ISTE 2016 Series: Ignite Session #1

What is an Ignite session?

ISTE Ignite sessions allow presenters to quickly (in 20 slides) share something they are passionate about with the hope of inspiring attendees. The full line-up for round one of the Ignite sessions can be found HERE. Below are four presenters who IGNITED my passion. 

Presenters that inspire: 

 Bill Selak- I Think I Figured Out How to Use Snapchat as an Educator! 
​Wait, other educators use Snapchat?! YES! While I already enjoy the storytelling app, it was great to see another advocate and how Bill Selak uses it as a way to tell his school's story. He did a great job of identifying what makes Snapchat different from other apps like twitter and instagram. 
Takeaways: 

• ​Use Snapchat to tell stories briefly and chronologically
• Snapchat is all about capturing that fleeting moment
• Story gets deleted in one day and is gone... that's OKAY
• Allows you to set the tempo to your own story with control over the seconds the photo displays
• Use geofilters or create your own for EdCamp events

Kerry Gallagher- ​How to Eliminate Textbooks, Paper, and Tests
​Kerry Gallagher did an incredible job sharing what many of us already know: learning should have real-world application. Through her own experiences and student examples, the audience got the importance of real-world application for student learning. 
Takeaways: 

• ​Creating meaningful lessons for students means less focus is on the letter grade
• When companies or people in the 'real world' share student work the students are empowered
• It is important we think outside the box to provide experiences for our students that fit their learning preference

 Michael Roush- Five Rules of Design Thinking to Reach All Students 
Michael inspired educators by discussing the five rules of design thinking through inspiring figures.

1. Teach like a Banksy.
2. Teach like you're Da Vinci
3. Teach like Chanel
4. Teach like Brunel
   
5. OPEN! Teach like those who inspire you. Who will it be? Ellen, Oprah, Obama? Only you can decide. Make sure tweet him when you find your fifth rule. 

Laura Thomas- Becoming Badass
My first thought, wait, we can say badass in education?! Alright! My second thought, who is Laura Thomas and why didn't I know about her. Though all of the presenters were incredible and their topics were worthwhile, Laura left the biggest impression on me and inspired me to be a badass.  Her slides can be found HERE.
Takeaways: ​

• ​"There are things that feed you and things that feed on you and you have got to keep those two separate"
• Personal Identity- know who you are 
• Creativity- we have to think outside the box while working inside the bounds we have been given
• Courage- not everything will work, and that's okay
• Being a badass may get you fired, but that's okay as long as it was worth it