ISTE 2017

 

 

So this was not my first ISTE.  I thought I knew what to expect.  Attending ISTE is like drinking technology from a firehose...there is JUST. SO. MUCH.  I went about 8 years ago and it was crazy then, but nothing compared to this year.  Even just understanding the different sessions and deciding what to attend took literally hours.  In the "old days" you could attend any BYOD workshop that was being offered.  That is no longer the case.  Now when you register you can only choose one session per day.  I was honestly not crazy about that....and if you are late for your session, they will give your seat away.  Anyone that knows me knows I can't stand to be late for anything.  My whole life I have been like a little old retired person who gets to everything some 30 minutes before, so I had no fear that I would be late.  But I highly underestimated finding the right spot within this massive venue.  No, I wasn't late, but I remember one session that the room number actually had a typo in the app and no one could tell me exactly where to go.  I found myself doing the running dash just making the sessions that was outside the venue...literally.

So there are so many ways you can learn at ISTE.  Here is a quick review:

Poster sessions
That's where you can walk up to presenters who talk about a particular program they run.

Listen & Learn  
Sit down & listen.  There is usually a Q & A at the end, but with tons of people attending, it's harder to get a question answered.

Participate & Share
These can include poster sessions, but also interactive lectures.

Explore & Create
These can be playgrounds, which give you a chance to interact with new technologies.

Explore & Create
These workshops let you examine & interact with new technologies.

Do you feel like I've just put the firehose on you?