ITEC 2011: From Mudbogs to Meadows

"Wildflower Meadow on Silver Forest Trail." KW Traveler, 2011

The Iowa Technology Education Connection (ITEC) conference is over; the dust has settled, and once again, there is much to think about. But as opposed to last year, when I compared the collection of information to a mud bog, I feel that this year was a meadow of daisies and wildflowers.

(I realize that this metaphor probably surprises you - and I must admit I'm a bit stunned myself by the overly-sappiness of it as well. Daisies? Wildflowers? Is this really BlamSpot? What's next - puppies, kittens and rainbows?)

Yes, daisies and wildflowers. A bunch of them, all brilliantly colored in the sunlight, swaying deftly in the refreshing breeze, no - and I mean NO - two alike ... and being part of it, if only for a moment, just makes you feel rejuvenated, content, and very happy.  And here lies the theme of this week's posting, because I think we've all been part of conferences that seemed more like drudgery than anything worth while. Here are the BlamSpot highlights from ITEC '11:

http://punya.educ.msu.edu/

Presenter that challenged me most: Punya Mishra presented on the TPACK theory. From his TPACK website: "Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), builds on Shulman’s idea of PCK, and attempts to capture some of the essential qualities of knowledge required by teachers for technology integration in their teaching, while addressing the complex, multifaceted and situated nature of teacher knowledge." While I won't attempt to impart everything that was presented - you'll get a good idea by visiting his TPACK website - it was the rare kind of presentation where you walk in with the attitude of "I don't know anything about this" and emerge with the revelation of "This really makes a lot of sense, and I want to learn more about it." When it comes to theory presentations, that's really saying something. Thank you, Punya, for taking the time to come to Iowa and sharing this with us.

http://lesliefisher.com/

Presenter that had the newest and most exciting information: Once again, Leslie Fisher came in and whirl-winded us through iOS5 apps for Mac products. I caught her act last year, and was wowed by her enthusiasm, her knowledge and her insatiable quest for digital devices and their quirks. This year was no different, especially given the fact that I took the plunge and purchased an iPad 2 right before the conference. Her sense of humor never overshadows the sensibility of the applications or technologies that she is presenting. She vows not to waste any time, and she delivers on that claim. In fact, she had us going to lunch ten minutes late. (I have yet to meet another presenter who can do that without the participants preparing torches and setting the room afire over the fact that they are being kept from sustenance.) My only complaint is that I have a lot of stuff on my iPad that I'm going to have to play with ... damn you, Fisher! (And thanks for coming back to ITEC. See you next year?)

Presenters that made me proud: I'm going to tout the efforts of the UNI Instructional Technology cohort members. These presenters work full-time in education while they pursue their MA, and still had time to prepare for the conference. They were a significant presence at the conference when it came to peer presentations. They included:

Courtesy Lisa Schaa, 2011

Sara Richardson, who had standing room only for her YouTube, internet ethics and educational games sessions. The folks in Fort Dodge, Iowa, are pretty lucky to have this amazing teacher librarian who is not just wicked-smart regarding ed tech, but is generous enough to share her talents and discoveries with those of us who can't be in her school.

Carrie Jacobs, who inspired many in her presentation about instilling cultural awareness in teens (as evidenced by the Tweets that were posted immediately afterward) and is an advocate for those students who are so often forgotten: the alternative high school student. West Des Moines has a real gem with her at the Walnut Creek Campus.

Courtesy Lisa Schaa, 2011

She was also part of the Flat Classroom presentation that included Deb Bruxvoort, Brandi Day, Jami Elliot, Cathy Olsen, and Lisa Schaa, who we affectionately call "The Beijing Babes" after their trip to China last spring for the Flat Classroom Project conference. Deb and Brandi aren't classroom teachers, but they bring a unique perspective regarding education to those of us who sometimes get too caught up in our own classroom work. Boone HS, West Burlington Elementary, and Stratford Elementary get some amazing energy from Cathy, Jami and Lisa. Thanks for sharing!

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the great organization and execution of another fabulous event by the ITEC board. Let's not try to imagine the number of hours it took to bring all of this together - we'll just agree that it was probably in the neighborhood of a gazillion. The record attendance of the event reflects the quality of the conference, and I'm plenty happy to extol their efforts. A tip of the hat to them.

Did you attend ITEC? If so, who were the presenters that made a difference? Challenged your status quo? Crammed your head full of neat stuff? Made you proud to be a teacher in Iowa? Please, share your thoughts!

And so, for 2011, it's daisies and wildflowers this year instead of mud. Perhaps I'm just that more in tune with instructional technology this year, or maybe I was better prepared to ingest the information - but either way, I'm better off today than I was last week. Thanks again to all who were a part of it.