With the learning landscape shifting under our feet, we need PD now more than ever. Whether you’re a library media specialist, a fourth-grade teacher, a chief technology officer — or any role  in between — you need to learn new strategies, new tools and new ways to engage all learners in blended and online settings. 

Fortunately, great PD from knowledgeable, experienced educators is available in the safe confines of your own home.

The ISTE Conference & Expo — known for decades as the edtech event of the year for its passionate attendees, lively sessions and myriad opportunities to connect with expert educators — has become ISTE20 Live and will be offering all those same opportunities in a custom-built virtual platform Nov. 29-Dec. 5. 

“We’re really excited about what we’ve created,” said ISTE CEO Richard Culatta. “We love for you to come and experience it with us!”

What ISTE has created is a virtual platform designed to make virtual PD flexible, easy-to-access, engaging and fun. Watch the video below to see more and then read on to find out four things you can expect from ISTE’s custom-built virtual experience. 

Curated content.

With over a thousand sessions, demos, forums and interactions available throughout the week, we didn’t want to just point attendees to the search tool and force them to  find content on their own.

We wanted to help by curating customized content for each participant. By asking each attendee questions about topics of interest, their job role, favorite tools and platforms, preferred learning formats, and types of learning strategies they’d like to explore, we’re able to come up with a list of recommendations, much like what you get from Netflix or Disney Channel. 

Different learning formats. We know that people like to learn in different ways. Sometimes you want to sit and listen, other times you want to dive into a hands-on project. That’s why ISTE20Live offers an array of formats, like these: 

• Theater experiences where you can join thousands of other educators to hear an inspiring speaker in real time.

• Creation labs where you can actually create activities to do in your classroom.

• Live demos of the best learning tools and apps available today.

• Poster sessions where you can chat with a teacher who has done a really cool project. 

Gamification.

We’ve built suggestions, nudges and incentives into the platform to help you discover new things. You can earn points for doing things, such as participating in a tool demo, visiting a digital poster or video chatting with an attendee in another country. Engage fully and you just might make it onto the leaderboard!

Ways to connect.

What’s the point of being online together if you can’t interact with other colleagues, tech leaders and friends? That’s why we designed built-in opportunities to connect. You can start impromptu text or video conversations with individuals or even groups, and you can go to the Connection Lounge to find educators with similar job roles and interests to collaborate with.

Access to session recordings.

Ever been to a conference where a presenter demonstrated something so awesome, you wished you could watch it again? Well, with ISTE20 Live you can. Every attendee will get access to recordings for six months so you can revisit sessions you loved or watch sessions you missed. 

Diana Fingal is director of editorial content for ISTE.