#ISTE17 - A Reflection

​With ISTE behind us, it’s fun to reflect on the event that it was.  You knew it was going to be big when Richard Culatta shared that registrations for ISTE  had reached over 21,000. ISTE always brings together thousands of teachers, all trying to find the latest news, gadgets and education tips. This is what I love about ISTE.  It is about teachers. If you want to speak with educators, hear their pain, and show them how EdTech can ease that pain and benefit students, then ISTE is the place to be.  San Antonio was a great host.  Arriving Saturday after a long journey of circling around in airports, because of weather, and eventually renting a van and driving, we made it in time to catch a ball game.  The minor league team put on quite a show.  Kudos to San Antonio!

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Share. Share. Share.

This year was amazing.  In all the years participating at ISTE (I have been attending since the NECC days), I have never been a part of a team that presented so much.  Overall, we participated in 11 presentations or panels. We have a lot to share at Omaha Public Schools. Districts and schools listened.    The transformation our district has been through the last 4 years, with the introduction of Mark Evans as Superintendent, has been systemic.  When systemic change happens, it flows through every area of the district; this was evident in our presentations at ISTE.

​The leadership strand I was a part of Sunday, with some amazing district leaders, delivered to a jam packed room of new members on how to navigate the ISTE Conference.  In the other sessions we presented on, from our App Approval tool to our work on Microsoft Teams, we discussed the influence these tools have had on us and, at least for our Microsoft relationship, the difference it is making for educators around the world.  I want to throw a shout out to Keegan Korf for presenting her heart out in the Ignite Session about how we as educators need to approach social media for the good; when done correctly, social media can be powerful in all the right ways.  I am super proud of her. Keegan brings great qualities to a need across education: empathy.  Even though I deny it, she has a personality that rubs off on people, even this guy. Producing positive digital footprints are important for everyone, and she is teaching us the way. 

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#HackTheClassroom

What a rush.  Such an honor.  To be able to share what we are doing with Teams in #HackTheClassroom was a surreal experience.  Time flew by.  It is amazing how Microsoft is putting an incredible focus in the area of education over the last few years.  Teams is an incredible way to engage students and staff in a different way; the way we communicate today.  Informal. Instant. It is important as educators to model and scaffold this to students today.  Teams does that. 

I want to give a couple more shout outs.  First, to Kelly Means.  Kelly is the go to person that I depend on to bring focus for our Planned Obsolescence of Devices strategy to our secondary teachers.  She is pictured above and has also been instrumental in bringing purpose to Teams in that implementation to the classroom.  Second, is to Eileen Heller, also pictured above. Eileen is the glue to making the ideas that come out of Omaha Public Schools and Microsoft work.  She connects the dots.  OPS would not be in its current progression through the workflow of change, around the purpose of devices and the matching environment of Microsoft Teams, without these two.  They are professional and organized in their approach.  I appreciate that. 

#OPSProud

I absolutely love my team at Omaha Public Schools.  I am fortunate to be supported by leadership and my peers (above).  This year, I was presented with the 2017 ISTE PLN Administrator Award.  It has been an unbelievable experience so far here at Omaha Public Schools. Our team is outstanding.  That is why I feel this award is a reflection of us - the OPS Tech Team.  Only time will tell the impact we will have on the learning experience of 52,000 students in the Omaha area.  I can tell you, in my 3 years since coming here, we are getting there quickly.  It takes a village. I can only do what we do as a collective. Omaha Public Schools will be a progressive learning experience in the future.  Technology will always be how we get there. Every Student. Every Day. Prepared For Success. 

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