I'm incredibly grateful and feel so lucky to have won the MET Facilitator Fellowship this year, allowing me to attend the ISTE conference in Denver, Colorado. For anyone who doesn't know, ISTE is one of the leading educational technology conferences globally, bringing together educators, leaders, and tech enthusiasts from all over.
I decided to write this mega post more as a record than a reflection. Partly because I've had no time to reflect during the trip as it has been go-go-go, and I wanted to keep a detailed account of my activities here, rather than messily in a document. So apologies if this feels a bit like a "dear diary" entry. Hopefully, I'll share more reflective posts soon.
We left for the airport after school on Friday afternoon. Shout out to Tāmaki College for giving me a ride to the airport in the school van. Then it was a delayed flight, a very stressful and sweaty sprint through LAX, and a dramatic arrival just as the connecting flight was closing the gates. Sweet relief when our bags made it at the other end, and finally we arrived in Denver—and it was still Friday night! Go time zones!
📅 Saturday
I had a bit of blurry-eyed regret when my alarm went off early Saturday morning for my first (optional) official ISTE tour. However, I was fizzing once again as I got out the door and into the sunshine. It was the Denver Graffiti tour and although offered as part of the ISTE options, it's a tour that is available and bookable to the public as well. I had a really great time, and would recommend to anyone in visiting Denver with an interest in art. While I'm a bit of a clueless numpty when it comes to art appreciation, I found the stories about the artists and the subculture behind street art and graffiti art to be really interesting. It helped that our guide was a real fanboy of the topic, and his enthusiasm was infectious.
I then checked out Meow Wolf, an immersive art experience that's like stepping into a labyrinth of different dimensions with each turn or door. After that, I enjoyed some delicious Mexican food for lunch, had a "refreshment" at the Yard House, and then ate a hotdog (less delicious) and watched the Rockies get a win at Coors Field—what a Saturday!
Sunday marked the start of the main sessions at the conference venue. I got up a little bit early to experience a classic American Diner breakfast before I headed over to the venue. It was fun, and a great experience - felt like the movies... however I wouldn't wish that food upon my worst enemy. Alas I was full, and ready to experience the sessions of the day.
🗣 Session: Power Up Your Classroom with Gamification
Dr. Leigh Zeitz
This session covered the basics of classroom gamification and introduced a template for organising class structure to reward learner progress through badging and levelling up. We began planning a gamification structure for one our units of learning. I chose Cybersmart - Effective Blogging/ Smart Relationships - I didn't get very far, but I got some really great ideas and a bunch of resources to work on something like this in the future. Some extended thoughts here.
🗣 Session: Esports, It's Not Just Gaming
Lisa Corbett
The session explored developing inclusive esports programmes. It highlighted the structured nature of esports, emphasising skills like teamwork, communication, and problem-solving, similar to traditional sports but in a gaming context. It was mostly aimed at secondary education, and it covered potential career paths in esports, such as production and marketing. However there was a little bit for primary aged programmes. I did leave early not because it wasn't good, but I wanted to run to another session. Some extended notes here.
I also had some fun playing a little bit of Rocket League at the "Esports Experience" on the way to the session, and I downloaded their free eBook guide - which at the time of posting I still have not read lol.
🗣 Session: Digital Citizenship in the Age of AI: Exploring Bias, Privacy, and Misinformation
Emma Pass
This session focused on AI issues such as bias, privacy, and misinformation, particularly at the secondary level. We discussed the risks of AI-generated content, the importance of fact-checking, and how biased data can reinforce misinformation. One really interesting point was about the danger of "poisoning the water" where if AI generated content is reshared, any misinformation or bias can then get used to retrain future AI, therefore reinforcing the misinformation or bias. This is something that our kids who post on their blogs may contribute to, and therefore something that we should consider as part of our Cybersmart learning. Some extended notes here.
🗣 Session: Express Yourself: Five Creative Advocacy Projects With Adobe Express
Time Needles
This session explored five creative projects using Adobe Express to integrate creativity, advocacy, and student voice. We used Adobe Express for infographics and I really liked some of the features, such as autosizing text. A highlight was Adobe Podcast, where we recorded podcasts directly into the app, which transcribed what is spoken. A really cool feature was the ability to edit the podcast by deleting words or sentences from the transcription, automatically removing them from the recording. The third was adobe animate from text which I have used before. I missed the last two projects to join the crew in line for the mainstage. More notes here.
🗣 Session: Mainstage
The mainstage was great, and it was awesome to see the venue filled with attendees. Richard Culatta, the ISTE CEO, announced the merging of ISTE and ASCD and introduced a tool that validates educational apps, providing a register of appropriate apps so schools know they are appropriate without needing to review them themselves. He also unveiled a new Digital Citizenship resource that I'm excited to explore. Sinead Bovell emphasised preparing students for an AI-driven future, focusing on uniquely human skills, ethical considerations, and curriculum changes for personalised learning. The headlining speaker, Mo Gawdat, who was beaming in via zoom had connection issues, failed twice, and we didn't end up hearing from him, which was a real shame.
🎉
Edtech Event📅 Monday
🗣 Session: Empowering Educators: Creating and Implementing Chatbots on Your Website
Angela Plank and Yvonne Wong
This session was about teaching educators how to create and implement chatbots. Benefits include 24/7 availability for students and instant feedback. We explored the Mizou and Docs AI chatbot builders, both utilizing ChatGPT. The Mizou prompt formula guides chatbot responses with defined roles, goals, and constraints. Although potentially valuable, it seems pricey and may not be suitable for immediate use with students but could be something we look at sooner for our staff or teachers for things like navigating our websites/ content. More notes here.
🗣 Session: Prompting with Gemini
Clay Smith
This session was a deep dive into Gemini. We learned about Google's AI course for educators and explored Gemini's features, like pre-built prompts and grounding to avoid misinformation. We saw how Gemini can integrate with YouTube and students will be able to ask questions about the videos they watched. We also looked at Illuminate that can summarise academic papers. The session also covered efforts to reduce bias and demonstrated how AI predicts the most likely output rather than creating original content. More notes here.
🗣 Session: Leveraging AI to Create a Universally Designed Classroom
Georgia Terlaje and Jessica Pack
This session was advertised as using AI to create an inclusive classroom environment aligned with Universal Design for Learning (UDL), but it was mostly just a showcase of "cool ai stuff." The difference was that they promoted the use of these AI tools for use with students. Either as feedback tools for things like writing, or a fun way to learn i.e. interview or speak with a character. You can use premade character chat bots or make your own. We looked at various AI tools that could do these, many of which I had already explored, such as Eduaide, MagicSchool AI, Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Curipod. More notes here.
I also checked out the Trade hall. There is so much to see I probably didn't cover even half it on my first pass. Shout out to the Hapara stand that had a little goodie bag waiting for us Manaiakalani friends, including an awesome tshirt. The tradehall is very overwhelming and definitely a change of pace from the sessions and workshops.🎉
Vivacity Tech PBC 90's Party
Ramesh Srinivasan discussed the impact of technology on society, advocating for a democratic internet and regenerative digital economies. Danni Washington inspired educators to ignite student curiosity in science and the environment. Ethan Mollick focused on AI's role in education, emphasizing the importance of baseline knowledge, training, and ethical considerations. He highlighted AI's potential to personalize learning and transform classrooms, while cautioning about biases and the need for human oversight. There was so much more from these speakers and they were all truly inspiring. More notes here.
🗣 Session: Unlocking Creativity: AI-Powered Visual Storytelling and Creativity for Educators
Dee Lanier, Jesse Lubinsky, Kenneth Shelton
This session focused on using AI for visual storytelling, emphasizing creativity over mere art creation. We discussed barriers to AI adoption, such as cost, compliance, and data protection. The presenters introduced Adobe Firefly, which uses licensed content, and taught prompt engineering for generating images. Key points included managing bias in AI outputs and essential visual storytelling elements. We practiced creating images with detailed prompts, learning how word order and specificity affect results. The session highlighted AI as a creative partner, needing human input for refinement and effective representation. More notes here.
🗣 Session: Setting Clear Expectations when Writing with AI
Alex McMillan
This session, primarily focused on secondary education, explored integrating AI into the writing process while setting clear expectations. Alex introduced two handouts: "TAPE" for students, covering transparency, accuracy, process, and expectations, and "Setting Expectations: GenAI + Writing" for teachers, to reflect on AI's role in student work. The idea was to create a clear rubric outlining AI use, ensuring transparency. We practiced documenting the writing process using three different formulas and used School AI chatbots to outline writing tasks responsibly. More notes here.
🗣 Session: Empower Student Creativity With Digital Gameboards Featuring Adobe Express
Cate Tolnai
In this session, we learned how to empower students to design their own gameboards using Adobe Express and Genially. The focus was on integrating game-based learning into classroom instruction to foster creativity and engagement. We explored ready-to-remix templates, reflected on current classroom practices, and incorporated creative strategies. The session included playing games, understanding game mechanics, and using various layouts. We practiced creating/ remixing gameboards in Adobe Express and then using Genially to take it to a creative place.
🗣 Session: Adobe Express Assignments - Adobe Stand Talk
Sadly I catch the name of the presenter. It was a session at the Adobe stand.
An upcoming feature in Adobe Express will allow teachers to create and manage classroom assignments similar to other platforms that have classroom dashboard. Teachers can add students, assign tasks with templates and instructions, and track progress with colour-coded statuses. The platform supports feedback through threaded comments and notifications. It also offers live collaboration and a class management view for overseeing student work. A useful tip is to encourage students to use multiple pages to show design iterations, making feedback visible over time.
🗣How Students Must Learn: 10 School Features in the AI Era
Erik Ramirez Ruiz and Erika Twani
This session discussed how students can demonstrate learning in the AI era by solving real-world problems rather than just getting high test scores. We explored ten essential features schools must adopt today and practiced using generative AI like ChatGPT to develop inquiry-based learning plans. The session emphasized fostering students' inquiry skills and integrating AI tools to enhance the learning experience. I ended up bailing early as my brain was fried, and someone in the group chat mentioned a a mini vendor event was taking place at our hotel lobby with free food lol. More notes here.
Jesse Lubinsky, Nicholas Provenzano, and Donnie Peircey
This session stressed the importance of creativity in the classroom, showcasing Adobe Express as a tool to support creative design challenges. They highlighted that traditionally in school you had to be good at drawing to be considered creative, and that one of the goals of Adobe Express is to help teachers support creativity in many different ways. We all had a go at using Adobe Express for a task that you might do with students. Two people from the crowd participated in a head-to-head competition to where the presenters assisted them.
🗣 Session: Yes (even) You Can Code with the Help of AI!
Eric Curts
In this session, Eric Curts demonstrated how to use AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude to write code, even for those with no prior coding experience. We explored creating code for Google Sites to develop games and interactive activities, and using Google Apps Script to automate tasks in Google Docs, Sheets, and other tools. We also discussed embedding code in Google Sites, noting that code will only work inside the iframe. I used Claude to easily create a Battle Simulator Game: Battle Simulator Game. More notes here.
🗣 Session: Creative Collisions — Adobe, Canva, and Classroom Magic
Jessica Campos and Sherrie Orr
In this session, we explored how to harness the power of Adobe Express and Canva to create creative classroom projects. The focus was on providing students with voice and choice in their assignments. We reviewed real classroom examples of projects using these tools and discussed how to integrate them into our curriculum. The presenter used Pear Deck, which was quite cool as it took us through the slides at the pace of the presenter, with interactive features like answering questions. More notes here.
🗣 Session: Mainstage
Merritt Moore and Michelle King
Merritt Moore, a quantum physicist and professional ballet dancer, showcased her work integrating dance and robotics. She emphasized the importance of creativity in science and the arts, highlighting that play is essential for research and innovation. Michelle King, a veteran educator, inspired the audience with her talk, "A Love Letter to an Unknown Future." She focused on the role of play in dealing with complexity, the importance of community, and the lasting impact educators have on shaping the future.
🎉 PB Tech and Fusion's Kiwi Connect
The last night for many, and we were treated to a generous send-off on top of one of the local buildings at a stunning rooftop bar. The evening was filled with amazing views of the city skyline, refreshing lemonades, and a delicious spread of food. It was a perfect way to unwind and reflect on the week’s experiences, and connecting with each other. Definitely a memorable farewell to the conference.
📅 Thursday
I enjoyed a well-deserved sleep-in and spent some time collating my notes before heading out into the city. I discovered a Starbucks voucher I had acquired at some point, which seemed like as good a place to start as any. Now armed with my stupidly large coffee, I set off to explore the Denver Art Museum. The museum was fantastic! I'm still not sure I appreciate art very well, but I enjoyed it none the less. For lunch, I tried Chipotle, which was also great. Then after a quick reset at the hotel, I headed out to Red Rocks for Diana Ross!
Diana Ross at Red Rocks was a truly special experience. However, it turned into quite an adventure due to high winds that nearly blew the 80-year-old star over, sending her dress and hair flying everywhere. Midway through the set, the show had to be paused due to the weather. Those of us who stayed were battered by gusts of wind, but eventually, she came back out for a few more songs.
📅 Friday
I enjoyed another slow morning before embarking on a shopping adventure. I wandered around Denver’s CBD again and ended up a little lost while trying to find a Mexican restaurant for lunch, only to find myself back where I started.
For our last group dinner, we went to a place called Earl’s Kitchen and Bar. It was a great. I had a burger which surprisingly was my first one of the trip! Delicious food and a great send off.
📅 Saturday
With suitcases packed, sitting in the lobby of the hotel I am finishing this blog post on our last day. I'm hoping that travel from here is without notable incidents however I'll update this post if there is haha.
This trip was absolutely incredible. Thank you again to MET for such an amazing experience. I learned so much and had an unforgettable time.
This blog post was mostly written by human, however AI (Chat GPT 4o) was used to summarise my note docs for some of the session summaries.
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