Dear ISTE,

First, thank you for putting on a great conference. This gathering of educators who are looking to embed technology into their classrooms is one of the highlights of my year. I gather many new ideas and make many great friends from the conversations that you enable me to have by assembling this massive group of people.

Secondly, thank you for providing the space for the second EduBloggerCon this year. I had gone to many NECCs in the past, but this single event provided for me more contact with people who inspire me, challenge my thinking, and have helped mentor me to become a better educator.

Thirdly, thank you for providing a large number of audio and video podcasts of sessions that I can access later. With a conference this large, it is always difficult to make choices between equally interesting sessions. Also, it gives me the benefit of sharing the ideas and thoughts with colleagues of mine who are not able to go, either because of conflicts in time or budget constraints.

Lastly, thank you for amending your policy on “amateur” recording for non-commercial use. Your swift action shows me that you are trying to be in touch with your constituent group and that you are open to change. As someone who has had to attend a few conferences throught one of the variety of new communication means, both synchronous and asynchronous methods, it does not replace the excitement of being at the conference live. What it does do is:

• Create a desire to attend the conference live
• Provide access to the information if personal conditions arise, if the distance to the conference, or if school and/or personal budgetary shortfalls prohibit an individuals ability to attend the conference.

I look forward to your attempts on how to make all of the sessions available to the largest number of teachers. Knowing that they can be inspired, mentored, learn, and grow in a way the meets their needs is great modeling of the techniques and the tools that you are supporting.

Sincerely,

Vinnie Vrotny