Guide to ISTE 2016: A Key to Unlocking the Conference!

Based on a guide by Caren Levine with updates by Tzvi Pittinsky and Sabrina Bernath.

 

About This Guide

We are so excited about your participation at ISTE 2016! We want to be sure that you maximize the potential of this very exciting – and often overwhelming – experience, so we compiled a few tips that will come in handy!

Please free to add your own comments to this doc which is shared with all of you.

 

Before You Go...

The conference tends to be informal and people dress for comfort.  Be prepared to do a lot of walking to get to sessions and to navigate the Expo. It’s a good idea to bring a sweater or light jacket in case the air conditioning is on strong. Don’t forget to bring your iPad and charger. A few additional items you may wish to consider adding your travel kit: Post-It flags, highlighter marker, aspirin (rooms can get dry and there’s a lot of stimuli), small mailing labels with your contact information for raffle entries, and chargers /  power cords for your electronic devices.  Also consider packing a power strip – it’s a great way to make fast friends with other conference attendees looking to power up without fighting over an outlet.

 

This is one of those conferences where it is the norm to flip open your laptop or tablet during sessions and use it without appearing rude.  Feel free to bring your favorite device for note taking, digital or otherwise.  And yes, there is free Internet access although wifi can be spotty so I would recommend note taking using an app that does not require constant wireless, either in the ISTE 2016 mobile app (see below), or using Evernote.

 

Check out the online program in advance and compile a preliminary list of interesting sessions by logging in with your ISTE account created during registration and using the online ISTE Conference Planner.  The online program can be a little clunky but it’s useful. I would highly recommend you use the ISTE 2016 conference planner app on your iPad and iPhone or Android phone and mark anything you want to go to as a Favorite. This will create a schedule of your sessions listed by time and day. You can even sync the planner to your personal calendar by clicking on the Export Planner link.  

Don’t forget to take a look at the Expo exhibitors. It is not unreasonable to plan 2-3 hours to walk the exhibitor floor. There are literally hundreds of booths to check out and speak to knowledgeable sales reps.  This is when the pre-printed mailing labels are helpful since practically every vendor has some cool raffle and it gets tiring to write your contact info over and over again.  The labels are a real time saver and you might win some cool stuff!

Here is some ISTE advice from Seth Dimbert for first time attendees.

Ok, I’m Here – Now What? How to Plan Your Time

Head on over to the registration area in the Grand Hall of the convention center to check in and grab your name tag and goodie bag, which includes a print version of the program and a listing of the exhibitors at the Expo.

 

This is where the Post-it flags and highlighter marker can come in handy.  Spend a little time flipping through the day’s events, coordinate with your online planner (if you created one), and make your way to your first session!  Highlight exhibitors you don’t want to miss. When you have some quiet time, start planning your itinerary for the next day.  It’s a good idea to choose more than one session per time slot in case your first choice is full.

 

Have questions? There are ISTE volunteers stationed throughout the convention center available to provide you with friendly assistance.  Having trouble finding someone? Look for the “Ask Me” signs and check out the nearest escalator – there is usually someone there.

 

Water is available in meeting rooms, but it’s a good idea to carry your own to stay hydrated.  Pick up a few snacks or energy bars for that extra boost during a long, stimulating day. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the conference. Make sure you take a little time to go outside to get some fresh air and sunlight.

 

Be planful – create a conference “personal learning plan”  BUT also leave room for serendipity.  Be open to meeting new people and dropping in on sessions that might not appear to have a direct impact on what you are doing – but could be chock full of mind-blowing ideas. Sometimes the best experiences are the most unexpected ones.

 

Session Suggestions

Make sure to read the program guide to learn about the different types of sessions: https://conference.iste.org/2016/program/program_guide.php .  As you scan the program, be sure to keep an eye out for sessions labeled “ISTE’s Recommended.”  

Arrive early on Sunday. Then sample some networking activities and other events prior to the Keynote:

12:30–4 p.m.

Interactive Playgrounds: Computational Thinking/Computer Science, and Maker

12:30-5 p.m.

Opening Conference Sessions

3-5 p.m.

Networking and Connecting Activities

5:45-7 p.m.

Opening keynote

7-8:45 p.m.

Welcome Celebration, featuring Poster Sessions: Global Collaboration

Get to popular sessions EARLY, and take into account how far they are from your previous session.  Rooms can fill up quickly.  Torn between different sessions? Work as a team with the other Frisch attendees! Divide and conquer!  We can always debrief each other or run small in-service PD sessions during the year where people share what they learned.

 

Keynotes

In addition to the ballroom venues, keynotes are simulcast throughout the convention center; check the ISTE program book for details. Personally, I find keynotes to often be either too hokey or too general to appeal to me. Therefore, I prefer to attend keynotes in a simulcast location, my favorite is the Bloggers Cafe, rather than in the main ballroom. This way if the keynote is worthwhile, I can watch and learn, but if it gets a bit less than useful, I am not “trapped” in the ballroom with a few thousand other people and can move on to other things.

People You Won’t Want to Miss

There are many fabulous presenters to choose from, some well-known, others less so.  Here are a few inspiring and innovative educators on the program to get you started:

 

Vote with Your Feet: Throughout the day, you get to decide which sessions to attend. If a session doesn’t meet your needs, it’s perfectly acceptable to get up and move to another room.   Just check your online planner and you will be able to easily see what else interested you in that time slot.  The app should also have a map of the conference center to help you navigate to the new location quickly.

Jewish Educators’ Meet-up

Meet-ups have replaced the Birds of a Feather sessions of old. They provide opportunities for like-minded educators to gather and network.  Be sure to join us at the Jewish Educators Network Meeting entitled JEWISH EDUCATORS NETWORK: TRADITION AND INNOVATION IN JEWISH EDTECH on Monday, June 27, 5:30–6:45 pm, CCC 304. This year for the first time the meeting with also feature short Reflect and Share presentations modeled after the ISTE Ignite presentations where members where share a successful Jewish EdTech integration or challenge that they have overcome in Jewish EdTech. Please fill out the form below to share some information about yourself and choose discussion topics for the meet-up.

http://tinyurl.com/iste16jednetwork 

One other highlight of the Jewish Educators’ Meet-up, we will be giving out awesome swag thanks to our sponsors at The Jewish Education Project. See our Google Cardboard headset which we will be giving out below.

Playgrounds, Lounges, and Poster Sessions, Oh, My!

In addition to formal sessions, there are a wide variety of more informal events.  Be sure to take advantage of these opportunities to learn hands-on skills at Playgrounds, and network and relax at Lounges and the Blogger Café (a popular spot to hang out), and converse directly with students and teachers about their work at various poster sessions. One poster session that will especially appeal to the STEM teachers and Makers is being given by my colleague at The Frisch School, Mrs. Rifkie Silverman on Teaching An Integrated STEM Class.

 

The Expo

The ISTE 2016 Expo is open Monday 9:30am – 5:30pm; Tuesday 9:30am – 5:00pm, and Wednesday, 9:30am – 2:30pm. Preview the exhibitors and floor plan here and add the ones of special interest to your conference planner.  Plan to spend at least 3 hours at the Expo.  You might want to dedicate a block of time to the Expo or consider exploring it over a few days. One great thing that I find about the Expo and the ISTE conference in general is that I have the opportunity to interact with the people who design the apps that I use on a daily basis. I can not only meet a rep from Haiku Learning or Nearpod for example but meet the CEO and schmooze with him/her about what I like and dislike about their program. This is a rare opportunity to create relationships with the creators of the tools that I use on a daily basis. Exhibitors also give out great SWAG ;)

 

Share Your Experiences

One way to share what you are learning is to take notes using a tool like Evernote or Google Docs.  As I did last year, and am presenting about in a workshop as ISTE, I am crowdsourcing ISTE notes from anyone at the conference and would LOVE if you could add links to your notes as well. Just click on the following link, which anyone in the world can edit, add your contact information, session title and presenter, and a link to your notes: http://tinyurl.com/crowdsourcingiste16 

Want to tweet? The ISTE conference hashtag is #iste2016.  Feel free to also use #jschat to be included in a larger ongoing conversation on Jewish education.  Blogging? Please send links to your blog posts to the crowdsourced ISTE notes. Be sure to add your name and blog info to the list. And even if you don’t tweet or blog yourself, check out what your colleagues are saying by following the #ISTE2016 hashtag!  

When you leave the Conference

It is likely you will collect a large number of materials you will want to look at to look at after the conference.  It is a good idea then to bring an additional tote bag or backpack to carry it all back especially if you are using public transportation to get back home.