#NOTatISTE? No problem? Not even #NOTatISTE??? It's Still not Over!

It is such a summer dilemma for library media specialists: attend ALA? ISTE?  Both? I considered all of these options this year (I am on the AASL Best Websites Committee), but decided to remain at home, take advantage of several of the wonderful options through Indiana DOE's Summer of eLearning, and follow as much virtually as possible.  Last year I participated in the #NOTatISTE community, and became thoroughly immersed.

Over 100 people made sample "#NOTatISTE" badges.

#NOTatISTE was even more spectacular this year. Over 1100 educators joined in the private Google+ Community. I was able to connect quite a bit from June 25-27 (even being able to watch Michio Kaku's keynote the evening of the 26th), 

I ended up accompanying my sister on a long road trip and went "off the grid" a bit, but am still learning from all of the resources shared. Why was this year even better? Things I noticed:

-People who have been past #NOTatISTE participants made special efforts to include us (Prime example: Craig Yen). Many, many people in Denver included our hashtag in their tweets. Even people who have never experienced #NOTatISTE got in the habit of sharing with us.

-Jen Wagner outdid herself (how can that be possible?). Much preliminary work was done, including plans with Tony Vincent to Periscope many of the poster sessions (with a well-publicized schedule)

-Peggy George, Barbara Tallent, and others created a Livebinder to outdo all Livebinders, overflowing with resources.

-Sue Waters provided many tips on how to maximize your remote ISTE experience. This blog post is a prime example. She also took a lot of time to answer questions and make suggestions in the #NOTatISTE voxer group.

-The eduMatch community was very involved in #NOTatISTE16. eduMatch is a multi-platform community, and I spend quite a bit of time in the Voxer group alone.

eduMatch is a VERY active community with numerous ways to connect.
Many members were also in the #NOTatISTE groups.

-There are so many platforms to use in the learning and sharing: the Google+, Twitter, Voxer, Google Hangouts, Google Docs, Periscope, Participate Learn, Instagram, Snapchat, and more.

I'm still catching up; you can still participate, Check out the livebinder. (Warning: this could take days!) Search with the #ISTE2016 hashtag (or #NOTatISTE16); add specific hashtags in your area of interest (For example, for librarians, #ISTELib has many great shares)

The principles and practices that so many used to connect with ISTE can be continued for just about any conference. The connections and the culture of sharing have been unleashed, and continues to grow exponentially!