It's June....and as a technology educator, you know what that means!!! It's time for ISTE 2018!!! ISTE is the LARGEST international technology conference in the world and brings in hundreds of thousands of educators from all over the place! This year, ISTE will be located in Chicago, IL.I remember attending my very first ISTE when it was located in Atlanta, GA (my backyard) many years ago! Since then, it has been in Philadelphia, Denver, and San Antonio. That first year was UBERLY (yes that's a word!) overwhelming! I remember going into the exhibit hall and being taken back at how many vendors were there, and even more so, how many attendees were there to visit those vendors! I didn't know which sessions to attend. I didn't know which presenters I wanted to see. It was definitely a LOT to take in! Sooooo, with all of the hype about ISTE in a few short weeks, I thought about putting together a quick blog post with my top 10 tips that I THINK will make you have a fantastic experience!
- WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES!!!!! This is the most important ISTE tip that I can give you! You will do a LOT of walking around the exhibit hall, to and from sessions, to breakfasts, lunches and dinners, etc! Break them in NOW while you still have a few weeks to put some miles on them! Trust me on this one! I learned this valuable lesson after it was hosted in Atlanta. Whew!
- Wear comfortable clothes! You will see people dressed SUPER DUPER comfy all the way to business professional. Find where you fit in the mix and dress accordingly. Some of the rooms can get a little chilly so you may want to bring a sweater or cardigan, just in case.
- Do your research! Research the keynote speakers so you know what to expect. The opening keynote speaker is David Eagleman. Read all about him here. Go online BEFORE You get there and pick out some sessions that you want to attend. Categorize them by: "must attend" and "would like to attend." You will be exhausted as you are walking throughout the conference and may decide that you want sit and chat with some new friends instead of attending a session. Or perhaps you want to spend some more time in the exhibit hall rather than attend a session. Leave your options open!
- Meet people! Don't be afraid to talk to people. Talk to the people sitting next to you in your sessions. Talk to those people that you bump into in the exhibit hall. Make connections! I've met some AMAZING people at ISTE! What's even better is when you FINALLY meet someone that you've been s
talking, I mean following on Twitter for a while! You will definitely have some fan girl/boy moments while you're there! - Explore the exhibit hall. I have spent a TON of time in the exhibit halls at ISTE and this is where I've gained a lot of the PL from! It's great to meet the people behind the products and really get to pick their brains about how to use different tech tools in different and innovative ways. Be sure to check out the vendors that you both know about already and ones that may be new to you. There are a PLETHORA (my favorite SAT word) of awesome companies that you have no idea even existed. So be sure to schedule time in your day to check them all out!
- Bring your business cards. You will meet a ton of people and will want to exchange contact information quickly. Besides following each other on Twitter, you also want to bring your business cards with you to quickly exchange your information. Be sure to carry a pen with you and jot down notes on the back of cards that people give to you so you are able to make the connection back to that person when you get back home. QUICK TIP: By the way, in your registration bag, you will get a booklet of entry cards to enter various giveaways in the exhibit hall. Save the time of filling them out by bringing some tape or a mini stapler and attaching your business card to the entry forms. This is a TOTAL time saver and you can thank me later for this quick tip! 😀
- Save some space in your luggage for all of the goodies you'll get! You will walk away with tshirts, posters, books, hand sanitizers, lip balms, manipulatives, brochures, pamphlets, etc. You'll want to have somewhere to stash all of that to get it back home. So, save a little room in your suitcase for all that you'll be bringing back with you! QUICK TIP: You may want to make your way to a Garrett's Popcorn and get you a few bags of the Chicago Mix (caramel and cheese popcorn) to bring back home with you. I may or may not have brought back an ENTIRE suitcase full of this popcorn the last time I was in Chicago...just sayin'!
- Take it all in. Again, you will be 100% totally overwhelmed when you are at ISTE and once you leave. Take the time to take it all in! You can't believe how many educators across the world WISH they had the opportunity to attend this amazing experience! Guess what?? You get to go!!! So take it all in and be ready to share the knowledge that you gain while you're there! Don't keep all of the goodness to yourself. Pass it along! Each one, teach one!
- Don't try to do EVERYTHING once you get back to your schools. Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT attempt to try to come home after ISTE and implement EVERYTHING that you learn. Pick a few things to become an expert in and perfect those! You can't be a master at all of the things!
- Decompress on the way home and in the days to come. Whew! You will leave ISTE feeling like a superstar that can and will want implement each and EVERY idea that you have stumbled across in Chicago! Once you leave ISTE, take the time to decompress and marinate on all the new knowledge that you gain while you're there. This is an important step and will help you in deciding what you want implement and what sounded good in the moment. You may get home and realize that something that you were super excited about while you were at ISTE, won't work, or perhaps isn't the right fit for your classroom or your teachers. Breathe. Review your notes. And THEN figure out your next steps!
So there you have it. My top 10 tips for a newbie attending ISTE. I can't wait to hear all about your experiences while you're there! And if you see me there, say hi! I'd love to meet you! What are you most looking forward to while at ISTE? Safe travels!
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