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Reflections of ISTE 2016

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Me, Hadi Partovi (creator of code.org) and R2D2 at ISTE 2016
It's been a couple weeks since I returned home from ISTE 2016 in Denver, CO.  I've been trying to keep my mind clear and focused on what the theme of the conference truly was.  To me, I believe that the Makerspace philosophy (creating solutions to problems through the design process) and STEM (adding science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to all subject areas) were the overarching themes of the conference. For example, I enjoyed seeing the robots created by students.  It really showed how students used all types of materials available to make their robots work.


I also participated in breakout sessions about the Makerspace philosophy.  In one such session, a panel of speakers from South Fayette Township School District spoke about how they added "making" to the curriculum and have seen science scores soar.  Now of course, test scores aren't the only indicator to the success of the program, but it is good to see that the changes they have put in place at their district are doing great things for kids.




Critical thinking and problem solving are necessary for our students to succeed in the future and be college and career ready.  Through coding and problem solving activities, students can start to truly use their minds and explore the possibilities.  I was able to participate in "Escape the Bus" which was an interactive RV that had different tasks that you had to solve in order to solve the riddle (to escape the bus).  You were given a time limit but not much else.  As a group, we had to work together to find where the clues were and how to solve them.  So many skills are needed in order to complete the tasks (communication, collaboration, critical thinking, etc.) that is a great way to start thinking about how you can this type of activity to your lessons.



In case you were wondering, yes... we did "ESCAPE the BUS"!  I could see so many STEM connections in all of the tasks we had to complete.  It was an amazing experience!


Google for Education was there to display the amazing possibilities of adding STEM to your classroom.  Through Google Apps for Education, Google Classroom, Google Cast for Education, CS First, and more. Google is helping teachers create STEM activities for their students.  It was great to get together with fellow Google Educators and share the amazing resources that Google gives to educators for FREE!!!  Free is always amazing!


And... don't think that the young kiddos can't do critical thinking and technology.  One of the breakout sessions I attended was all about technology with Kindergarten and 1st grade.  It's never too young to start introducing your students to technology and the design thinking process.  

Thank you ISTE for a great conference!

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