Going to the annual NYSCATE (The New York State Association for Computers and Technologies in Education) conference is like going back to revisit ol’ friends who are ready to share and talk about technology and all the integration strategies, sites, and resources they have discovered over the past year. It has been interesting and gratifying to watch careers sky-rocket as people I have known for years (like Amy Perry-Delcorvo….Dr. Amy Perry-Delcorvo…Congratulations!, Dr. Deborah Baker, and Jeremiah Fink) take leadership positions in various educational organizations across the state. It’s wonderful to know that talented individuals are recognized and rewarded for their hard work and dedication.
I am grateful to all the individuals who took time to share their expertise and organizational skills as they planned and delivered another state conference for educators who are seeking better ways to reach students through the use of technologies that are ever changing. I am only mentioning those individuals I have known since attending my first conference back in 1993…clearly, there are several additional individuals who also deserve recognition. I would encourage you to read over the list of board members and conference committee members at the official NYSCATE site.
It is always invigorating to attend a conference with individuals who recognize the value of education technology. While we have come a long way since 1993 I believe we still have a long way to go before technology is considered the norm in a classroom. There are still administrators and educators who view technology as an extra in education or in some cases a delivery vehicle for data. And, some teachers are still reticent to use technology because they see it as a time-robber or find it frustrating to keep students properly engaged and technologies running smoothly. In many schools we still have work to do before technology is truly embedded across the curriculum.
On the up side…interactive white boards continue to gain popularity and clicker technology is really catching on (largely because of the data mind-set of educators today). During the conference I had an opportunity to talk with educators where one to one computing is successfully being implemented and shared many discussions with administrators and teachers who are grappling with filter issues that make it very difficult to introduce Web 2.0 technologies.
Although there was a big effort to make twitter part of culture of the conference, I’m not sure that aspect of the conference was particularly effective. Then again, I still don’t have a phone or phone account that includes texting (I am probably one of the only people on twitter who still twitters from a home computer). I was surprised that the conference did not include Twitterfountain feeds during presentations and I missed my PLN friends. I also found it difficult to keep up with my blogging while I was at the conference. Strange that going to an education technology conference actually made it more difficult for me to maintain my twitter and blogging presence. Ah well…it was great catching up with old friends and meeting new ones…time for some home time and turkey basting!