At the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) annual conference in Chicago, the organization revealed new standards and educational options for its members. Here are just a few of the announcements to come out of the event.

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ISTE And TED Team Up

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and TED announced a partnership that will encourage educators to spread innovative ideas and powerful stories of teacher impact.

Starting fall of 2018, ISTE members will have exclusive access to a new TED masterclass designed to "support educators in using the power of storytelling to share their challenges, successes and inspiration from the classroom."

“We chose to partner with ISTE because their members are such passionate, engaged advocates for learning in innovative ways,”  Stephanie Ng, TED-Ed program manager, said in a statement. “The world needs to hear their powerful stories, and we are excited to help make that happen.”

Some educators took part in a pilot program in the spring, getting early access to the online course and working with a partner to refine their stories. Three of those participants gave their talks in Chicago. A TED Masterclass app is set to launch later this year, and will feature some educators and their stories. Others will be showcased at ISTE’s 2019 Conference & Expo in Philadelphia.

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Enroll For Courses From New ISTE Professional Learning Hub

ISTE has also created ISTE U, an online professional learning hub "for teachers and leaders to build critical skills for teaching and learning in a digital world." Enrollment is open for courses that are build on instructional design principles and will include either a virtual coach or live facilitator. Courses available include:

• Taking Mobile Learning to the Next Level.
• Artificial Intelligence Explorations and Their Practical Use in Schools.
• Digital Citizenship in Action.
• Introduction to Computational Thinking for Every Educator, developed with support from Google.
• Exploring Future Ready Librarianship: Practices for the Emerging Leader, developed in collaboration with Future Ready Librarians and with support from Follett.
• Exploring the Why and What of Personalized Learning, developed in collaboration with LEAP Innovations.
• Selecting the Right Tech Solutions for Your Classroom, developed in collaboration with Mathematica.
• Best Practices in Open Education Resources, developed in collaboration with iLearn Collaborative.
• Learning Differences I: Understanding Learning Differences, developed in collaboration with The Friday Institute.
• Learning Differences II: Unpacking Learning Differences, developed in collaboration with The Friday Institute.
• Taking the Lead to Support Innovative Instructional Models, developed in collaboration with Highlander Institute.

For more information: iste.org/ISTEU.

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Standards for Education Leaders

The new ISTE Standards for Education Leaders (formerly the ISTE Standards for Administrators) were presented. Based on input of more than 1,300 educators and leaders from around the world, the standards target what is needed to leverage technology and transform learning, teaching, and leading. The characteristics of effective leaders outlined in the standards are:

1. Equity and Citizenship Advocate: Leaders use technology to increase equity, inclusion and digital citizenship practices.
2. Visionary Planner: Leaders engage others in establishing a vision, strategic plan, and ongoing evaluation cycle for transforming learning with technology.
3. Empowering Leader: Leaders create a culture where teachers and learners are empowered to use technology in innovative ways to enrich teaching and learning.
4. System Designer: Leaders build teams and systems to implement, sustain, and continually improve the use of technology to support learning.
5. Connected Learner: Leaders model and promote continuous professional learning for themselves and others.

 

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OverDrive Education Introduces New App

At the conference, OverDrive Education presented Sora, a new, student-centric reading app for schools. The app for kids preschool to Grade 12 allows students to easily borrow and read with automatic syncing across devices. It can also be personalized and offer IEP support with audiobooks, dyslexic font, enlarged text, and Read-Alongs.