“Actions speak louder than buzzwords. ” Adam Bellows
It is hard to believe a week ago I was at #ISTE2014 with 16,039 conference goers, from all 50 states along with 67 nations! It has taken me some time to process and digest what I learned from the conference that is now a check off my bucket list!
Top 3 Takeaways:
1. I want to be like Kevin Carroll! Why? He believed in himself, he was a change agent and a catalyst. By far Kevin’s keynote was the most inspirational and best session I attended. His keynote speech has not been released yet but when it does, if you have not seen it, you need too. Here is a quick interview with him: Kevin Carroll at ISTE 2014 and his book: Rules of the Red Rubber Ball
2. Relationships and collaboration of ideas are the most important part of learning. My second favorite part about ISTE was the people, sharing ideas in lines, at meals and at events. I loved meeting my virtual PLN face to face and collaborating with educators from my own district that I don’t get to see so often and ones that I do!
3. There is a lot of misconceptions about what Personalized Learning is. Personalized Learning encompasses many best practices that teachers already do such as conferring/conferencing with students, build relationships and allowing students to own their learning. What it is NOT: Personalized Learning does not mean technology. Technology is a tool to help the instructional shift that needs to be made in the classroom. There is no one Learning Management System (LMS), web tool, app or device that is the magic bullet for personalized leaning.
Top 3 Websites to check out:
1. Tackk : is a simple way to create beautiful pages on the web. It’s your very own page, flyer, blog post, or poster.
2. Graphite: Is a great site by Common Sense Media that make it easier for educators to find the best apps, games, and websites for the classroom, making sure they are common core aligned and the rigor and relevance is there.
3. Tammy Wocester : I used to visit Tammy’s site often a few years ago as I loved her ideas. I am glad I went to her session and was reminded how great it is.
Top 3 ideas to implement:
1. #youmatter: I have heard about you matter by watching the TED talk but going to the session helped me realize it’s about personalizing the students learning through whole child approach. It is a movement. Here are more sites to add to your #youmatter resources: http://choose2matter.org, http://www.classroomchampions.org and you matter day using #mattergrams
2. App Speed Dating: Is where students teach educators about apps they like to use in the classroom. A great way to offer PD to teachers and allow student leadership.
3. Edtechwomen: One of the events I went to at ISTE was the #edtechwomen dinner. It was a favorite for me as I was inspired by so many amazing women; learning about their stories and journeys. I also learned the most about myself during this event as I never realized how much I ‘downgrade’ things I have accomplished in my life, such as when I introduced myself, I stated what my job was but I neglected to also state that I own my own company. That is something that is apart of me that I don’t share often enough, yet it is a huge accomplishment. I am slowly learning that I need to be proud of all that I have done. I’m in the process of starting a chapter of #edtechwomen for the charlotte area. Once I learn more I will be sure to share as I hope you will be involved and yes, men are welcome as they are our ‘malallies’ – male + allies.
Other great reflections and posts from ISTE2014:
Anibal Pacheco’s – Interviews w/ Presenters and Special Guests
Erin Klein’s: Reflections from #iste2014
Rafranz Davis: Passion Fueled Connection
Lisa Pagano’s: Beginning to Process #iste2014
ISTE 2014 Sessions with Published Handout Links
Google Doc: ISTE 2014 Session Notes
If you would like to experience #iste2015 in Philly you can start checking out ISTE’s site.
Inside Education, Outside the Box! 
Great reflection. I wish I could have been at ISTE.