Yesterday was my last day of ISTE. I caught a flight home in the afternoon and now time for reflection. I wish I could say that I learned a lot of new things this week, but that is not really the case, instead I gained confidence that the things I was doing were on track. However, my favorite part of the ISTE experience was students. I took the opportunity to walk through the Poster Sessions or whatever they call it when students share their work. I marveled at the confidence and pride these students had in their work. I know it took dedicated educators to help them get to this point and it was inspiring. My favorite moment was meeting a group of girls from Mexico in the exhibit hall. They were touring the booths and their name badges were blinged out with so many ribbons they looked like a rainbow. The girls were so friendly and eager to share about their projects. They invited me to visit their presentation and even shared a brochure they had created. Their passion just glowed. To me… this is what it is all about. The students weren’t trying to sell anything, network, or impress anyone.. they just wanted to share what they had learned. Even though it was a tech conference the students were great communicators and very polite. Teachers should take note that education is still about relationships and communication. As I think back on my trip to ISTE, my lasting memory is how very grateful I am that what I do impacts students! They are remarkable and I am proud to be an educator.
One Response
Hi there,
I love your reflection. I thought the same thing. It was so inspiring to see the students of variety ages presenting their work. I work in a brand new pbl school and seeing this was exciting. Thank you!