ISTE 2019 - Let's Get Collaborating

So after traveling in South America for a couple of months during the summer break, I finally have time to make a cuppa and process my experience at International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) conference 2019 in Philadelphia. The ISTE Conference is recognized globally as the most comprehensive educational technology conference in the world. This is my second visit to the conference and has allowed me to engage in hands-on learning, exchanging ideas and networking with like-minded thinkers seeking to transform learning and teaching globally.

So in this second visit to the conference what were the main thoughts I took away have already experienced the conference once before?

#1 – Putting the I into ISTE

One observation I made in 2017 was the emphasis of global collaboration from the perspective of the US teachers only, with what they could offer the international community. This reduced the agency of the international educators they were 'collaborating' with.

Collaboration is a two-way street where both can learn from the experience and not based on the strong held belief at the conference in 2017 that the US had the best education system in the world. In order to change this mindset, I joined the #ISTEglobalpln as the global PLN events chair. So a large amount of my time and efforts this year were focused on helping the PLN develop authentic and meaningful global collaborations between educators.

This involved the awesome scavenger hunt organized by Tara and Amanda where educators could meet each other and collaborate and an amazing poster session in the evening where global educators showcased their experiences in collaborating with the GlobalPLN team including Ilene from Kuwait and Anne from Australia offering advice for educators wanting to collaborate as equal partners. Just like in 2017, poster sessions are great as you can learn a lot in a short amount of time and got a better chance to ask questions and make connections in these informal settings. There was a common theme during each poster session and I could get a large number of resources while having a few conversations along the way.

Finally, culminating in the ISTEglobalPLN playground focusing on how educators can connect globally using the SDGs as a framework - I even got to make slime thanks to Jaime's daughter and got to catch up with my OGC family. Prescilla, Michael, Luis and Laura in person along with connecting via Skype with Bronwyn in Australia and Melisa in Ohio - truly global connections.

It was amazing to connect with these global educators face to face and see their passion for authentic global collaboration and I am looking forward to continuing to learn from them over the next year.

#2 – It Is Important to Help Others Grow

This year I decided to give back to educators, in 2017 I met amazing educators who are now part of my PLN, this year I got involved in panel discussions with other educators on how you can develop and grow your network. An example of this was Sharpening the Saw how to become a MIEExpert. The MIEExpert program has allowed me to connect and interact with educators globally and learn so much, so it was an honor to assist others in joining the program by discussing it with other amazing MIEExperts like Andrea, Scott, and Summer.

I also had the advantage of seeing one of my OGC educators Luis discuss the use of learning tools in the #hacktheclassroom event, which was great to see his efforts being recognized on a global stage.

#3 – Getting my VR on.

Finally, I had the chance to present my experiences in AR/VR with Merge cubes as part of and Q and A session. To be honest this was not the most interesting part of the story. What was more interesting where the panelists and the company itself. It was fascinating to hear the background of the company from co-owner Stephanie and starting in a garage and also connect with two amazing educators (Gabe, I know you from Singapore - sorry) the extraordinary Kathi - whom I agree on so much on the why of being a teacher and Zeina - who has given me a different perspective on what expectations we place on ourselves as educators. It was a pleasure to learn from you both.

Just like in 2017, the biggest piece of advice that I would give to anyone who attends ISTE is to make sure you are focused on learning and connecting with others. The best way we can improve learning for our students is that we share the best practice and grow with each other.

Te keruru e kai ana i te miro, nōna te ngahere; te keruru e kai ana i te mātauranga nōna te ao.
The wood pigeon who eats the miro berry owns the forest; the wood pigeon who eats of tree of  knowledge owns the world.