ISTE 2010-DAY 2

Monday, June 28, 2010
I awake early as usual and get ready for a full day. Little do I realize that I will walk 100 miles before I see my bed again!
Regional Transportation District is the preferred mode of transportation for us this week. The light rail stop is right beside where we are staying. Learning the color coded system is challenging, and I am so thankful one of us knows where he is going and how to get there safely. After a very short ride with only one transfer we arrive at the convention center's door.
Do you remember Alice in Wonderland going through the looking glass? I feel like I have entered a whole new world full of wonders and interesting things. I hit the floor running knowing that I have to make the most of every minute if I am to learn all I want.
My first session is Developing, Designing, and Delivering: The Case for Powerful and Productive Presentations. I have chosen this session to learn how to make my professional developments more interesting and successful. Tips on how to keep an audience's attention and how to deliver a message more effectively are shared and modeled. I am pleased as I head to my next meeting.
To reach Critical Thinking: Reaching Higher with Interactive Technology, I have to maneuver mazes of hallways and tens of thousands of people. It was certainly worth the effort. The presenter shares Smart Notebook Activities using critical thinking skills. I look forward to sharing these!
Now, on to Take this Book and Map it! Google Lit Trips are highlighted during this session. Talk about making a book come alive! Our students will love journeying through the pages of their novels this fall.
Games, Simulations and Virtual Environments is an ISTE Special Interest Group meeting. ISTE members collaborate on the popularity of using simulations, etc. to teach and assess. We discuss the roles, issues and barriers to using this type of technology in the classrooms. After all the pros and cons are weighed, we must accept that the students will drive this type of activity more and more. I am thankful since I love to play! :)
As I leave this session, I notice a HUGE number of people waiting to enter for the next presentation. Being curious, I ask about the topic. A lady tells me that one of Tuesday's sessions has been moved to today. Someone is really looking over me because I learn that it is Robert Marzano's meeting that has been rescheduled! Robert Marzano is an educational icon in the field of instructional strategies. I have read many of his books and cannot believe that I almost missed this opportunity! I turn right around and fall into the long line of educators piling into the same room I just left. I find a seat right in the front because I do not want to miss a second! Marzano's topic is research results his company has compiled after studying the use of interactive whiteboards in the classroom. One of his findings is that simply adding that instructional tool increases learning by 16-18%! WOW! That number goes higher as components such as teacher training, and using high level strategies with that whiteboard are added. I have the privilege of meeting Dr. Marzano and getting his autograph. After pulling myself up off the floor after I faint from this experience (figuratively speaking, of course), I rush to join the crowd moving towards our next meeting.
Designing the Learning Spaces of Tomorrow explored new physical spaces where our students can learn. Pictures of innovative designs include all glass walls, renovated warehouses turned into learning spaces, classrooms with access to outdoor learning centers. Students' were asked for their input in design ideas. Student desks that hover with retractable ipads attached was my favorite! I put that on my wish list. I wonder if I will get it!
After all the walking, collaborating and learning, I am exhausted and hungry! These sessions don't leave any time for sitting down for lunch. We decide to walk across the street to Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company. Reading the menu reminds me of the scene in Forrest Gump when Bubba was reciting how many different shrimp dishes were available. I highly recommend this restaurant. The food is delicious, and the staff is very attentive. Our waiter plays a Forrest Gump trivia game with our table. Our little group does very well until the bonus question. A free dessert is riding on our getting this answer correct. Well, unfortunately, we do not know what other roles Forrest's mother and Bubba play in the movie. Do you?