ISTE 23 Recap: Favorite Takeaways

Written by Lisa Kuhn (@LisaK_techtalk)

Flights delayed due to (sometimes never arrived) inclement weather…check-in lines out the door…15,000+ steps per day…rain-drenched crowds waiting for their Ubers to arrive…

While some attendees experienced some (or all) of the above situations, I think it is fair to say that everyone in attendance took something positive away from the week. While it’s difficult to narrow down the good that we experienced, here are some favorite ISTE 23 conference takeaways from our team here at Forward Edge.

Educating the masses takes a village.  We might all work for various communities, companies, districts, etc., but it takes all of us to make education accessible, innovative, and inclusive.  When thinking about ISTE and all the vendors and competitors, you think of competition (duh), which is valid, but not all competition is bad, some would argue that it is healthy.  In the case of education, it is necessary. So, though you can see the edge of competition all around at ISTE, you can also feel the camaraderie and the common goal. ~Torie Mollett (@TorieTeaches)           

Making connections with other professionals about my playground presentations. ~Matthäus Huelse (@Coach_Huelse) 

I’m getting ready to start working with a school district that wants to improve their support for new hires and I found just the ticket at ISTE 23! New Year, New Teachers: Building an Induction Program for New Staff by Lauren Peña (@lauren_pena16) hit the bulls-eye! She shared programs from four different schools/districts, from private to public to international, and this variety gives much to consider. This is a great launching point for anyone wanting to create or tweak a new hire program for their school or district. ~Lisa Kuhn (@LisaK_techtalk)

The number of sessions that had something to do with AI wasn't surprising, but it's astounding to see how hungry people are for both knowledge and answers about AI and what its impact will be. ~Michael Roush (@mdroush)

There is so much more to ISTE than just technology. With my district focusing on literacy next year, I sought out sessions that focused on that. In these sessions, technology was used as a tool to support the strategies that they were suggesting, but the focus was on the strategies not the tech tool which is how it should be. ~Maggie Harris (@05Maggie_Harris)

Learning is personal, and the less mass-produced we make it, the better. ~Tyler Erwin (@EdTechTyler) 

I experienced presenting in front of people with like interests and loved hearing how they would use the tools in the classroom or schools. Enjoyed the expo hall and all the tools out there! WOW :) ~Alyssa Faubion (@fau_bion)

Now, we want to hear from YOU! If you have a favorite takeaway, a favorite resource or session, or even a favorite experience that you would like to share, please complete and submit the ISTE 23 Recap form by Wednesday, July 19, OR join the ISTE Shareout conversation in the EDU Coach Network Community.