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#ISTELive 21 - Day 1

 


Day 1 of ISTELive was fantastic! My brain is on overload, and I'm still trying to process all the learning today. 

The morning started with an amazing talk from Cornelius Minor on the Mainstage. He shared a powerful message about making school and education accessible to ALL students. Here is one of my favorite quotes from his talk:

"Innovating is about more than changing technology. It is about changing systems and ways of doing things."


This was followed by a great talk from Deborah Olatunji in which she advocated for student voice and agency in schools. Her passion is so inspiring! Favorite quote:

"Students have stories to tell. We just need these platforms to help them tell their stories."


Next, I attended a session with Michele Eaton titled "15 Strategies to Engage and Motivate Online Learners." I will pretty much attend ANY session from Michele Eaton. 😁 I loved the idea she shared about having students set goals for themselves as online learners at the start of the year. I think having them identify a potential challenge is especially helpful! 


Next up was "Begin With Connection: Relationship Building Using Google Tools" with Becky Lim and Stephanie Rothstein. They shared so many great ideas for using Google tools to build connections with students! I really loved the story behind CanWeTalkEdu. It looks like a great strategy to empower teachers and students to learn more about themselves and learn how to work effectively in collaborative teams.  



Finally, I wrapped up the day with "Reaction to Real Action – Ideas for Creating Engaging Online Learning Activities" with a great panel: 
I really liked Dr. Courduff's point about the importance of not trying to make videos perfect. Teachers should just self-correct and move on, the same way they would in a face-to-face setting. 

It was an amazing first day! 



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