Tuesday Keynote – I had the good sense to arrive early for Tuesday’s keynote with Yong Zhao – Wow! Here’s a keynote worth watching. Entertaining and thought provoking, with gems like “You can’t teach creativity, but you can kill it” and ““I’m for the Common Core, as long as it’s not common, or the core.” In his walk through PISA testing, Zhao made a strong case for the importance of building student confidence, a corner stone for entrepreneurship.

Fusing Library and Technology – A literary approach to digital citizenship – I thoroughly enjoyed the hour with librarians Jenni Voorhees and Angela Smith. I picked this session to learn how other educators are incorporating digital citizenship  into the core curriculum (as opposed to a stand-alone curriculum) and I left with a list of suggested literature to help students connect story lines to their own lives.

I’m glad to have the link to Jenni and Angela’s Prezi, which combines research, such as danah boyd’s The Drama! Teen Conflict, Gossip, and Bullying in Networked Publics, combined with teacher/librarian observations – and includes a wonderful video of  a 4th grade book talk on  Operation Redwood.

Here’s their list of books with digital citizenship connections:

• Nim’s Island – Recommended for 3rd grade
• Operation Redwood – Perfect for 4th grade
• The Future of Us – Middle school & high school – not a guy book
• The Revealers – Middle school read – 7th grade – a bit violent
• Feed – For high school – futuristic – but much in place now
• The Unforgotten Coat – By Frank Boyce
• A Mango Shaped Space – Wendy Mass
• Danger Box – By Blue Balliett – about sight impaired kid
• IQ – By Roland Smith
• Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth – By Lynne Rae Perkins
• The Prisoner of Cell 25  – By Michael Vay – recommended for 8th grade

ISTE Ignites – I’m glad I managed to elbow my way into the Tuesday Ignites, which were every bit as energizing as Monday’s sessions.  The Highlights and Reactions to the ISTE Ignite Session video will give you a window into why this model of is so popular.

 Day 2 of ISTE was not just about attending sessions. The opportunity to connect with friends and colleagues throughout the day and into the evening was a huge bonus. The day included some wonderful f2f  meet ups, starting with meeting Anne Murchinson on the morning shuttle ride, sharing a Mexican dinner with Andrea Cascia,  connecting with Microsoft 2012 US Forum peeps at the EdTech Karaoke, while listening to MERIT mentor Diane Main rock the rooftop – and continuing “connect the dots” through late night conversations with NWP colleagues   Natalie Bernasconi and Sandy Hayes.