What a great day we experienced at the 6th Annual Elementary Technology Conference (ETC).  We had the highest number of participants out of the last 6 years this conference has existed.  Our Keynote, Patti Duncan (from Discovery Education), challenged us to think of ways to incorporate STEM education in the elementary levels through a variety of instructional practices including interdisciplinary problem based learning.  We were reminded that skills are not taught, but they are learned.   Patti encouraged us to incorporate 21st century skills into daily classroom routines reminding us that it is not about the tool being used, but rather the skill we want to attain.

After our Keynote, participants selected a session from one of our Instructional Media Services to explore further including CultureGrams, Safari Montage, and Discovery Education.  Participants were provided updates and tips/tricks of how to use the IMS in their curriculum and instructional practices. 

The day continued with participants selecting 3 additional sessions from 15 possibilities for further exploration.  It was exciting to see participants learning new tools targeting acquisition of skills.  Teachers were learning together collaborating, exploring, and researching best practices for their students.  The energy in the air was electric and magnified by participant excitement as they learned new strategies to use in their classrooms.

The conference focused on learning how to leverage tools in order to maximize student learning in today’s 21st century classrooms. The conference was an absolute success and our hashtag #etciu13 was the top trending hashtag in the Harrisburg area for 3 hours during the day and made the top 20 list overall for the entire day. Check out the stats here.

If you were not able to attend, check out the ETC Wikispace to see session resources from the presenters.

Check out the twitter stream to see participant reflections/ideas/thoughts on a full day of exciting professional development: