This was one of those years at ISTE (I have finally stopped calling it NECC) where the most interesting tech was in the hands of attendees, not in the exhibition booths. Don’t get me wrong; there was plenty of cool stuff on display. For one, my new personal favorite hardware types are the monster IWBs such as BenQ’s new 4x12-foot IWB and the new eBeam InfoWall.
But the real action was watching the twittering, live blogging hordes banging away with their tablets and smartphones as they roamed the halls and participated in sessions. I would dare you to find a single attendee not walking around with some sort of digital device. High-resolution displays blasted further knowledge from the blogger lounges. The edtech hive mind was in full effect.
It’s only a matter of time that these same devices being used in the halls of ISTE will be in every classroom. The tools are here. Now it’s time to apply them. The next steps: transform curriculum to work with these devices; let teachers experiment with these tools and enable them to drive curriculum and lesson plans; and, finally, enable the students to participate in the process.
Managing editor Christine Weiser has compiled a comprehensive mix of news and opinions for this year’s ISTE roundup, which starts on page 19. Plus we found some time to have a little fun as you can see on pages 30-31 with our Philly Fete 2011, which was sponsored by learning.com. What are your thoughts or experiences from ISTE in Philly? Send me a note at khogan@nbmedia.com.
Kevin Hogan
Editorial Director
