ISTE conference is alive with social networking

Conference attendees use Twitter, Ning, and blogs to highlight ed-tech sessions and lessons

By Laura Devaney, Managing Editor
Read more by Laura Devaney

ISTE attendees connected through social networking, as well as in person.

What better place to use social networking technologies to connect with fellow educators and school leaders than at the nation’s largest ed-tech conference? That’s what was happening at the International Society for Technology in Education conference in Philadelphia this week.

Websites, blogs, Twitter accounts, and other social networking platforms were abuzz with the latest news, reactions, and updates from the show floor and from conference breakout sessions.

The isteconnects Twitter feed organized an #edchat that explored topics such as science instruction, textbooks vs. technology in the classroom, and project-based learning.

web20education shared a link to 99 must-have Twitter tools and applications, while KTVee noted that “teaching kids science only from a textbook is like looking at a travel brochure and calling that a vacation.”

briankotts tweeted a link describing 10 ways that Wikipedia has changed education.  Some of those 10 ways include forcing students to be more selective about the online sources they use for information and research, as well as encouraging “casual learning” outside of the classroom.