Elana sits down with Steven Anderson, a thought leader in EdTech and educational transformation, to discuss the upcoming International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference and how to navigate many education conferences. Steven, who attends 30-40 conferences every year, advises how to get the most from a large event like ISTE.
Set Reasonable Expectations For Your Conference Experience
Before the pandemic, ISTE drew 25,000 global attendees. While there's no telling what the 2022 conference will look like, be prepared to encounter more sessions that you can attend and more vendors than you can explore. "Don't just try to go in there and hope and pray that you get to do everything," Steven warns, adding:
"Use it as an opportunity to say, 'This is what I need for next year based on who I am as a teacher or what my kids' needs are, or this is the thing that I want to improve.'"
![Quote text from Steven Anderson: "Use [conferences] as an opportunity to say, 'this is what I need for the next year based on who I am as a teacher or what my kids' needs are, or this is the one thing that I want to improve."](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5be6597596d45571b89f4fde/b8cdc210-f2d9-45ac-9e41-a0814f1d3448/Steven+Anderson+Quote)
Steven recommends limiting yourself to no more than four sessions a day, and not being afraid to contact some of the presenters whose sessions you miss:
"Don't be afraid to reach out to your favorite person that you chat or tweet with. 'I wanted to come to your session, but I just couldn't. Can you send me your deck?'“
Steven reminds us that these presenters are typically educators just like their audience, and are usually very happy to help out.
Learning Happens Outside Of Sessions, Too
Steven reminds us to take advantage of the virtual notes that other conference attendees are posting to the conference hashtag during and after the conference. For the sessions that you attend, Steven suggests deploying a strategy from EdCamp:
"Use the Rule of Two Feet. If your needs are not being met as a learner, leave. Use it as a time to break or go to another session."
Elana reminds us about the personal, informal aspect of conferences and how the sessions aren't everything:
"I plant in the Bloggers Cafe or the PLN Lounge –little areas that are just made for networking. Sit there, get on the hashtags, make sure you're doing socials afterwards as well, meeting people, and just relaxing and having fun. More often than not, presenters will actually be at lounges. You can go up to people like Steven and say, 'Hey, you said something cool. Do you mind showing me?'"
EdTech Marketing Is About Meaningful Personal Connections
Whether you're an EdTech vendor or exploring new products, the Expo Hall is a world unto itself. The array of products can be vast, and marketing strategies are sometimes over the top. Steven says the best way to thrive in this environment is through meaningful personal connections:
"I stopped at a booth because I saw somebody doing something super interesting. I ended up staying there for 90 minutes having a conversation, getting a demo, talking to them, and have been talking to them ever since."
Along with attracting potential new customers, conferences also present opportunities for vendors to strengthen relationships with their ongoing buyers. When Steven worked in EdTech, he would take his customers to waterparks and paintball as well as traditional drinks and dinners. Additionally, he likes the idea of setting up conference office hours:
"Now you've got a face-to-face opportunity to spend time with them. I've seen office hours be really successful. Do simple account reviews, 15 minutes, and you sign up ahead of time. Maybe it turns into an opportunity to sell. It's just that we have a personal connection, and we're trying to do a little bit more."
Here's the full transcript of Steven’s podcast episode.
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
All Things ISTE
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the world's biggest EdTech conference, of which Steven is an experienced veteran
ISTE Conference 2022, June 26-29 in New Orleans; the biggest EdTech conference in the U.S.
ISTE Expo Hall, the area of the conference where EdTech developers will discuss and demo their products
ISTE 2022 Twitter hashtag (#ISTELive, #ISTE22), a great way to connect and learn about everything happening at ISTE virtually and in-person
Other Conferences
Future of Education Technology (FETC), another large-scale EdTech conference that Steven describes as "kind of ISTE Jr."
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), a professional development conference that, according to Steven, has shifted from educational admins to teachers
World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), a global educators' event that both Steven and Elana have attended
Unconferences & Networks
EdCamp, a free public unconference for educators that's driven by the attendees needs and experiences; both Steven and Elana have been involved with this initiative since it began
Personal learning network (PLN), a group of colleagues, mentors, and professionals that educators can join or build to drive own professional development
Related Episodes
Understanding the EdTech Industry: A Conversation with Sandro Olivieri, LCG's podcast featuring a high profile EdTech entrepreneur
Creating EdTech Products That Solve Real Problems: A Conversation with Adam Bellow, LCG's podcast exploring the relationship between EdTech and educators
EdTech Products
Glogster, interactive poster-making software; Steven mentions this as an EdTech tool that was more popular when it was still free
Google Wave, a software framework for real-time collaborative editing online, discontinued in 2012; Steven mentions this as an EdTech dead end
Flipgrid, one of Steven's favorite video-based social learning tools
Promethean, an EdTech company that creates interactive displays and teaching software; Steven used to work with them
ClassFlow, a cloud-based lesson delivery software platform by Promethean; Steven was involved when they launched this product as ISTE
All Things Steven
Elana Leoni, Host
Elana Leoni has dedicated the majority of her career to improving K-12 education. Prior to founding LCG, she spent eight years leading the marketing and community strategy for the George Lucas Educational Foundation where she grew Edutopia’s social media presence exponentially to reach over 20 million education change-makers every month.
Steven Anderson, Guest
Steven W. Anderson is a leader in the convergence of digital learning and leadership. As a former teacher and Director of Instructional Technology, he is highly sought after for his expertise in educational technology integration, using social media for learning, technology implementation efficacy, and creating meaningful School: Home Relationships. As @web20classroom, he regularly travels the globe talking to schools, districts, and leaders about how they can be powerful change agents in education transformation. Steven has been a presenter and keynoter at several national and international educational technology conferences as well as numerous state and local conferences. He is the author of three books, The Relevant Educator: How Connectedness Empowers Learning, The Tech-Savvy Administrator: How do I use technology to be a better school leader?, and Content Curation: How To Avoid Information Overload. He is also credited with co-creating #edchat, the original and most popularly used educational hashtag on Twitter. Steven has been recognized with awards including Twitterer of the Year, a Top 50 Educational Influencer, one of the top Educational Innovators in the world in 2018, a Microsoft Heroes of Education award, and a 2021 finalist for EdTech Digest's Leadership Award, along with a 2013 Bammy Award, recognized worldwide as the Educational Emmy, for his work with #edchat.
About All Things Marketing and Education
What if marketing was judged solely by the level of value it brings to its audience? Welcome to All Things Marketing and Education, a podcast that lives at the intersection of marketing and you guessed it, education. Each week, Elana Leoni, CEO of Leoni Consulting Group, highlights innovative social media marketing, community-building, and content marketing strategies that can significantly increase reach, relationships, and revenue.
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