Is "Not at ISTE" Really Even a Thing Anymore?

So, ISTE has always been kind of like the "Holy Grail" of conferences for me. Total "bucket list" kind of thing, registration fees so outrageously expensive I can't even consider it at this point, this year it's in Denver...which might as well be the moon...so although I've dabbled in following the #notatiste Twitter hashtag in past years to (sort of) soothe my #isteenvy this is the first year I really am diving in and taking major advantage of #notatiste16:

• Google + Community
• Voxer group
• Collaborative Notetaking for Periscope sessions
• Hosting the virtual Karaoke Party (OK, so that's maybe not a stretch...)
• Hosting my first Ignite session
• and of course Twitter

But truly, the innovative - and in many cases "on-the-fly-innovative" uses of technology in tandem -- app-smashing if you will -- has made it seem like I might as well have been there. Or maybe I WAS.

I volunteered to be a collaborative note taker for Tony Vincent who is an educational Periscope journalist. Yes, this is really a thing. They get media passes (that really work) and everything. The first session I helped him cover was Global Collaboration -- a passion of mine. There were early bandwidth issues, and things got off to a rocky start, but once Tony was rolling, his scoping was entertaining, informative, and simply on point.

So as I'm watching Tony's scope, furiously taking notes, I hear him say "I know people on this screen..." and then he gets distracted by another colleague.

*sidebar: Tony always asks permission before scoping anyone.

He is several minutes into his interview where I'm listening...

typing...you're reading this blog, and perhaps figure out my point sooner in the video than I even did...

But I hear Tony's excited shout-out and see Sarah Thomas on the screen. I'm equally excited, because Sarah is a valued member of my PLN, and I'm furiously giving her some periscope love on my phone (#tapgamestrong -- post to follow) and giving a shout-out to her via comment on Periscope...while taking notes on my chromebook.

Lightbulb! I realize the poster presentation she's giving is the Humans of Education project that I got involved in with some absolutely adorable third graders after Sarah put out a request in the Edumatch Voxer Group (ANOTHER post...). I jumped on that, because I am all about Global Connections, and am in the midst of a project involving just that (yup...more posts...#bloggameweak but I'm getting on that!).

THEN I see the actual poster behind her with the pictures of the actual Humans of Education, and immediately start geeking to the other notetakers. Holy Flat Bradylady, I WAS AT ISTE!! On a wall, being scoped live!

Now obviously the individual educators weren't the point, it was the scope of the project being scoped (see what I did there...?) that made the poster session exciting to ISTEgoers, but I had my semi-private fleeting moment of feeling pretty special.

But wait...believe it or not, there's more...

In (you guessed it) another post, I will expand on the journey that is the #passthescopeedu special edition International Day of Peace project (September 21) that Valerie Lewis, organizer of #passthescopeedu has agreed to allow me to connect with #passthescopeedu so I can finally make a meaningful connection with the International Day of Peace event, gain some traction, and make something happen! (The September date has always been a struggle because it is so early in the school year!).  Totally by accident, as I was struggling to find Tony's scope amid all of the connection issues they were having out at ISTE, I stumbled into Valerie Lewis's scope - also from the Global Collaboration poster sessions...and BOOM!!  I was back at ISTE!

Thrilled that Valerie gave the project a shout-out, actually more thrilled at the possibility that I can finally make this dream a reality after struggling to find a project that could be a good fit.

So back to the title of my post:  Is #notatiste really even a thing anymore?  Well, yes...and absolutely no.  I have heard over and over from my peeps in the #notatiste crew about how intense the learning experience has been even from afar, and I can only agree.  The amplification via technology and the way it becomes exponentially more accessible each year to ALL EDUCATORS is simply...

via GIPHY

So if your not at ISTE, definitely take the leap and be #notatiste!  Who knows, you might find yourself at ISTE after all!!

Mmetechie