NECC 2009 > At A Glance >  30th Anniversary

At A Glance    ISTE's 30th Anniversary

Celebrating 30 Years of Visionary Thinking

2009 marks ISTE's third decade of bringing vision and innovation to education's forefront. Our celebration extends through our flagship event, NECC, which is also in its 30th year of bringing educators and industry professionals together to talk, learn, and explore all things Ed Tech.

This is our field's collective opportunity to honor the past, celebrate the present, and envision the future! From the rich dialogue available through our member communities to abundant content available 24/7 through the new ISTEVision Network, you have more ways than ever to give flight to your own ideas and professional potential.

Honoring Our Past: See How Far We've Come

Visit the 30th Anniversary Museum, Lounge, and Storytelling Stage on Level Three opposite the Ballroom. Featuring a timeline and technology artifacts spanning three decades, the museum reminds us of how far we've come and how our thirst for innovation has opened door after door. The Storytelling Stage and Lounge are the place to listen to gurus from the field share how their experiences have shaped where we are today and inspire where we have yet to go. A full schedule of each day's interviews and discussions is available in the Daily Leader, and listed on the plasma screens near the Storytelling Stage. A partnership with SchoolTube supports rebroadcast of all stage content via the ISTEVision Network.

Celebrate the Present: Your Stories Are Today's News!

We can't wait for you to share your own stories about how technology has shaped (and continues to shape) your approach to learning and teaching. Look for our ISTEVision Storypods near ISTE Central (West Registration Lobby, Street Level), the Bloggers' Café (outside Room 151), and the entrance to Hall A (Concourse Level). Step inside to record and upload a video story to the ISTEVision Network's Digital Stories channel, and log on to see submissions from ISTE's digital storytelling contest. Your contributions support ISTE's advocacy efforts as well. Talk with ISTE staff and give an audio or written testimonial at the rear of the West Registration Lobby, just outside of ISTE Central.

The Digital Stories channel will also accept video story uploads at www.istevision.org throughout the conference. There are lots of ways to share your experiences with friends and colleagues from all over the world!

Envision the Future: Digital Citizenship

What does it mean to be a digital citizen? We can all agree that with technology capacity comes new responsibility and codes of behavior. ISTE's refreshed NETS identify digital citizenship as an essential condition of technology literacy. To be truly literate, our students and global citizenry must move beyond "wise and safe behavior" and embody the principles needed to harness the power of technology to advance society and solve the world's problems.

NECC's 2009 keynote platform brings three different perspectives on the potential with which technology presents us. From the observations and study of author and journalist Malcolm Gladwell, to a spirited debate between education thought leaders, to the inspirational stories of Freedom Writers founder Erin Gruwell, this year's keynote platform seeks to illuminate the issues, concerns, and possibilities that technology brings to education and society at large.

For more information on ISTE's 30th Anniversary events and activities, and how you can participate, visit our special 30th Anniversary website.