ISTE Wishes

ISTE will be here next week… I was so excited when my proposal was accepted, a session I was hoping to co-present with Patrick Larkin (formerly @bhsprincipal and currentlyย @patrickmlarkin), The Evolving Face of Leadership in 21st Century Schools.ย The session is Wednesday at 8:30 AM. Don’t miss the chance to learn from Patrick, he’s truly inspirational and knowledgeable!

Unfortunately, this spring our superintendent released the dates for our summer admin retreat and leadership trainings: June 25, 26, 27. No!!!! I felt quite conflicted as I knew the experience of presenting at ISTE would be very valuable, and of course I’d miss spending time with my PLN and greeting new friends I’ve not yet had the chance to meet, but it probably wouldn’t be in my (or my students’) best interests to miss three full days of our district’s leadership days. Add to that, quite fortunately, the news of a new arrival for our family debuting this fall, and it pretty much sealed the deal that I wouldn’t be traveling to sunny California next week. But I’m kind of okay with that. ๐Ÿ™‚

Despite the fact that I won’t be physically present, as I know many of you cannot be, there are a multitude of ways to stay posted on ISTE happenings throughout and after the conference. There are three ways you can be a “remote participant” and participate in a full day’s worth of sessions or tune in to virtual workshops. There are also video on demand options that will be posted after the conference.

Something I will be sure to do is follow the #iste12 stream on Twitter. There are already great ideas and session highlights being shared, and if you’re a newbie to ISTE, this is a must-read. Past participants will be sharing their recommendations and advice for new attendees. The whole conference experience can be overwhelming, so it helps to prepare and learn from those who’ve enjoyed learning and networking at ISTE in the past, such as this post from Michelle Baldwin. During and after the conference, attendees will definitely be blogging and sharing highlights from the conference, so do be sure to catch up with your Reader feeds and read others’ reflections of the week.

My ISTE 2012 wishes are

  • that you all meet and greet as many wonderful members of our educational network as you can
  • that you find the time to reflect, away from the buzz of the sessions and the social events
  • that you find all sessions you attend to be valuable (and, if you’re sitting in one that proves it will not be, get up, leave, and find another one!)
  • that you make an action plan to incorporate at least one thing you’ve learned back in your home educational setting
  • that you share your experiences with us!
  • that I could be there in person ๐Ÿ™‚

Happy ISTE-ing!

24 Replies to “ISTE Wishes”

  1. Lyn, I’m sorry that you won’t be able to present at ISTE, but I’m so happy to hear about your new arrival in the fall. How exciting! I wish you and your family all the best! Enjoy the leadership retreat as well!

    Aviva

  2. So happy for you and your family! What exciting news!! While we’ll definitely miss your physical presence at ISTE, I know you’ll be with us virtually.

    Great recommendations and ISTE wishes… thanks for sharing.

    p.s. Thanks for the shoutout. ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Lyn,
    Thanks for sharing your wishes for ISTE12. I will definitely miss seeing your smiling face there, but I am so happy to hear of your wonderful news! I wish you all the best and look forward to learning with you more in the future. Congratulations!

  4. CONGRATS!!! It’s going to be fun navigating “first babies” & the principalship next year with you. Sadly, I’ll be watching the #ISTE12 backchannel along with you from home. All the best to the Hilt Family!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.