Students Tell the Story at ISTE 2010

DENVER, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Educators make up the majority of the membership of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®), but students were a primary focus at the education technology conference and exposition ISTE 2010. The initiatives geared toward students included a program with The Denver Post in which a group of young journalists served as special correspondents for the newspaper and also contributed to The Daily Leader, ISTE's newspaper published throughout the conference, and the ISTE Connects blog.

ISTE 2010 attracted other groups of students who attended and participated in an array of different hands-on activities, including a group of students involved in the robotic arena.

"Robotics is a hands-on, tangible science that teaches students how to be part of a team and solve theoretical problems," said Vignesn Muralidharan, recent graduate of Fairview High School in Boulder, Colo. "In school, you work solo, but with robotics, you work as a team."

Along with speakers, workshops and discussions, the conference pushed new boundaries in social media, virtual learning environments and other exciting new forums for K-12 classrooms.

Student highlights included:

• Denver Post Kids: Ten student reporters involved in The Denver Post's Newspapers In Education program covered the conference's happenings for three publications: The Daily Leader, The Denver Post and NextGen, a Post-affiliated, student-produced website. Students wrote about new and exciting technology, interviewed people at the opening reception and attended student showcases to get the inside scoop.

• Robotics Arena: ISTE's Special Interest Group for Computing Teachers (SIGCT) hosted a Robotics Playground featuring Denver area K-12 students and their award-winning projects. The USFIRST and 4-H robotics programs featured such crowd pleasers as soccer-playing robots.

• Student Showcases: Dozens of students displayed and demonstrated how they use technology to enhance the learning experience through applications such as virtual yearbooks and multimedia board games. Students also presented classroom blogs and cell phones as innovative teaching tools.

About ISTE

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is the premier membership association for educators and education leaders engaged in improving teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology in PK-12 and teacher education.

SOURCE International Society for Technology in Education