This week's blog post focuses on how you can use certain tips to make the most of a summer conference. This past week, I went to my first of many summer conferences- TCEA's Elementary Technology Conference. This was my first time attending this conference that is especially for elementary educators. I had a great time, scooter, boot, and all, and learned a lot.
This conference began a busy summer schedule for me. I also started my online course with Constellation Learning- Empowering Student Voice- A Tech Tool Boot Camp. It was so great connecting with educators from across our country as we began this course.
Next week, that busy schedule will continue with ISTE 2023. This will be my first ISTE as an ISTE Certified Educator. I am so excited for this conference. This year, I have 3 interactive sessions, 3 playground sessions, and 3 booth sessions. My interactive sessions include:
Creating Artifacts of Learning: How Digital Tools Can Amplify Thinking Routines: Sunday at 2:30-3:30 PM in Room 123
Empowering Student Voice Using UDL and Tech Tools Tuesday at 1-2 PM in Room 122B
Empowering Our Youngest Scholars to Create Using Digital Tools Wednesday from 10:30-11:30 AM in the Terrace Ballroom II/III
So I am dedicating this blog post to sharing tips that you can use for ISTE or any summer conference.
Reviewing what are the ABCs of Transforming Learning are-
Two weeks ago, I shared a blog post called T = Take a Deep Dive into the Impact of a Tech Tool. Just like I took time this past month to evaluate the impact of my health journey on my life, I hope all of you took time to take a deeper dive into the impact of a tech tool. As the school ends, this was a perfect time to do this work. In this blog post, I shared my new and updated framework to evaluate the impact of tech tools and shared how I evaluated two of my favorite tech tools.
This week, we will focus on U= Use these tips to make the most of a summer conference. In doing so, we are going to focus on how you can use these tips to make the most out of your summer conference experience. Whether you are attending a big conference like ISTE 2023 in Philly or a smaller regional one, using these tips will help you to prioritize your time and get the biggest bang for the buck. As educators, we need to prioritize and this will help you do just that.
U= Use these tips to make the most of your summer conference experiences
With ISTE and a summer full of conferences on my mind, I have been thinking a lot about what advice I would give attendees of a summer conference. Recently. I joined Jeff Bradbury, host of the Ask the Tech Coach podcast, and Sarah Kiefer to discuss how to make the most of a summer conference experience like ISTE.
Ask the Tech Coach Podcast: An Instructional Coaches Guide To The 2023 ISTE Conference
Earlier this month, Jeff, Sarah and I met to record an episode of Ask The Tech Coach. This episode is linked using the episode card to the right. During this time, we discussed ways that coaches could successfully navigate a large conference such as ISTE. Here are some of the tips we discussed- click here for the Ask The Tech Coach Podcast blog
Follow the ISTE hashtags. There are quite a few: #ISTE, #ISTELive, #ISTE2023, and #ISTE23
Take collaborative notes and spilt sessions up with your peers who are also attending
Check out playgrounds and poster sessions
Explore the Expo Hall
Consider participating in ISTE Boot Camp
The ISTE Boot Camp is a wealth of resources to help you navigate a large conference. Each week leading up to ISTE, Stephanie Howell and Greta Sandler shared challenges to get you physically, mentally and socially. They also share tips from ISTE vets.
The easiest way to find these challenges is to click below and follow:
@ISTECommunityLeaders, #ISTEchat, and #ISTELive