Educator insights: Computer Science Is More Than Just Coding

Collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and computational thinking are all major benefits of teaching kids computer science. It’s so much more than just coding. Dive into this critical topic in education with two educators who are passionate about CS in schools: Kimberly Lane and Steven Isaacs. You can also get inspiration and ideas for how you can join the conversation by following ISTE on Twitter: @isteconnects or subscribing to the ISTE Blog at iste.org/blog to get great content and resources like these delivered right to your inbox. Educators featured in this video: Steven Isaacs, Teacher, Video Game Design and Development, William Annin Middle School, Basking Ridge, NJ @mr_isaacs Kimberly Lane, Blended Learning Specialist, Lancaster ISD, Lancaster, Texas @askatechnogirl

Where education leaders find edtech strategies that work | Register now ISTE 2017

“The annual ISTE Conference is the perfect place to learn what’s cutting edge in terms of what’s available for our students,” says Assistant Superintendent Regina Rinaldi. “This is a perfect place from us to come and learn from each other, but also from experts in the field.” Education leaders — from superintendents to CTOs to board members, principals and more — are the drivers of transformation in learning and teaching. Watch the full video to see what leaders in education are saying about their ISTE Conference & Expo experience and how leaders can transform learning for students in their districts and schools. To learn more and register for ISTE 2017 in San Antonio visit http://conference.iste.org/2017/.

Make your voice heard! Advocate for edtech policies and funding

April is ISTE Advocacy Month and Mila Thomas-Fuller, ISTE Board President, wants YOU to advocate for edtech policies and funding. Act now to make your voice heard and help us advocate for important edtech programs like ESSA, the E-Rate program and the Lifeline program. These programs are critical for connecting schools, closing the homework gap and investing in innovation. Learn more at iste.org/takeaction

Act now to protect edtech funding with these 3 tips | #Act4EdTech

Imagine a future where students lack the tools and skills they need to succeed in a digital world. It is possible, and we can’t let it happen. Here are three actions you can take right now to help protect edtech funding for our students: 1. Send a letter to congress. 2. Call your elected officials. 3. Speak out on social media with the hashtag #Act4EdTech. Learn more at iste.org/takeaction and share your story on social media with #Act4EdTech

7 Ways | The ISTE Standards for Students Music Video

Make learning with technology meaningful with the ISTE Standards for Students! Use this rap video produced by Flocabulary to get students engaged and show them what it means to be a digital age learner. Learn more about the ISTE Standards: www.iste.org/standards Learn more about Flocabulary: www.flocabulary.com The ISTE Standards for Students are a learner-driven process of exploration, creativity and discovery using technology for learning. Number one — I’m an Empowered Learner, I set goals and pursue ’em with fervor. My learning is up to me, it’s not passive, My brain learns best when I am digitally proactive, Number two — I’m a digital Citizen, I stay safe on all the sites I’m visiting. I use technology to make a difference With power comes responsibility, you getting it? I’m a Knowledge Constructor — number three, I carefully select and evaluate what I read. Curate media oh so brilliantly (And) I think critically about source validity. Four — I’m an Innovative Designer, That means I solve problems, major and minor. Start with empathy, ideate, then prototype, Test and iterate, that method is so nice, I’m a Computational Thinker — five, Improving any process I can find. Writing algorithms and testing in beta, Analyzing to find the trends in the data. I’m a Creative Communicator — (that’s) six, Like I put this in a rap song to make it stick. I could use different media or tools, Like infographics to make my point get through. Seven — I’m a Global Collaborator, I might connect with students way over the equator. Digital technology makes the dream come true, I had a virtual field trip with a kid in Peru. That’s seven ways that I can be A life-long learner in this 21st century. What kind of student do I want to be? It’s my path, that’s up to me!

1:1 Tips for Education Leaders

We wanted to know: what do school and district administrators and their staff technology teams need to know when implementing a 1:1 or BYOD program? So we asked the experts: educators who’ve been there. Check out these six tips from participants in and facilitators of the Verizon Mobile Learning Academy, a free, team-based professional learning program delivered by ISTE in partnership with The Verizon Foundation.

Educator Insights: How to Build a PLN and Become a Connected Educator

In this video, influential educators share their thoughts, tips, and insights on building a professional learning network to become a connected educator both online and in person. Get inspiration and ideas for how you can join the conversation! Follow ISTE on Twitter: @isteconnects or subscribe at iste.org/explore to get great content and resources like these delivered right to your inbox. Educators featured in this video: Jaime Donally, Edtech Presenter, White Oak, Texas @JaimeDonally Michael Hernandez, Teacher, Cinema and Journalism, Mira Costa High School, Manhattan Beach, California @cinehead Kimberly Lane, Blended Learning Specialist, Lancaster ISD, Lancaster, Texas @askatechnogirl Steven Isaacs, Teacher, Video Game Design and Development, William Annin Middle School, Basking Ridge, NJ @mr_isaacs Cathy Hunt, Visual Arts Educator, St. Hilda’s School, Southport, Australia @art_cathyhunt Sarah-Jane Thomas, Regional Technology Coordinator, Prince Georges County Public Schools, Prince Georges County, Maryland @sarahdateechur

Sarah Thomas on Being a Learner and Building a Personal Learning Family

Learning comes naturally to educators, but in today’s busy world, it can be hard to prioritize time for learning. In her Ignite talk at ISTE 2017, Sarah Thomas reminds educators of how empowering and important it is to engage in learning as educators, particularly when it comes to connecting and sharing with one another. She shares her thoughts and insights on building a Personal Learning Network (PLN), or what she refers to as her Personal Learning Family, and discusses how powerful educators are when they come together and support one another. And not only do educators benefit from engaging in professional learning, but their students benefit as well. Learner is one of the new ISTE Standards for Educators, and embodying the Learner is an important part of honing your educational practice and working toward a world where all learners thrive, achieve, and contribute. Visit iste.org/StandardsForEducators to learn more.

Clara Alaniz on Empowering and Celebrating Growth for All Learners

When educators who are empowered professionals collaborate with one another — and their students! — the results are incredible. In this talk at the ISTE 2017 Conference & Expo, Clara Alaniz shares her first-hand experience in working together with educators who advocate for and empower all of their students to grow and thrive. She compares educators to gardeners, who must plant and tend their gardens with intention, but must also celebrate growth when it crops up unexpectedly. Educators who embody the new ISTE Standards for Educators as empowered professionals and learning catalysts are in the best position to be able to advocate for and empower their students. The standards, Alaniz says, “are not things to do, they’re ways to be.” Watch her full talk to get inspired and learn more about the new Educator Standards at iste.org/StandardsForEducators.

Jennifer Parker on the Simple, Fun and Affordable Way to Shape Digital Age Learners

Instructional Technology Specialist and 21things4Students.net co-Founder Jennifer Parker wants to make digital age learning easy and accessible for all teachers and their students. That’s why she helped create the 21 Things Project. In this talk, Jennifer outlines some of the free tools for teachers, students and administrators, and shows how you can use these open source resources to develop students into thriving digital age learners. With the 21 Things Project, meeting and aligning learning with the ISTE Standards for Students is simple, fun and affordable. Watch to learn more and explore the standards at iste.org/standards

Students Discuss What’s Important in Education at ISTE 2017

Making education better starts with asking those who are most directly affected by it: students! We wanted to know what students really think about education — what works, what could be improved, which learning experiences are the most meaningful to them — so we invited four students from different schools across the U.S. to share their thoughts and insights on the ISTE 2017 keynote stage. Watch to learn more and get inspired by these remarkable student panelists. Visit isteconference.org to learn more about the event.

Educator Insights: Taking Digital Citizenship Beyond Monitoring to Mentoring

Hear from Michael Hernandez and mother and son digital citizenship duo Marialice Curran and Curran Dee on how digital citizenship is evolving. They share they’re observations, inspiration, and some ideas for how to build digital citizenship and media literacy skills by focusing on some of the “do’s” rather than the “don’t’s”. Get inspiration and ideas for how you can join the conversation! Follow ISTE on Twitter: @isteconnects or subscribe to the ISTE Blog at iste.org/blog to get great content and resources like these delivered right to your inbox. Educators featured in this video: Marialice B.F.X. Curran, Founder and CEO, Digital Citizenship Institute, Glastonbury, CT @mbfxc Curran Dee, Chief Kid Officer, DigCitKids, Glastonbury, CT @CurranCentral Michael Hernandez, Teacher, Cinema and Journalism, Mira Costa High School, Manhattan Beach, California @cinehead

Setting free the untold stories in education | Jennie Magiera, ISTE 2017 Keynote

Have you ever watched something that changed your life? Get ready for some intense inspiration with this uplifting, eye-opening keynote talk given by Jennie Magiera at ISTE 2017. In fifty minutes, Magiera dives into five single stories in education and the accompanying stories that are yet to be told. She tackles the stereotypes and simplistic narratives that we often apply to ourselves, our colleagues, our students, and our community and reveals the impact we can have when we unlock the untold stories and share them widely. She focuses on themes of compassion and empathy, failure, authenticity, and, most importantly, self-empowerment and the empowerment of others.

This is what it’s like to get inspired at the epicenter of edtech | ISTE Conference & Expo

Hear from educators from all over the world on what it’s like to learn at the epicenter of edtech. With hundreds of presenters and exhibitors, thousands of sessions and 16,000+ attendees, the professional learning and networking opportunities at the ISTE Conference & Expo are endless. Experience the annual event where educators become innovators and register now for ISTE 2018: isteconference.org

Everybody Wins When Everybody Codes | ISTE Conference full-length session

In this info-packed session from ISTE 2017, Jane Krauss and Sylvia Martinez cover everything from equity in computer science, how to get kids coding meaningfully, curating the best tools for CS success, how CS can be taught across the curriculum, what’s needed in education to bring computer science and computational thinking to every student, and much more. Want to be in the room where it happens next time? Registration for ISTE 2018 is open now. Visit isteconference.org to learn more.

Educator Insights: How Edtech Amplifies Learning and Breaks Down Barriers

When used meaningfully and equitably, technology can amplify learning and be the great equalizer in education. In this video, five educators share their thoughts on how technology is transforming learning for the better. Through digital learning, students can become global citizens, build skills in collaboration and creativity, prepare for the future, and much more. To learn more about what meaningful technology use in schools looks like, check out the ISTE Standards: iste.org/standards The ISTE Standards are the definitive education technology standards to transform learning and teaching. You can also get inspiration and ideas for how you can join the conversation by following ISTE on Twitter: @isteconnects or subscribing to the ISTE Blog at iste.org/blog to get great content and resources like these delivered right to your inbox. Educators featured in this video: Cathy Hunt, Visual Arts Educator, St. Hilda’s School, Southport, Australia @art_cathyhunt Jaime Donally, Edtech Presenter, White Oak, Texas @JaimeDonally Mason Mason, Education Technology Instructor, Dallas, Texas @EdTechMason Kimberly Lane, Blended Learning Specialist, Lancaster ISD, Lancaster, Texas @askatechnogirl Sarah-Jane Thomas, Regional Technology Coordinator, Prince Georges County Public Schools, Prince Georges County, Maryland @sarahdateechur Michael Hernandez, Teacher, Cinema and Journalism, Mira Costa High School, Manhattan Beach, California @cinehead

I Am Not a Failure! | Xavier Zeller, ISTE 2017 Student Ignite

In this 5-minute Ignite presentation, current student Xavier Zeller challenges traditional education models and shares his own experience of finding academic success through personalization and passion-based learning. He encourages educators to find ways to make learning fun and engaging for all kids and not write off those who learn differently and have different learning needs as failures.

We Can All Do Better | Jen Giffen, ISTE 2017 Ignite

In this powerful Ignite session, Jen Giffen shares the stories of two students who are among the third of students who don’t play the “game of school” well. These are students who might be considered challenging, or who would rather look lazy than stupid, and she urges educators to ask themselves: how can I do better? How can educators better support those students who don’t fit the traditional mold of “good” student? Want more inspiration like this? Register now for ISTE 2018 at isteconference.org

What is stopping you from reaching the moon? | Fanny Passeport, ISTE 2017 Ignite

Do you ever feel like you’re the only one in your school with wild and crazy ideas? You’re not alone! Fanny Passeport was once that teacher, but after she encountered moonshot thinking, she developed strategies for deepening, modeling and getting buy-in for an innovative, empowered mindset. In just five minutes, Passeport will leave you feeling inspired and motivated with her approach to moonshot thinking in education. Keep the learning and inspiration going at ISTE 2018! Register now at isteconference.org