Reflections of an ISTE16 Noob

I believe it was the summer after my first year of teaching that I first heard about the ISTE Conference, a mega conference that attracted the elite of the edtech world. Each year, I followed people's experiences at ISTE and each year I cursed myself for not attending. It soon became one of those "I'm going to do that eventually.." goals that could easily be put off year after year.

So this year I made the executive decision that I would attend.



Best. 
Decision. 
Ever. 

Its only the second day of the conference, but I can confidently say that #ISTE16 was one of my best decisions.




For starters, I'm killing it with Step Challenge; the day isn't even over and I'm already over 10,000 steps.
Yes, I know VivoFit. I need to move, but I'm trying to blog right now.
I'm also connecting with SO many of the people I have followed on twitter for the last three years as well as meeting SO many new people with awesomely creative ideas! (I would put everyone, but its too many to list and I don't want to accidentally exclude anyone.)



After years of using various apps and tools, I have finally meet their dedicated staff in person, including Remind, Kahoot, Flocabulary, Schoology, Powerschool, AND

I'm already learning so much from so many different people from all over the country and the world. In fact, a lot of this learning isn't from sessions, but from impromptu conversations, Twitter, and the exposure of new perspectives and experiences, including visiting Denver for the first time and using Uber for the first time.

Finally, I'm reminded of how lucky I am to be part of the Minarets High School staff. I love that I get to tell people that I am part of a school that is striving constantly to embody so many of the ideals at ISTE16. I'm so blessed to have administration who are cheering me on at the conference and colleagues who are wanting to know what I am learning. Minarets continues to be my dream and ideal school.
Representing #minaretsrocks! Go Big Go Pro Go Now!
Well, I feel like it is time for me to get up and find some caffeine.

Stay tuned for more of my ISTE16 reflections!

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