Transcript for the PowerPoint Presentation:
Welcome to this professional development presentation.
This presentation will showcase the International Society for Technology in Education or ISTE.
We begin by taking a look at the benefits of membership. If you are looking for a professional organization to connect with other technology educators, grow your technology skills, collaborate, and find solutions to your classroom needs then you should join ISTE. With a community of over 15,000 educators, this organization offers a plethora of online journal articles, blogs, videos, professional development events, and much more. Members additionally receive newsletters, topic guides, ebooks, and discounts to IS-TE’s conferences and events. For inclusive technological professional advancement, educators should consider membership in IS-TE.
Next, we will showcase a few of the resources that the organization has to offer.
Edsurge is a podcast that is connected to ISTE about the future of education. Teachers can expect to hear about vastly different topics under the general umbrella of all education: from the latest trends at the university level to online learning, bouncing back from the pandemic, or simply improving a teacher’s instruction methods. Since the first of 2020, the podcasts tend to have a more college and university focus for many of the subject matters. Teachers serving upperclassmen or those about to enter post-secondary education might see the greatest benefit in assisting those students by means of listening to this podcast.
Of the many blogs that ISTE has to offer, let’s look at the Assistive and Adaptive Technology blog. Posting since 2018, this blog has focused on topics such as incorporating assistive technology, making accessible learning for all students, and how educators can embed assistive technology into their instruction. As teachers impact the learning for all students including those that require additional modifications, these blog posts offer valuable suggestions for meeting those needs. Educators who serve our special needs population would find beneficial information for instruction methods and the latest technology to assist them in their professional responsibilities.
Finally, we look at the ISTE YouTube Channel. This is a massive library of video resources for today’s educators. Using the provided playlists, teachers can watch hours of videos covering topics such as understanding the standards, what to incorporate into instruction, learning from technology experts, and observing methods and technology that are working and not working in today’s classrooms. These resources offer benefits to all classroom teachers from any grade level seeking to increase their technical knowledge and become better educators.
IS-TE LIVE 2021, the organization’s largest event last year occurred over the span of five days in June. It consisted of six keynote speakers including well-known authors, technology innovators, the president of the IS-TE board of directors as well as the CEO, and even the secretary of education himself.
Next, let’s look at just a few of the sessions educators had a chance to participate in.
This session, entitled “Why the Most Effective Teachers Are Also Experienced Designers” discusses “how great design solves problems in unexpected ways, creates curiosity, and keeps end users engaged.” With an audience focused on teachers, principals, and higher education faculty, this session’s description captivated my attention by connecting creativity with greater student success.
The next session directly relates to my current teaching assignment in high school mathematics. This session “How to Discover New Mathematics: Exploration and Creativity in the Classroom” takes an approach to leading students through a discovery method instead of repeating “mistakes and surprises” that a student may have experienced in previous years. As a math teacher, I am always exploring new and creative ways to present my lessons to students that might be out of the box. This is one workshop that may have benefitted my classes.
The final session of interest called “Tools for Instantaneous Formative Feedback in the 1:1 Classroom” allows participants to explore software that provides immediate feedback from the students: programs such as Socrative, Nearpod, and Desmos. Desmos, a program familiar to math teachers such as me, are provided activities and situations that can be solved using strategies in Desmos.
For educators looking to advance their skills in educational technology, provide enhanced classroom instruction, or even discover new methods of assistive technology, membership in a professional organization such as IS-TE would serve your needs well.