Full video of the ISTE 2011 opening Keynote

Here is the full length video of the ISTE 2011 opening keynote, featuring Dr. John Medina.

Exhibit Hall opens at the ISTE 2011 conference

Today, the Exhibit Hall opened at the ISTE 2011 conference providing an amazing (and somewhat overwhelming) opportunity to meet with a wide variety of vendors and service providers to learn more about their products and offerings. There are also a staggering number of short presentations and learning opportunities at various booths and areas available within the Exhibit Hall throughout the next three days.

We also saw some familiar faces and RISTE partners on the floor, including Microsoft, CDWG, CDI, and Google.

ISTE 2011 Keynote: "Brain Rules"

The ISTE 2011 conference formally kicked off this evening with the opening keynote, featuring speaker Dr. John Medina. Dr. Medina is a developmental molecular biologist and the author of the New York Times bestseller "Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home and School", http://www.brainrules.net/

Dr. Medina's talk was intriguing, engaging, and thought provoking. Here are a few of the key points he underscored during his 40 minute talk:

• Every brain is wired differently from every other brain and learns in ways unique to that wiring
• All of human learning occurs in the allyways and boulevards of the human brain, not the interstates and highways
• The human brain is not interested in learning, it's interested in surviving
• Exercise boosts brain power. Aerobic exercise can increase the executive functioning of the brain by 20% to 102%
• The emotional stability of the home is the strongest predictor of academic success

If you're interested in hearing more about what Dr. Medina has to say about how the brain can affect learning, check out his book. The Kindle version is only $2.99!

The ISTE 2011 conference has begun!

The ISTE 2011 conference in Philadelphia began today with the affiliate meetings. Members from the RISTE Executive Committee (John Bilotta, Paul Barrette, Lee Rabbitt, Eric Butash, and Tom Rambacher) attended the meetings and participated in a number of breakout sessions focused on how to help ISTE affiliates like RISTE provide more value and services to their members. We gathered some terrific ideas and we're excited to share them with the RISTE membership!