Are you attending the International Society of Technology in Education Conference, otherwise known as ISTE? This conference brings in educators from all over the world! Many times, it’s the first time to meet your PLN face-to-face after correspondence through social media or Zoom calls for years!  My first time attending ISTE was back in 2017 and it was overwhelming. I tried to make a daily agenda of the presentations I wanted to see, and I certainly made new friends, but I wish I had known how to navigate it better. 

Going to ISTE? 

This year, you can find edtech guru Andrea Cook and me daily at the SpacesEDU Booth #2157. We’ll be hosting two book signings. Monday at 11am you can get an autographed copy of Jed Stefanowicz’s book, Impact To Influence and on Tuesday at 2pm, you can get an autographed copy of my children’s book, the I’m Sorry Story. SpacesEDU is gifting these books to the first 20 attendees who come to our booth at these times. We will also be having a daily drawing for $100 Amazon gift cards, so make sure you find us! 

Did you know that ISTE is offering FREE Expo-Only Registrations?? This is great for locals!

5 Educators Share How to Thrive at ISTE

ISTE is the yearly anticipated edtech conference, and here are some tips from some SpacesEDU Community Members that will help you get the most out of your ISTE (and any other) conference:

• Dr. Rachelle Dene Poth shares, “Don’t worry so much about following the set schedule you might have set up, be open to where opportunities take you. Be open to new experiences, take time to connect with people, even the quick conversations and hellos make a big difference. Learning really is everywhere.” 
• Dr. Henry Turner shares, “Use ISTE to get outside of your comfort zone, not to reinforce something that you’re already good at.” 
• Mandy Froehlich shares her plan, “Decide what it is that you want to get out of the conference and then do that, however, one of the most important parts of any conference is the connections that you’ll make. They have the potential to turn into lifelong friends, colleagues, and co-learners, and you don’t want to miss that!”
• Are you an introvert? Dr. Sarah Thomas wrote a blog post just for you: From daTeechur's Desk: Surviving Conference Season as an Introvert and even if you are an extrovert, or somewhere in between, the hacks she shares might help you!
  • You can find Mandy Froehlich and Dr. Sarah Thomas at the Teq Booth #1114 and Teq’s Happy Hour, Monday, June 26th. 

• Dr. Mervin Jenkins says, “Don’t forget to have fun in Philly, a beautiful city. Take advantage of everything the city has to offer, it is a melting pot of a cultural cuisine, from the Amish Bakeries found inside the Redding Terminal all the way to Friday, Saturday, Sunday in Center City, which won a “Best New Restaurant” James Beard Award!”
  • You can find Dr. Jenkins at the Nearpod/Flocabulary Booth #3028 on the expo floor and at the Poetry Slam on Tuesday night. 

Not Going to ISTE?

Not going to ISTE and overcome with FOMO? I completely understand! I followed #NotAtISTE for two years before I was able to go in person. Attendees will be sharing what they are learning if you follow that hashtag. You might not be there in person, but you can still take away some gems that are being shared. In fact, the tips shared are great advice for any conference you go to. 

I hope we get to meet YOU at ISTE! Stop by our SpacesEDU Booth #2157 and get a selfie and enter a chance to win one of those $100 Amazon gift cards! 

About the Author

Melody McAllister is a wife, mother of five, educator, and author. She and her family relocated to Alaska from the Dallas area in 2019.  McAllister is 2017 Garland NAACP Educator of the Year and author of the I’m Sorry Story, a children's book about taking responsibility for mistakes and making sincere apologies. She is the Educator Community Advocate for SpacesEDU.  McAllister has spoken at ISTE and ASTE about equity issues in education, and writes about her journey in her blog, HeGaveMeAMelody.com. McAllister also hosts the Growth Over Grades Podcast  and a weekly bookchat which you can tune in every Wednesday on her YouTube Channel.