Tuesday, June 28, 2016

ISTE 2016 - Day 1

ISTE Day 1

Attending ISTE has always been one of my favorite conferences. There is always something to do throughout the day. If you cannot find a session there are playgrounds, posters sessions, demonstrations, an oasis, and the epic exhibit hall. If you cannot find new learning or a way to connect with others, through one of these avenues, I suggest reset and determine the focus for why you are attending ISTE.

The first session I attended was “App Attack”, 60 apps in 60 minutes. I am usually not a fan of rapid fire of tools without examples of how they are used. However, I wanted to learn about new apps and decided to give this session a try. I was pleasantly surprised. As advertised, the two presenters reviewed 60 apps that can be used with students, teachers, or for personal organization. In addition, the apps varied in subject area including Health/PE, Science, Math, and collaboration tools. The apps that stood out to me and I hope to utilize when I return home are:

  • Office Remote: Turns your phone into a presenter remote, including speaker notes. This would solve the problem for when I forget my remote.
  • Telligami: Allows you to create an avatar that can speak during a presentation. I think this would be a neat way to welcome participants during a presentation or even explain directions during a workshop.
  • Solve the Outbreak: This is a CSI app that has children solve the disease outbreak problem before it becomes an epidemic. I think my daughters would love this!
  • Credly: Allows you to create your own digital badges. I am thinking about use this app to maybe create badges for webinar attendance or other PD offerings.
These were just 4 of 60 apps discussed. I am excited to share some of the content based apps with my colleagues. For the complete list and the presenter information check out this link: www.smore.com/mugy4

The second session, “Building Relationships & Supporting Growth in 1:1 Environments”, focused on coaching as a way to support teacher growth and student improvement. I chose this session because I wanted to gain information and tools to support the Maryland Collaborative Model for Peer Coaching. The presenter for this session was very dynamic and provided many tips for building relationships in order to have effective coaching experiences. Some of my take-a-ways form this session include:

  • This gorgeous diagram that showcases the three building blocks of coaching: coaching, collaborating, and consulting.
I plan to use the resources shared within my own work environment to support collaboration and relationship building with colleagues. I also intend to share with the educators participating in the Peer Coaching Collaborative Model. The presentation can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/iste2016coach

The next session I attended was “Gamify your Professional Development using Differentiated and Self-Paced Modules”. I chose this session because I wanted to learn about different professional learning models. The presenters showcased a “Tech Trek” course through Schoology. Within the course were modules that teachers could complete in order to earn XP (experience points) and level up. Teachers would receive badges and rewards each time they leveled-up. Though the “Tech Trek” teachers were learning how to “Collaborate with Google”, “Use Google Forms”, “iPAD Basics”, etc.

Not only did the presenters showcase their gamification model but they also shared EVERYTHING they created so it could be replicated. I am excited to take this back to Maryland. I think these model could be used to have PARCC, Graduation Requirements, and other state initiative designations. Educators who complete the modules would be the school and/or district expert.
  • For access to the Schoology Site: Create a Schoology account and enter the access code: 7HWGD-QFP79 
In between sessions, I visited the exhibit hall and collect lots of free fun stuff for my daughters. I plan to do the same today!

My final session on Day 1 was the EdTekTalks. These are my favorite types of keynotes because each presenter has about 20 minutes to share their message. This tends to make the sessions more thought provoking. The messages that stood out to me were:
Overall day 1, was amazing. I feel that I already have many tools that I can use when I return home. Day 2 has more professional learning sessions including posters session dedicated to professional learning models. I am excited to gain additional ideas and resources!
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