I’m #notatiste15.

I have a love/hate relationship with that hashtag.

The #ISTE2015 conference is in full swing, and I’m not there. It was my choice and things at home necessitated that I stay here.  I’ve never been to ISTE, and in fact haven’t been to any professional conferences in a long time.  This year my heart is aching a bit though.

I decided to participate virtually by registering for ISTE Live, a way to participate in a limited number of session through webinars.  Yesterday I spent nearly the entire day watching the ISTE Live sessions, connecting with other educators, getting dizzy following Twitter Feeds, following @tonyvincent’s live feed on Periscope, saving web resources, and in general being envious of all of those who were there.  Today I expect more of the same.

The session go by so fast but I’ve found some real inspiration in some of the speakers and their messages.  Rafranz Davis (@RafranzDavis) introduced my to the power of an Ignite presentation (five minutes, 20 slides.) She spoke so eloquently about diversity.  Soledad O’Brien’s (@soledadobrien) opening keynote address focused on equity of access and the true power of technology in education.  Yesterday I had the the privilege of listening to George Couros (@gcouros) in his session on creating a culture of innovation.  What an amazing leader!  I also had the opportunity to feel like a true #ISTE2015 participant when Monica Burns (@ClassTechTips) made the extra effort to pull in the virtual ISTE Live audience as part of her presentation on wearable technology in the classroom.  How excited was I when my questions and comments were repeated by her to the ISTE crowd in Philadelphia!  She truly made me feel like I had a voice. Finally, Tony Vincent (@tonyvincent) has been kind enough to walk me through poster sessions, the blogger’s cafe, and the exhibit hall with his live feed on Periscope.  I got to virtually meet Angela Maiers (@AngelaMaiers), Erin Klein (@KleinErin), and Jerry Blumengarten (@cybraryman1).  There has been so much more and I’ll be glad when the archived sessions are posted so that I can go back and watch some again!

Today will be another booked day! I never imagined that I would be so consumed by the virtual experience.  Looking forward to the opening keynote by Jack Gallagher and the other ISTE live events planned for the day.