Reflections on ISTE 2018: My Top 5 Moments

It’s been a week since returning from ISTE 2018 and once again it did not disappoint! This year was the biggest turn out at ISTE with over 26,000 attendees and it showed! I returned exhausted, as always, but full of wonderful memories and inspired with new ideas. I thought I would share a few highlights and reflect on some of my learning.

  1. Student IGNITES

Student presenters were once again my favourite part of ISTE and a great source of learning. I love the concept of students and teachers learning together. In previous years I have had a student present virtually with me through Skype, but this year I was lucky enough to co-present with a student at ISTE in person. In fact, one of my former students was able to share an Ignite entitled BYOD=Happy Students along with some other amazing students and she did an amazing job presenting her ideas!

 

  1.  Three in One and Poster Sessions

Trying to plan what to see at ISTE is always very stressful as there are so many amazing sessions and presenters. This is why I gravitate towards the 3 in 1 sessions and poster sessions. Plus, there is usually no lining up for these!

Some of the great ideas and favourites at the poster session were the coding session and making sessions. There is no doubt that coding and STEAM were a huge theme again this year and I obtained some great ideas. One of the things that really impressed me was the link between the environment and coding. I had the chance to see a great poster session on Cyber EcosySTEM  where Bee-Bots were used to investigate local ecosystems by Dr. Maybeth Green and Dr. April Conkey where second graders were involved in an ecological project to explore local wildlife by Bee-Bot Robots. (https://ae-uploads.uoregon.edu/ISTE/ISTE2018/PROGRAM_SESSION_MODEL/HANDOUTS/110763581/Trophiclevelwritingassignment.pdf)

I also learned about Scrath Ed Meet-Ups with Alexandra Kutler project manager  and part of the Scratch Ed Team. The meet-up is something I would like to take part and/or help organize. I could see value in getting educators together to explore and share learning with Scratch as well as best practises. I could see if also being part of an Edcamp or Mastermind group as opposed to an entire separate event on its own.

  1. PLN and Networking

One of the best parts of attending ISTE is connecting with educators from all over the world and meeting new people. This year I had the chance to present and connect with Maureen Asselin and we shared our experiences with coding and making and our TLLP learning.

Some of my best conversations at conferences like ISTE are not found in sessions but in spaces between sessions. For example, heading back one day from the congress center I took an Uber Pool and met two teachers working at an international school in Poland. They shared their learning from the day and shared a great quote from a session they attended in a coaching session: “It’s okay to be where you are. It’s not okay to stay there”. This idea was again highlighted in one of the closing keynotes by Chrsitne Klynen where she quoted Bruce Mau from his work entitled Manifest for Growth:

“Real Growth often happens outside of where we intent it to, in the interstitial spaces—what Dr. Seuss calls ‘the waiting place’.”   This quote has me continually reflecting on how professional development can be more authentic and can we can tap into richer learning experiences such as these.

  1. Empowering All Learners Through Technology

Another area I explored was the use of technology to work with exceptional learners. I had the chance to try out the new Microsoft VR and Immersive Reader and was impressed. It allowed me to block out all the noise and distractions in the very loud and busy exhibitor hall and really be focused and connected to the text presented to me.

 

There was also a great VR and special education ignite called Virtual Reality – US History and Visual Social Stories – Students with Special Needs,  by Diane McClellan where she highlight how she used VR with exceptional learners in her high school class in engaging ways and meet the needs of her students.

Finally, I attended a great poster presentation on Coding for All by Leanne Husk who spoke passionately about coding for exceptional learners.  She had great tips and ideas and ensuring that students were active in learning and not just passive observers.

5. Keynote by Luis Perez

The most moving and authentic speaker for me came on the first day during the Keynote by Luis Perez, PHD from Florida. Perez is a technical assistance specialist at the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials at CAST. He was a keynote to open up the conference and spoke about how he personally used technology to learn as a visually impaired student.  Perez noted the importance of being visible as a person of colour and as an immigrant. Perez’s moving keynote was a message of hope and he received a standing ovation. Perez encouraged us to “Find the humanity in each other and ignore those differences”. I will leave you with a quote he stated during his keynote: “I challenge you to be the spark. To light the path. Give learners the tool they need to be empowered and to achieve their goals”.

***If you are looking for some additional resources here is a great spreadsheet with link to 50 sessions by Tony Vincent https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xdxdIFyqxIIICSeDPW-NTc-jX_eixS2KgGGImvClTU4/preview and resources from Kasey Bell https://shakeuplearning.com/iste-2018/ and a huge binder of resources: https://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=2374612