International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) & National Educational Computing Conference (NECC)

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has been an invaluable resource to me. Its mission is to improve teaching and learning by encouraging effective applications of technology in the classroom. It was at the Philadelphia National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) conference that I realized how ISTE membership connects educators with other educators to share and discuss how to effectively use and apply technology in the classroom.

The NECC conference was one of the most valuable conferences that I have ever attended. I returned from the conference inspired and excited about applying technology in the classroom. At the conference, I learned from teachers what works in the classroom, was shown examples of projects and activities, was introduced to new technologies and also was given a vision of what is to come in educational technology. In one session conducted by foreign language teachers, I saw examples of a variety of lessons. Some of the lessons were similar to lessons that I had already developed; some had elements that would improve my lessons. Other lessons were new and exciting and different. This session was particularly useful as I was able to learn from teachers in the same field. In the vendor hall, I learned about UnitedStreaming for the first time. I immediately became a member of UnitedStreaming and have used video clips in lessons and have shared the technology with colleagues. (G1-1, G1-2)The technology of the future that will have a great impact on foreign language learning is the IPOD. At the conference, the presenter clearly explained how IPODs can be used in the foreign language classroom and the logistics of how to handle and maintain the equipment. Also useful were recommendations of how to introduce and budget for new technology. (G2-4, G2-5)