Missing ISTE conferences

I attended (and usually presented) at every ISTE summer conference from 2003 to 2013. I served on the ISTE National Board from 2004-2008 and their National Education Technology Standards writing project in 2000. I was named a “Best of the Best” presenter in 2005. I was given “Making IT Happen” recognition in 2015. In other words, I was deeply involved in the International Society for Technology in Education. (See Why I Belong to ISTE)

So it was no small lump in my throat that I read Tim Stahmer’s recent blog post, “Not at ISTE”.  In the post, Tim reflects on his experiences at ISTE conferences in the past - and compares them to today’s state of both the organization and their conferences.

Like Tim, a major reason I attended the ISTE conference (really any conference) was the opportunity to see friends and associates and have discussions related to common work/tech/education issues we were facing. I often enjoyed the keynote speakers who were bigwigs in education or technology and it was fun to see some of the new and innovative technologies being used by fellow attendees. (I usually spent very little time the vendor area - usually just to say hi to Minnesota business reps.) 

Around 2009, the organization and the conference began to change. Tim reflects:

That was the year they dropped the old name, NECC (the National Educational Computing Conference), and moved their primary office to Washington DC. I think that was the start of the organization becoming more corporate and less of a community of educators. A big business that promotes the edtech industry, as opposed to one dedicated to improving the practice of teachers, helping schools, and enhancing student learning.

Maybe it was because 2008 was my last year on the board? Even while I was on the board, though, corporate voices played what I thought was an outsized role in ISTE’s policy making. Apple had a permanent seat and there were always at least a couple more corporate seats at the table. 

Over my final years of work and especially over my past four retirement years, I have drifted away from paying much attention to ISTE, AASL, and other educational organizations. At some point, we “boomers” need to loosen our grip on the reins of our profession, leaving visioning and problem-solving to younger, brighter minds. I admire Tim for staying informed. Sorry to say, I’m just not that interested.

I deeply appreciate the experiences afforded me through conference attendance. (I did fight for years trying to get ALA and ISTE to stop holding their national meetings at the same time each year, arguing that many of us swung both ways - techs and librarians!) Perhaps like Blockbuster and fax machines, physical conferences are indeed a thing of the past, to be attended only by those for whom change is difficult.

A few blog posts about past experiences at the ISTE conference:

• Policy and iPads: a few ISTE 10 impressions
• ISTE 12: Escalators, Apps, and Sitting
• Howdy from ISTE 2013
• Student focused ISTE 17

Comments

[Tim Stahmer]

Thanks for your comments about my post, Doug. One reason that I continue to follow ISTE and maintain my membership is that I'm still very active in our state affiliate. The "local" group is still more of an educational community than I currently see in the parent organization. However, some of the same changes are starting to creep in, especially when it comes to companies having a larger influence over the conference program. So we'll see what happens.

Like you, I've had some great experiences at large national conferences like ISTE. I'm not sure they have moved into Blockbuster territory yet, but I think their value as a community maybe passing. Of course, everyone has to decide for themselves if attending is of enough benefit to warrant the time and expense, but even some of the younger educators I know are turning to other channels for their professional development.