I flew to the International Society of Technology Educators (ISTE) conference in San Diego with an art teacher from Vermont named Lisa. This was her first ISTE conference and she wasn’t quite sure what to expect. My advice was to “find your people” and see what they suggest. If you’ve never been to a conference, how do you do that?
If you’re an innovative educator, one way is through special interest groups. ISTE’s special interest groups (SIGs) are a great way to find others who share your interests and it’s free for members. There are dozens of groups with thousands of members each from around the world. You can see for yourself below.
Joining a special interest group connects you year-round to professional development opportunities, resources, listserves, podcasts, discussion forums, webinars, face-to-face forums and events at ISTE and elsewhere and more! SIGs also come together to find like-minded people to do things like write books or create podcasts.
Each special interest group has a few great ways to connect.
- Online learning community
- Wiki
- Facebook page (varies from group to group)
- A Twitter tag (generally the SIG abbreviation i.e. @SIG1to1)
If you’re an ISTE member, check out the list below and join the SIG(s) that’s right for you.
1-to-1 Computing (SIG1to1)Administrators (SIGAdmin)Arts Educators (SIGAE)Computing Teachers (SIGCT)Digital Equity (SIGDE)Digital Storytelling (SIGDS)Games and Simulations (SIGGS)Independent Schools (SIGIS)International Schools (SIGIntS)Interactive Video Conferencing (SIGIVC)Innovative Learning Technologies (SIGILT)Literacy (SIGLIT)Media Specialists (SIGMS)Mobile Learning (SIGML)Music and Technology (SIGMT)Online Learning (SIGOL)Special Education Technology (SETSIG)Teacher Educators (SIGTE)Technology Coordinators (SIGTC)Technology in Afterschool Programs (SIGTAP)
Oh, and if you see Lisa, the art educator from Vermont, let her know she should connect with and join the Arts Educators (SIGAE).
Lisa Nielsen writes for and speaks to audiences across the globe about learning innovatively and is frequently covered by local and national media for her views on “Passion (not data) Driven Learning,” "Thinking Outside the Ban" to harness the power of technology for learning, and using the power of social media to provide a voice to educators and students. Ms. Nielsen has worked for more than a decade in various capacities to support learning in real and innovative ways that will prepare students for success. In addition to her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator, Ms. Nielsen’s writing is featured in places such as Huffington Post, Tech & Learning, ISTE Connects, ASCD Wholechild, MindShift, Leading & Learning, The Unplugged Mom, and is the author the book Teaching Generation Text.
Disclaimer: The information shared here is strictly that of the author and does not reflect the opinions or endorsement of her employer.
