ISTE-2012, Day 1

Kia Ora Everyone

San Diego here I come! San Diego calling!! These are some of the expressions I've been hearing from the members of the group  days before the travel date.The day finally dawned and on 23rd June we boarded a flight to LA.After more than 24 hours of travel we reached San Diego on 24th afternoon.We used different modes of transport to reach our final destination ( Two flights ,AKL-Sydney,Sydney -LA,Bus in LA to reach the hotel,Train ride to San Diego and finally trolley  to reach the Convention Centre/Hotel)

It was a double decker train  and the  ride was superb .As it passed through the countryside we got to see and appreciate the  Spanish architecture of old buildings and private houses .How can I forget to mention the  the beautiful, sun soaked pristine beaches dotting along  the coast.

San Diego  is the eighth largest city in the USA and second largest in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in S. California, close  to the Mexican border.

Tourism is the main industry and some of the major tourist attractions are the  San Diego Sea World ,Safari Park and the Zoo.I was spell bound when I first saw a milky white Beluga whale.-a whale without fins.

We reached San Diego in the afternoon and headed straight to the convention Centre (after checking into our hotel.) to complete the registration formalities.

This conference is so huge.About 20,000 attendees educators,presenters,professionals and of course students. There are tech giants sponsoring events. Many hundreds of sessions to choose from. So many gadgets. How to use iMovie, iPads in the classroom, Create your own Android App.  One could easily  get lost in the pageantry of it all.. I've decided to choose  sessions carefully .sessions that would help me in guiding  my students

The opening Keynote address was at 5.45 pm by Sir Ken Robinson and a panel  of three speakers.It was a jam-packed session.

Sir Ken Robinson-

"Humanity is essentially based on the principle of diversity. We are hugely different in our talents, our passions, our interests, our motivations, and our aspirations. The irony is, our education systems are predicated on compliance and conformity, not on creativity and diversity. I believe there are opportunities now, with new technologies as well--not only, but including new technologies-- to personalize education for every student in the system. Sometimes I hear people say, 'Well you can't personalize for everybody. We can't afford that.' But I say we can't afford not to.  "                                         

                      --Sir Ken Robinson, ISTE 2012 Opening Keynote

He quoted Albert Einstein,Everybody is a genius.But if you judge a fish by its abiity to climb a tree,it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

I was greatly impressed by one of the panelists ,Mayim Bialik who is not only a famous actress but she also holds a Ph D in Neuroscience. She said , "I never really saw myself as a female scientist.I never thought that that was possible."That experience touches on a much bigger concept,in the wrong environment a student will not have their best brought out."
I left the hall with Sir Robinson's words resonating in my ears- "Creativity,personalisation and passsion."That was the most powerful message I got from the keynote address.
Sayonara