TCEA 2013 Random Thoughts from All Over the Place
In no particular order whatsoever,except for the first one!--TBH
My EPISD team of Instructional Technology Specialists are awesome. If they are not presenting too many sessions (Karen, Joe, Earl and Clay) they are helping organize and run the entire show (Brian)! Way to go. I am so proud of them. Especially glad that the interim Superintendent saw them at work at 10:00 PM in the hotel lobby on their next day’s presentation! You guys rock!
Still not convinced that there needs to be a separate educational technology conference when trying to get the core curricular areas to adopt technology as a tool is still an issue. My blog on the subject was misinterpreted as a slight against the TCEA organization, which it was not. It was intended to have us ask why, after all these years, are we still creating barriers between the curricular areas and the technology tools, which these kind of conferences do.
Twitter is becoming a bigger thing, while other services like Diigo fall off the radar. This has to be frustrating for teachers that are not part of the techno-crowd.
Always get a kick out of people using their phones to take pictures of presentation slides that are already posted on the internet. That cracks me up.
The ratio of teachers using iPads to laptops was about 3 to 1. Three iPads for every laptop. If there is any doubt that mobile is the future, one only need to look at that. The vendors knew it too. You can always tell what is hot by what is being given away by the vendors...and in the last few years it has been a virtual Applefest: iPods then iPod nanos, then iPod Touches, then iPads and now iPad minis.
Didi anyone see even one notebook computer being used? I didn't. Remember when they were going to be the savior of ed tech?
Hot topics last year that weren't even a blip this year: 3D printing and 3D televisions and projectors. No where to be seen. I honestly expected to see some 3D printers for education but I didn’t.
I didnt see anyone walk into a pole while texting although I bet it happened.
Why do people buy jewelry at technology conventions? Really? I don’t get it.
There was nothing that I saw that was revolutionary this year. Everything was evolutionary. There was nothing I saw that made me think that “we need to get that.”
Best presentation by someone that is not on my team? The TECSIG luncheon with Dean Shareski and Steve Dembo. That presentation was something that should be played to every administrator in every school in the US. Social Capital is a topic that not many are thinking about but should be.
Time to get a different band for the Thursday night social. Three years of the Spazmatics is enough. In the live music capital of the world, that should be too difficult. Really, is someone on the TCEA board married to one of these guys?
The panel discussion that I was on was quite fun. I liked the interaction and the discussion. Thank you Dr. Smith for setting that up.
The Digital Square was a great place to hang in and probably the best place in the entire to convention to network. Seemed to be a lot more crowded this year than in years past. Hint to Scott Floyd: Put some ringers in the audience before you start asking for ed camp volunteers. Makes the whole thing go faster.
I wish EduHeros was free.
I really liked the presentation I saw from Lamar CISD on how they rearranged their technology PD. Worth investigating more.
Wondering if my days on Plurk are numbered after seeing all the things being done and with Twitter. I love Plurk but it simply has not kept up with the times like Twitter has.
The greatest example of too much technology (can you believe I even said that?) had to have been in the restaurant I was in that had a flat screen monitor above the urinal. Like someone is going to watch a complete episode of Big Bang Theory while taking a whiz.
These conventions are huge and no matter what I think about the WHY of these conventions, I do congratulate the TCEA team for putting it together. They did a fine job.
I wonder how many presentations were made where people gave a lecture on things that should not use lectures?
The keynotes did not interest me in one iota. Here is who they need to get: Ken Robinson, Dianne Ravitch, Bill Gates, Tim Cook, anyone running the MIT media lab, Sergie Brin, the President...Come on, you got the money, spring for a big name.
The assistive technology area need more love. Move it to where people actually are Some of the things in there are amazing.
Volunteers need more love. The whole convention depends on volunteers helping out and volunteers presenting. If you volunteer, you should get special pricing for the event. Charge the entire price and then if they show up, they get a refund.
I wonder how many people that did not come to the conference followed it on Twitter or were the attendees tweeting to themselves just to make themselves feel good?
Does anyone ever see real kids actually using the products on the vendor floor? I mean real kids. That would be a powerful selling point. If a vendor says “Kids love this” then prove it.
Disappointed that the legislative panel I saw spoke of instructional technology in terms of Return on Investment and not in terms of how it changes lives for the better. Why does everything have to be couched in terms of business? To me, business is not really a great example to be followed..especially in the last 10 years or so.
Tim Holt is the author of 180 Questions, an international worst seller on Professional Learning Communities. Check it out in the iTunes Bookstore for iPads.
