ISTE 2014- It's really about the people!

Over the past few months I heard about ISTE (International Society for Technology and Education). Many people spoke volumes about this conference. It made me want to attend to see what it was all about. I asked the district if I could go to this conference. To make a long story short-myself and another teacher @ebartush (she signed up for twitter two days before we went) were allowed to attend. 

It was 5 days learning. The amount of information is so overwhelming, it is like "drinking water from a fire hose." What made it so amazing? Was it the content? The ideas? No, it was the informal conversations I had with people. We arrived a day early and were able to participate in HackEd. I participated in a great discussion on @voxer led by @elissamalespina and @wkrakower. It is a truly versatile app in education and highly recommend it. We were then able to talk to @cybraryman about twitter and his famous pages.

Saturday through Tuesday, I saw so many inspirational discussions/workshops, by amazing educators/leaders such as @jasonmmarkey, @daiseydyerduerr, and @mccoyderek session on Principal Leadership. They inspired me to lead as an advocate and not focus on roadblocks. I saw great ignite sessions by @msmagiera, @techninjatodd , @tanyaavrith , @rafranzdavis and @kleinerin. I talked briefly with @techbradwaid and @techminock about @daqri. It is definitely something I will be bringing back to my school. I was able to meet @casas_jimmy, @mmiller7571 and talked with @colinwikan who had some great ideas on providing teachers with technology PD. I sat and talked with @ashleyhurley about her presentation and school life. She is such a great person, I was happy to have a discussion with her. 

In the end, what really meant the most to me was building a friendship with Brad Gustafson @gustafsonbrad. He is a Principal from Minnesota and the type of leader I aspire to be. He is so excited and passionate about learning. Brad has an attitude that anything can happen.  Every time I complimented him on his innovation practices, he complimented his staff. I have read about him prior to attending ISTE and was even signed up for his Digital Leadership Challenge (highly recommended). I never expected to spend 3 days talking education and family. He is an expert at using the @touchcastapp to tell his school's story. In an early discussion he mentioned making an ISTE video. I said let's do it. My colleague Eva said "why don't we make it centered around your one thing?" With the amazing Erin Klein sitting 15 ft away-the project began. We then spent two days, in between sessions, talking to around 20 educators about their passions and their "1" thing. All of the amazing leaders in education had a slightly different message. Compiled together we have a powerful message to share. The conference is over, I learned a lot, but more importantly I made a friend that makes we want to be better as a teacher, leader and person.  Thank you for everything Brad. Hope to reconnect at Edcampldr.