International Society for Technology in Education Conference

International Society for Technology in Education Conference (ISTE)
Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
June 29, July 2, 2008
San Antonio, Texas


Fantastic! Fabulous! Spectacular! are the adjectives that come to mind when I think about the 29th Annual Educational Computing Conference (NECC) held in San Antonio, June 29 through July 2, 2008 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. Presented by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) with the theme of “Convene, Connect, Transform” this affair was attended by over 12, 600 educators with 924 conference sessions, 115 workshops, 500 vendors and attendees from 57 nations. A total of 17, 600 educators and exhibit personnel were present. This conference is the premier membership association for any educator interested in improving teaching and learning through the effective use of technology. It is the home base of the National Education Technology Standards (NETS), the Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology (CARET) and the National Educational Computing Conference. It represents more than 100,000 professionals globally. It is extremely well-organized and presents a comprehensive platform of activities on virtually every aspect of educational technology from PK-12, teacher education and college. It is a“must do” conference. From the riveting Opening Keynote of James Surowiecki who discussed his book The Wisdom of Crowds and how groups make better decisions than individuals or experts to the Closing Keynote of Idit Harel-Caperton whose address “The Transformational Power of Social Media Technology in Learning: Inspiring Stories from the Classroom and Beyond!” explored how social networks, wikis and blogs are changing the information, social, political and educational landscapes, ISTE provided truly engaging sessions (many required laptops) that were complemented by a completely wireless environment and a Blogger’s Cafe.

I visited poster sessions, spectacular exhibits and attended illuminating lectures and panels. Conference highlights include the following:

Innovative Project-Based Learning: Strategies from Kindergarten to College was presented by Christy Keeler, Ph.D (www.christy@keelers.com) and Heather B. Rampton, M.Ed (www.hbrampton@interact.ccsd.net from the University of Nevada Las
Vegas. This session introduced project-based learning strategies that incorporated audio, video, slideshows, blogs, digital photography, page layout software and the Internet across grade levels and curricula. She discussed the elements of project-based learning noting that they are artifact driven, content focused, technology infused, collaborative, multi-disciplinary, long term and student centered. Dr. Keeler emphasized that students in the 21st century require the skills developed by this learning method. This session was very engaging and educators left with numerous practical strategies that they could immediately employ in their classrooms. I highly recommend this session.

Best Practices using Camtasia was a stimulating brief presentation given by Mr. Ryan Eash from Camtasia. He demonstrated how this screen recording software could be utilized in the classroom and shared with a wide audience. He gave four examples of how Camtasia could be used to support best practices: (1) Recording classroom lectures for review sessions and posting to a website; (2) Creating Flash Animation Tutorials that can be viewed on an iPod; (3) Generating student-produced items with students teaching students [www.mathtrain.com]; (4) Interactive Paper Grading. This last method has great practical value and educational ramifications for instructors who want to use technology in their assessments. Mr. Eash recommended that for more educational best practices attendees could visit the Camtasia website (www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp ). A very good presentation.

Visual Literacy: Equipping Students for a Visual World was a “Spotlight” presentation hosted by ISTE’s flagship publication, Learning & Leading with Technology and hosted by Dr. Lynell Burmark of the Thomburg Center (lynell@educatebetter.org) . The presenter demonstrated how instructors could utilize the visual media for learning and earning. She noted that it was extremely important to select an image that conveys your message; it must tell the story. Stating that individuals want to believe what they see and that a picture is worth a thousand words, the speaker illustrated that images go to long term memory and that there are a million fibers connecting the eye to the brain. She also affirmed that individuals process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. To Dr. Burmark, “It is simply a matter of keyboard versus camera. With images, recall and retention rise 42%; the ability to transfer and apply increases 89%.” The speaker finally noted that the use of videos automatically meet this goal and this is why platforms like You Tube, Flickr, etc. are so effective. “The image always precedes the thought.” A truly provocative presentation.

Audio is Great! Video is Cool! iPods Can Do More was the theme of Learning in Hand’s Tony Vincent (www.learninginhand.@mac.com) . This presenter underscored the utility of the iPod as a motivating learning tool in the classroom. He demonstrated a plethora of uses that this MP3 player could be used for in the educational arena: voice recording, video capabililty, musical lyrics and songs, personal calendar, photo album, flash card generation, student tutorials, PowerPoints, portable hard drive, lesson planning, interactive storytelling, quizzing, podcasting, etc.) Mr. Vincent also supports a website (www.learninginhand.com) where educators may download his free ebook Podcasting for Teachers and Students. This site also contains a blog, articles, ebooks, discussion forums, lesson plans, and web links. An excellent presentation.

The aforementioned highlights are just a small portion of the many excellent panels sessions at the ISTE conference. Again, this conference is essential for any educator and all individuals interested in technology in the classroom.