As a "newbie" to the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference, I didn't quite know what to expect. I've been to conferences before, but this was a conference on steroids. There were so many workshops to choose from. So many different types of workshops, connecting opportunities, demonstrations, etc. were available that I wasn't quite sure what to do. I think I must've looked like a little lost puppy in a huge, unknown world. The first day I was there, I walked into this huge convention center to ISTE Central and was overwhelmed. It looked like ground control for NASA or something. I signed into a computer where immediately my nametag was printed for me, and I was handed all the materials I needed to get started on my journey. "WOW" was all I could think of. "This is going to be great"!
From my hotel room, which overlooked the loading dock of the convention center, I could see all of the crates with various educational companies stamped on them. (I know, your jealous of my awesome view)! I saw McGraw-Hill, Mastery Connect, Samsung, Acer, Pearson, Scholastic, and Best Buy, just to name a few. So, I shouldn't have been surprised when I walked into the Expo Hall. But, nothing could've prepared me for what I was about to see. I was in awe!
Yes, I was given a map of the Expo Hall with my registration materials, but it pretty much meant nothing until I got in there to see it for myself. The map ended up being kind of useless, because I just found myself wandering around from booth to booth. The big companies all had schedules of when they would be doing product demonstrations. These demos were going on at the same time as all of the ISTE workshops. What is a "newbie" to do??
Well, I will tell you! I just kept wandering around, taking pictures, gathering schedules and materials, filling out forms from companies. I completely lost track of time, so the workshop that I really wanted to attend was completely full by the time that I walked the 3 blocks (literally) it took to get there. Bummer! So, I ended up going to a workshop that really wasn't that great, which I left halfway through and went back to the Expo Hall.
Being from a Google Apps For Education (GAFE) school district, I was drawn to the Google for Education booth like a magnet that kept pulling me back in. Yes, I am a certified trainer and innovator, but you can always learn more from your fellow teachers, trainers, and innovators, So, I explored the booth. You could experience Google Classroom, view presentations about the different apps in Google for Education, or go on a Google Expedition.
In the keynote the opening day, Soledad O'Brien had people on stage experiencing
Google Expeditions. What an amazing product this is! I got to experience it first hand at the Google Booth. You use
Google Cardboard with your device and the teacher controls the exhibition through a
tablet with the Expeditions app. This is something that will be available in Fall 2015. The exhibition I was able to go on was a museum. We were taken to different parts of the museum and learned about various topics. It is a 360 degree experience. It felt kind of silly walking around in a circle, but it was so cool. I can't wait until it is available for all teachers in the fall. It will be a huge addition to any curriculum. For more on Google Expeditions,
click here.
Well, this blog post is getting rather long, so I'll end it for now. During the next few weeks I will add more posts about what I learned at ISTE 2015. I think it could literally take months for me to write about everything that I learned, but I will make sure that I keep it short and sweet. Thanks ISTE and Philadelphia for a "totally awesome" experience!
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