Another convention has come and gone and once again I am left with new ideas, greater interest in the field, and many fond memories. This year I was enthralled by Alan Buss describing the ability of Lego Mindstorms NXT to captivate the attention of both college and K12 students while simultaneously engaging them in logical thinking and mathematics. I hope that Santa will bring me a set this year. I was captivated by Michael Blocher as he described a three-year, longitudinal professional development for rural teachers and its success in helping them become experts in technology integration. I enjoyed hearing Martha Green describe how she helped preservice teachers to increase their own narrative voice through the use of a digital storytelling. I also enjoyed a poster presentation by Peter Rich where he described his theory of convergent cognition—studying complimentary subjects (like French and English) for their own ends but gaining shared insights from each that reinforce the other. The convention was an excellent opportunity to learn and be inspired.
However, AECT is so much more than conference sessions. Since my first convention in 2004, I have felt a part of a larger community. During my first conference I was welcomed and felt appreciated by conference planners and attendees, particularly from the Teacher Education Division. I was invited to the board meeting, introduced to the big names, and asked to share my views and opinions. This contrasted sharply (and still does) with some of the other conferences I attended. For me, AECT is an association that helps beginning and veteran professionals get involved and interact with the best people in our field. Opportunities to communicate, collaborate, and serve abound.
At TEDs general meeting this year, we were given the opportunity to discuss what we would like to see in the future. We talked about hearing more from actual students in a panel-like fashion (similar to what Marc Prensky did when he was keynote a few years ago). We even talked about bringing students from ISMF to talk about their education experiences. We also talked about having a technology integration panel where teachers and students were involved. I’m not on the planning committee so I have no say in the final convention but I would like to hear what you enjoyed this year and what presentations you would like to see at next years convention in Anaheim.
