Please note this is areflection only despite the name-dropping the intended goal is not to increasemy twitter followers.  Just in casethough @edutech83.

    At the heart of ISTE is a large conference where most attendees become ablip on the radar if they allow themselves to be.  I have been at ISTE 4 times including the past 3 years.  When I first came it was to learn alittle and look at some of the new educational trends in learning.  Often I found the other conference Iattended “Learning and the Brain” was much more stimulating and had long termeffects on my growth as an educator. That was up until this year.

    I was attending ISTE with the wrong mindset and goal at hand those pastyears.  This year I had the privilegeto hang out with @philip_cummings and through those conversations I learnedsomething.  ISTE can be a learningexperience in which you walk away with actual ideas and excitement aboutlearning.  ISTE should be aboutlearning innovation not just technology integration.  Perhaps in the eyes of the planners that is their goal.  However as a regular attendee thatmessage was lost on me until this year. This learning and conversation had often been relegated to myinteractions with Javier Lucero and John Spencer. 

    Underneath all the glitz of the vendor hall and the glamour of Karaokeis a group of passionate educators and learners that collaborate regularly ontwitter and through blogs but rarely have the opportunity to have aconversation face to face.  Ilearned that @ShellTerrel despite having a few thousand more follows on twitterthan I she was willing to connect on a personal level with those aroundher.  Showing her city with suchpride that I too for some strange reason had pride in it as well.  I learned that @shareski and @teach42both would stop to have a conversation with John (whom they know) and includeme with unexpected warmth.  Ilearned that @2footgiraffe is planning a much-needed event for principals tolead the conversation on educational change.  Finally I learned that @chrislehmann is passionate aboutFrisbee, and as I move to a new district and become a principal I cannot waitto see how I can use his knowledge to become the best Frisbee er I meanPrincipal I can be.

    I had finally found the thing I was looking for, real conversations onlearning and innovation.  Thestrange thing is this year the event for me included less sessions about thisapp is great and more time about how can we improve education, classroom to classroom,school to school, district to district and state to state.  As I get ready to head out of what maybe my last ISTE for a while (not sure who will send me in my new district), Iam grateful that this experience was the best. 

**Please note that if I did not name-drop your name above Iapologize.