Brides, Brass Bands, and Back to Business– ISTE Live Day 1 Recap

Shifting from Education B.C. to A.D.

Today we are covering the opening day of ISTELive 22. As CEO Richard Culatta explains, there are two kinds of ISTE meetings, B.C. and A.D. That’s “Before COVID” and “After Disease.” This year is a particularly exciting conference as it marks the first year since the global pandemic that educators have been able to meet in person for ISTE. 

The team at ISTE could not have picked a better location for this in-person conference. New Orleans (affectionately called NOLA) is a perfect way to celebrate the joy of togetherness. The convention hall even came alive with a Second Line parade on Sunday, giving attendees a taste of the iconic music of the French Quarter.

An Infusion of Joy

The overall goals for ISTELive 22 are to share ideas, recoup, and celebrate the education technology community in person. In this umbrella of cross-educational cooperation, several themes have already emerged just 24 hours into the event. Check back each day of the conference to recap with us. In celebration of the joy we see at ISTELive 22, the key topic from day #1 is JOY.  

Since March of 2020, educators and education technology companies alike have struggled with what felt like an overwhelming amount of challenges. From the pandemic to politics, constant pivots to tragedy, it is time to recover and heal from the past two years. In the opening session, thought leaders of the conference, including Richard Culatta, Zack King, Brandan “BMIKE” Odums, and Avis Williams, discussed how we could creatively bring joy back into the classroom. Culatta challenged attendees to “‘spend some time thinking about what brings you joy.” In this retrospection, he hopes we create strategies to “help infuse that joy into all parts of learning at a time when we desperately need it.’”

To begin the infusion of joy at the conference, the keynote speeches were capped off with an ISTE first: a wedding! Congratulations to the happy couple, David Lockett and Tara Linney; we hope this celebration sets a course of joy for the rest of the conference.

Mapping Out Your ISTELive Experience

There’s plenty more to see and do at ISTELive this week. If you are strolling the exhibit floor in The Big Easy this week, be sure to check out these booths and tell them that edCircuit sent you!

• Osmo (Byju’s): Booth #3130
• iTutor: Booth # 2920
• Soundtrap for Education: Booth # 1334
  • Creator Summit: Tuesday, June 28th from 5:00 – 8:00 pm
• Curriculum Associates: Booth # 2334
• Newsela: Booth #3049
• Duolingo: Booth #962
• Edmentum: Booth #923
• Hover Cam: Booth #1831