The #ICE19 Conference Experience - Exploring The Exhibit Hall & Connecting with Exhibitors


If you are interested in more #ICE19 Tips, please take a look at my post connected to the conference workshops. I will also be sharing some of my breakout session recommendations next week and share some of my tips for the conference soon after that. 
ICE attendees will want to dedicate some time to explore and learn about the incredible things that are happening in the Exhibitor Hall to support all educators and learners. Attendees will also have a chance to take part in the "The Escape the ICE Conference" experience. This new experience challenges attendees to make connections with exhibitors as they explore the exhibitor hall and compete to escape the conference. The Escape Experience is hosted by Travis Allen, one of the keynote speakers this year. 


Conversations with exhibitors can add so much to the ICE Conference learning experience. The ICE 2019 Exhibitor Hall can be an awesome learning experience. The exhibitors are friendly and the swag is out of this world. There are also incredible mini sessions, book signings, the Tech Playground (Robotics and Coding), the Playful Learning Space (eSports and Gamification), the PLN Plaza, and more. 


Before attending the conference, I recommend creating a list of at least 5 to 10 exhibitors that you would really like to learn more about. There is nothing wrong with wandering but having a short list to start with is a great way to make sure you are efficient with your time and don't miss something. 


While I hope to have time to visit every exhibitor, I am building a list of exhibitors that I really want to meet. If anyone is curious about my list, here it is in alphabetical order with a brief description of each exhibitor. I am approaching the exhibitor hall with a High School teacher's mindset, so I am my focus is more on exhibitors who I think can support my student's learning experiences. 


Bird Brain Technologies (Booth 335)
BirdBrain Technologies serves as a catalyst for transformative, physical computing-based learning experiences for all students. Our products, the Finch Robot, and Hummingbird Robotics Kit empower students to take ownership of their technical and creative skill-sets and engage in flexible problem-solving activities.

Classcraft (Booth 405)
Classcraft is a platform that transforms any classroom into an adventure. Acting as a gamification layer around any existing curriculum, the game revolutionizes the way a class is experienced throughout the school year, with a focus on behavior management and personalized learning.

Codemonkey (Booth 1233)
CodeMonkey is a game-based educational learning environment that offers a variety of coding courses that range from helping a monkey catch bananas by writing real code to programming chatbots. CodeMonkey’s courses are designed as a classroom resource and do not require teachers to have prior knowledge to successfully roll-out.

Eblox (Booth 437)
E-Blox is an emerging leader in educational electronic products that engage children in a whole new generation of educational toys that provide a STEM/STEAM education. E-Blox stimulate imagination and creativity through interactive storytelling, creative reasoning, and systematic building of objects that provide endless hours of fun and learning.

EdTechTeam (Booth 834)
EdTechTeam is a global network of educational technologists dedicated to inspiring and empowering other educators. EdTechTeam provides change management, strategic planning, and professional development services to schools and districts. We invite you to partner with us to transform teaching and learning in your organization.

Imagine Learning (Booth 509)
Imagine Learning delivers award-winning language, literacy, and mathematics solutions for K–12 students, revolutionizing the way kids learn. Students and teachers love Imagine Language & Literacy, Imagine Math, Imagine Math Facts, and Imagine EspaƱol because they are research- and evidence-based, data driven, instructionally differentiated, and incredibly fun to use.

Media Technologies (Booth 511)
Media technologies manufactures innovative furniture for learning environments. Since 1979 we have been providing creative solutions for school media centers, classrooms, labs, commons, and makerspaces. 


Otus (Booth 611)
Otus is a technology platform for K-12 classrooms, schools, and districts that combines classroom and learning management tools, assessment management features, and a student data management system in one place.

Pear Deck (Booth 423)
Created by Educators for Educators, Pear Deck is an intuitive suite within Google Apps for Education that facilitates 100% student engagement and real-time formative assessment. Build slide presentations from scratch or import existing Google Slides or PDFs. With unlimited storage and sharing capabilities, the options are endless.

Project Lead the Way (Booth 810)
Project Lead The Way provides transformative learning experiences for PreK-12 students and teachers across the U.S. We create an engaging, hands-on classroom environment and empower students to develop in-demand knowledge and skills they need to thrive.

Rocketbook (Booth 836)
Rocketbook makes endlessly reusable, cloud-connected notebooks. With our companion scanning app, users can easily organize and instantly send handwritten notes to a multitude of cloud-sharing services, emails, or texts. With a little water on a cloth, notebook pages can be wiped completely clean and endlessly reused.

SymbalooEDU (Booth 815)
Symbaloo helps you organize your web resources and deliver the right content, in the right place, at the right time, to the right person.

Texthelp (Booth 421)
Hello, we’re Texthelp. We believe that literacy is every student’s passport to academic, social and professional success. It’s our genuine desire to help students understand, learn and express themselves. We create user-friendly literacy and learning solutions, that provide the support each student needs; through reading, writing, math, and research features.

Wonder Workshop (Booth 823)
Wonder Workshop are the creators of the award-winning Dash, Dot, and Cue robots, found in over 15,000+ elementary schools throughout the US. We bring wonder and excitement to learning coding and robotics with our aligned curriculum, professional learning, and robot
s.


This is by no means a complete list. There are some exhibitors who are new to me that I will also be visiting. Attendees can create there own plans using the Exhibitor Hall Map and Exhibitor List before venturing into the exhibitor space.

I am also going to wander and make sure I visit at least exhibitors that I don't know much about as part of my ICE experience.

Most exhibitors also love to make connections through social media. If you have a favorite or have a great experience meeting someone, be sure to give them a thank you on Twitter. Be sure to tag them (@ . . . ) and use the hashtag #ICE19

If you have a favorite exhibitor that I missed or question please post in the comments below.

If you are interested in more ICE Tips, please take a moment to explore my other ICE19 Posts




Coding Resources for Every Classroom

"Very few people grow up to be professional writers, but we teach everyone to write because it’s a way of communicating with others—of organizing your thoughts and expressing your ideas. I think the reasons for learning to code are the same as the reasons for learning to write. When we learn to write, we are learning how to organize, express, and share ideas. And when we learn to code, we are learning how to organize, express, and share ideas in new ways, in a new medium." 
Mitch Resnick
I am currently engaged in the Spring 2019 ISTE ETCoaches Book Study and Slow Chat. We are exploring the book Learning Supercharged: Digital Age Strategies and Insights from the Edtech Frontier by Lynne Schrum with Sandi Sumerfield. One of the topics connected to the first chapter is coding. 
The reading and the chat inspired me to dive a bit deeper into resources connected to coding in the classroom. I'm writing this post to share a glimpse into my exploration. I definitely have a lot to learn, but the first step is getting started. 

Why Coding?
My exploration first led me to explore why coding is important in today's schools. Like so many learners, I started with a quick Google search to begin my exploration. I discovered that there are quite a few great posts, articles, and resources connected to coding. Here are a few that I enjoyed exploring connected to the why behind coding in education.
What Resources Exist to Support Coding in Schools for Teachers and Students?
There are quite a few great coding sites to support teachers and students. Here are a few that might be worth exploring.
I know there are many other great coding resources and if you are looking for something more, Common Sense Media has a great list of coding apps and websites. 

Coding With Robots?
I've visited a few Makerspaces and I love some of the creative things that students are doing with coding and robots. Here are a few coding robots that might be worth exploring.
Coding Without Devices?
There are also some great resources to learn about coding that don't require a device. Here are a few that might be worth exploring.
What Books Support Coding in Education?
Here are a few books that I am adding to my reading list. 
I know many educators are miles ahead of my exploration when it comes to coding. Please feel free to share resources and ideas in the comments below. 


Flipgrid - Engaging Student Voice for Creative Critical Thinking

"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't." - Anatole France

Outside of the Google for Education Suite of resources, there are three essential resources that are fixtures in my classroom. My students and I use Flipgrid, Pear Deck, and Padlet to communicate, collaborate, create, and most importantly engage in critical thinking. 

This post is all about Flipgrid. If you are not familiar with Flipgrid, know that it is one of the easiest tools to capture student voice using video. Educators can quickly and easily create Grids with different Topics and then share a link with students.

Grid = classroom or learning community. Adjust any security/privacy settings and customize the look of the Grid. Create a Grid for each class, school-wide, or a global connection!

Topics = discussion questions or prompts. Topics are created within a grid. Topics can simply be text-based or include a resource such as an image, video, a giphy, an emoji, and attachment.

My students and I have used Flipgrid in a variety of ways, including:
  • Student Introductions
  • Online Discussions
  • Formative Assessment
  • Reflective Learning
  • Persuasive TED Talks
  • Entrance & Exit Tickets
  • Global Connections 
  • Engagement in Field Trips
  • Debates
  • and more . . . 
I want my students to be creative communicators who are comfortable planning and sharing a thoughtful response to a question or concept. The process of planning and creating a response using Flipgrid is often a great critical thinking exercise for my students. 
"Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness." - Nichael Scriven & Richard Paul 
While not all of my students love the idea of videotaping themselves, many of my quietest students have found their voice using Flipgrid. Students who may be reluctant to speak up during class discussions will sometimes share some of the most insightful and engaging responses in a Flipgrid topic. (Flipgrid has some great resources to support reluctant students.)

We've organized a document of Flipgrid resources to support educators who are using or might be interested in exploring Flipgrid to engage students. 
Have a favorite Flipgrid moment or resource? Please share in the comments. 

Book of the Month - Intentional Innovation by A.J. Juliani

The best educators are not content to do the same old thing year after year. Innovative educators push their thinking by engaging in social media, exploring blogs, attending conferences, and exploring the newest generation of educational books.
We've created a Recommended Educational Book Site to organize and share some great books connected to teaching and learning. 



As the world changes, how do we educate differently so students, teachers, and staff are empowered to thrive in this environment? In this new book from bestselling author A.J. Juliani, you’ll learn a clear process to guide risk-taking and lead change so you can be intentional about innovation in your classroom, school, and life. Juliani shows why we need intentional innovation and how to implement it effectively using the PLASMA framework:
  • What to Praise, Look For, and Assess
  • Support What is Different
  • Make Time for Creative Work
  • Allow for the New and Unknown
You’ll also gain insights on celebrating failing and learning, creating conditions for creativity, and leading the change. Whether you are a technology and innovation coach, a teacher, or an administrator, Intentional Innovation will motivate you to take risks, be up to date on the latest research, and manage strong working relationships designed to help students succeed beyond school doors. It’s not just about technology for change, but about fostering relationships to motivate, inspire, and challenge us to step out and lead in a future that is exciting and unknown.

Creative Student Voice and Choice Challenges


Creative Student Voice and Choice Learning Challenges

Guiding Question: What is your top learning takeaway connected to a recent learning experience?
Tell Your Story
Choose one or more of the resources challenges below and create something that you can share today to tell a story about teaching and learning. Please share your experience and creations with the #ShareYourWhy hashtag.

Adobe Spark
Adobe Spark Design Challenge

GSuite for Education
Google Drawings and Google Slides Design Challenge

Flipgrid
Flipgrid Interactive Challenge

Padlet
Padlet Interactive Challenge

Pear Deck
Pear Deck Interactive Challenge

More Creative Study Voice Resources
Explore these resources and share how you might use something here to engage learners with an educational hashtag of your choice.


Top Posts