ISTE 2011

First of all, welcome back to the 2011-2012 school year. It is always nice to be able to start fresh with a new class and a bunch of new faces each year. I certainly hope you found some time for rest and relaxation over the summer.

One of the things I enjoy each summer is a trip to the National Ed Tech Conference that ISTE hosts. This year it was in Philadelphia and the theme was "Unlocking Potential." I heard many great speakers and attended many great sessions.

As I sat through one of the sessions, I was caught by one of the statements made by the presenter. Basically, he mentioned that there are lots of web tools out there for teachers to use. All I ask is that you find one this year and try it. If it doesn't work, throw it out, and pick anther one. His site has tons of resources for educators. As I went from session to session, I heard the same statement over and over.

As part of what I do, I encourage teachers to try new things in the classroom. It gets overwhelming sometimes to read and figure how a web tool works. However, if we limit ourselves to trying one at a time, then it doesn't seem too intimidating.

Each year, after attending the conference, I try to share my notes. This year, however, instead of sharing my notes, I thought I would share resources to those notes. In other words, every presenter I went to had a link to his/her presentation. Plus, each of the presenters were searchable in the conference planner online. To get to my links, you can use my diigo page for ISTE 2011. Remember, as you look through the links, pick one thing that interests you and find a way to use it this year in your classroom.

Welcome back to 2011-2012! Have a great year!