most vital when it arrives to events like this is to focus on the connections we manufactured and the new connections we can make. Right after many decades of not looking at some mates, it was terrific to reconnect in this place and have time to catch up, even if that intended a brief couple of minutes for a speedy hi there discussion and then relocating on to the subsequent detail. One particular of the most common questions was “Is it ok if I hug you?” No make any difference in which you went at the convention, you usually handed close friends, satisfied a person at last in particular person for the very first time, and could see smiles and listen to the exhilaration just about everywhere you went. For me, receiving to satisfy Shawnee Caruthers from the Receiving Wise staff was unquestionably a highlight! 

2. Showcased Voices

I was honored to be chosen as a single of the Highlighted Voices for the convention this year. The speakers bundled classroom academics, professors, superintendents, tech coaches, consultants, a filmmaker, a New Orleans jazz trumpeter, and several pupils. The reason was to highlight the work remaining accomplished by educators, entrepreneurs and others from occupations other than training. ISTE highlighted the periods introduced by the Highlighted Voices and also held some unique meet and greet gatherings and discussions.

3. The Finding out

For everyone who attended the convention for the 1st time, or who had not attended conferences for fairly some time, it could sum to an overpowering knowledge. There had been choices to be built and plenty of options to have interaction in qualified mastering. The conference program not only offered so several possibilities for in-particular person attendees, but virtual attendees have been in a position to acquire edge of many of the classes owing to the recording or joining in even though the session was remaining presented reside.

Some of the most effective parts are that ISTE gives a assortment of formats and of training course this 12 months, experienced many sessions offered in their virtual system. There were 37 topics made available in a assortment of formats like Mainstage periods, EdTalks, interactive periods, development labs, posters and playground periods, panel conversations, and analysis paper evaluations. Topics this kind of as Equity, Esports, Emerging Systems, SEL, STEM and Digital Reality were being quite well known. ISTE designed 15 sample schedules to make it easier for attendees to find sessions that met their interests.  

ISTE 2022 provided a lot of options for edleaders to build new pathways for learners. For example, there were sessions on new learning designs this kind of as job-based learning and makerspaces. Numerous learning options were in alignment with the pillar of Help and Steerage by classes centered on SEL and equity. With matters such as Esports, Rising Technologies, STEM and Digital Actuality, the pillars of Unbundled Finding out (mastering can take place anyplace) and Accelerated Pathways (making ready for the long term of work and finding out) ended up highlighted.  

A different effective mastering option came from the ISTE Day by day Livestream presented via a partnership with Adobe, ISTE and NewEdTechClassroom with Holly Clark and Sam Kary main the discussions. A few times of interviews with numerous various educators and subject areas. I appreciated remaining a visitor and conversing about digital reality and of course, catching all of the episodes to discover from the other friends. You can capture all of the recordings on the NewEdTechClasroom YouTube Channel.

4. The Functions

This conference has a lot of alternatives to have interaction these types of as periods, the expo corridor or off-website things to do. The hardest part is figuring out the place to go with the time we have. For this year, ISTE supplied a photograph stroll by means of the streets in New Orleans, there was a Long term Prepared Library Media Specialist Summit, a pre-meeting LACUE session with Weston Kieschnick, and visits to the Globe War II museum and the New Orleans Museum of Artwork. 

Microsoft and Wakelet held discovering events for educators on Sunday afternoon and a private emphasize of the day was an astounding breakfast collecting hosted by Barbara Bray and Dr. Ilene Winokur. Several educators joined this breakfast which was certainly the spot to be to kick off the ISTE expertise!

I always take pleasure in attending Flipfest every summertime because you can often be expecting some significant announcements from Flipgrid, now merely recognised as “Flip.” More than 1,000 persons joined in this celebration. With Flip, there are numerous new functionalities like a camera with an ASL Lens that will educate the fundamentals of American Sign Language (ASL) by monitoring hand actions as you understand each individual letter of the alphabet. 

EdTechKaraoke is a further huge occasion that I look forward to every single 12 months. Whether you are becoming a member of as a singer or there to cheer on your pals, it is yet another opportunity to link, recharge and delight in the electricity of getting a connected educator. 

5. Connecting Educators

ISTE knocked it out of the park by generating a virtual space for any individual to sign up for in and either practical experience the session reside or observe the recording in which obtainable. The system design and style personalised attendees’ activities because it would endorse classes and connections based on passions indicated in the attendee’s profile.

It is fantastic that ISTE supplied a platform so that far more folks ended up in a position to participate even if they weren’t there in human being. So numerous different types of classes have been available that focused on important subjects these as fairness, SEL and emerging systems just to name a few.

Periods are archived and are readily available for 6 months. Getting in individual is highly effective, but when presented with so lots of alternatives, hoping to in good shape them in into all those 4 speedy times, is not possible. Being aware of that I can go back again and examine out some of the recordings seriously helps make a variation when it arrives to professional learning.

6. The Expo 

The Expo Corridor is a have to, not just to understand about the new systems or new features to equipment that you are employing, but a put to run into your connections and make new types. I was lucky to do some ebook signings and displays at a several of the booths. It was in these spaces that I was equipped to reconnect with friends who I had not observed in numerous several years. Of course, a large draw is the swag. Attendees can normally stroll absent with tons of objects like baggage, chargers, h2o bottles, T-shirts, hand sanitizer, notebooks and so a great deal much more. But I obtain the true benefit of the Expo Corridor in the studying and reconnecting that happens.

An additional magnificent detail about the Expo Hall was that I truly obtained to push a single of the coolest robots, the Unitree!  It was incredible to see what this technologies can do. A good deal of innovative concepts for educators seeking to hook up with learners, foster the progress of SEL and understand how to convey rising systems into the classroom.

7. ISTE Immersive VR Practical experience

Finding out about rising systems like augmented and virtual reality was a big component of the convention this yr. There have been two playgrounds held. On Sunday afternoon, six stations and two mainstage locations experienced presenters masking subject areas these as AR/VR, the metaverse and NFTs, and synthetic intelligence in schooling. I spoke about artificial intelligence and love the prospect to hook up with other educators about how we can deliver topics like AI and other rising technologies into our school rooms for learners even at early ages. Some of the most loved methods for AI ended up AIClub and the ISTE U Study course on AI. On Wednesday, there was a 4-hour VR encounter with Oculus headsets completely ready to immerse attendees into a wide variety of ordeals to understand extra about digital actuality. For some, this was the very first possibility to check out an Oculus headset and expertise the likely with working with VR. There was generally a line to get begun and each and every individual and I spoke to reported they were surprised at the alternatives for making use of Oculus in the classrooms.

All the matters 

I unquestionably packed my agenda amongst espresso meetups, classes, booth presentations and social activities. But I can notify you when hoping to program an ISTE schedule, never pressure about it too a great deal due to the fact when you’re on your way from place A to level B, there’s a definitely great opportunity you will be late, if you make it at all. Possibly you are likely to run into anyone you have not seen in a long time, or any individual acknowledges you since you linked on Twitter, so you require to be adaptable. 

No make any difference what you do you will normally overlook out on some thing. But the finest conversations and time for connections happen when you are open up to getting adaptable. You will undoubtedly value all that those options present. And even when the conference finishes, you will even now have alternatives to learn and join. Assembly up with pals at the airport to share a food before heading out or discovering out that half of the persons on your airplane were just at ISTE and you make new connections. Discovering is all over the place.

Hanging at the airport: Francisco Flores, Jaime Donally, Rachelle and Ken Shelton

Before leaving NOLA, I had a likelihood to catch up with a large amount of good friends. We shared takeaways and there is so much to say about ISTE, you have to encounter it for you.  If you have never ever been to an ISTE meeting, then mark it on your calendar for Philadelphia following yr, June 25 – 28, 2023.  See you in Philly!

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