It is no secret that technology, when partnered with quality content, has the power to enhance the learning experience. At this year’s International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference, experts from across the education space came together to discuss the state of education technology today and share new ideas about where it is headed and how we can continue to enhance the learning experience for our students. Here, we’ve collected some of our favorite ISTE sound bites from edtech’s big thinkers:
“The future of the computer is to disappear – to be everywhere and nowhere.” – Dr. Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist, renowned futurist, and bestselling author, sharing his thoughts on the future of technology in education during an ISTE Opening Keynote.
“No tech for tech’s sake. Why do you want it?” - “Blended Learning Classrooms” panelist Stephanie Sandifer challenging educators to reflect on their reasons for technology implementation in their classrooms and proposing purposeful edtech usage, versus implementation simply for the sake of implementation.
“85% of teachers agree that virtual reality would have a positive effect on their students.” - Shari Sentlowitz of Samsung providing insight into educator interest in virtual reality in the classroom while speaking on the “Virtual Reality” panel.
“Creatical thinking. There is no more creative and critical thinking. That’s dead.” – Professor emeritus, writer, cyber researcher, and “Five Trends that Blend” panelist Dr. Jason Ohler explaining the impact that edtech has had on critical and creative thinking - necessitating the use of one always in conjunction with the other.
“So much of what kids are excited about is going and seeing places. They ask questions that they never would have otherwise if they had just been reading their textbook.” – Jen Holland of Google speaking on the “Transformation of Education” panel about the benefits of virtual reality in the classroom, specifically around Google Expeditions, a virtual reality field trip program from Google for which HMH has created a series of HMH Field Trips.
