As some of you know, the last week of June is usually a time to “get your ed tech geek on” at the largest educational technology conference known as ISTE. This year the event is being held in Denver and it is the first one that I have missed in a while. One of the interesting things has been that I have been able to follow along through social media and especially the hashtag #notatiste16.
So here are my thoughts on attending a large conference virtually:
Pros:
- You get to collaborate, share and explore resources from the conference.
- You can grown your PLN!
- You can attend sessions though virtual sessions, Periscope and Google Hangouts
- It’s free!
Cons:
- Miss seeing all of my ed tech friends in person.
- Not all sessions are shared
- If you are off of social media for a while, you can lose track of resources and the conversation.
- It’s harder to ask questions of presenters or sessions
What I learned:
- Tweetdeck can handle a TON of columns.
- Loved watching Tony Vincent Periscope throughout the conference
- Tons of resources are on this Livebinder
- The competition of the #notatiste16 challenge drove me to be more active.
So, if you get a chance, try attending a conference virtually, it is a fun experience and at the end of the day, if you learn something new, it was all worth it.