First Impression of the NYSCATE Conference

Just returned from the first day of an educational technology conference (NYSCATE). I figured since it was in my own backyard (Rochester) it would be worth a gander. Let's just say that I'm glad I didn't have to pay for lodging, or I would feel rather ripped off.

Like most conferences, many of the presenters are hocking their wares. The pavilion was likewise chocked full of vivacious vendors waiting to pounce on anyone brave enough to run the gauntlet. Now I expected a good deal of the sales pitches to be geared toward district level techno-geeks, but there were slim pickings for actual teacher level stuff.

There seems to be a gaping chasm between those who are novices integrating technology in the classroom and those who are fluent in techno-geek babble. One of the few presentations today that I thought would be fruitful turned out to be so elementary, I felt as though I could have easily shown the presenter a few tricks. A colleague of mine also voiced his frustration at this lack of intermediate level training. Yes, we want to be innovative and seamless in our intergration of technology, but we don't want MS techno-geek degrees.

One of the things that struck me as incredibly insane that has repeatedly come up in discussions is the topic of acceptable use policies, etc. Many teachers are reluctant to challenge old world thinking and the techno-despots that erect numerous additional hurdles that instructors must overcome. It seems that few principals have a good grasp of the issues involved, and quake at the possibility of parental complaints.