On Monday afternoon at the ISTE conference I was one of four people on a panel discussion titled Redefining Professional Development for the Curriculum of the Future. Unfortunately, I didn’t get as much time to speak as I had hoped for. Throughout the discussion I was taking notes on what the other panelists were saying. These are my big takeaways from those panelists along with two points that I tried to make.

1. Nobody wants more for kids than parents. – Rob Burggraaf was talking about organizing parent night to show parents the benefits of their children using technology.

2. Saying no to technology is saying no to advancing student learning. – Linda Cole talking about getting teachers on board with technology integration programs.

3. Technology centers (in a classroom) aren’t just for Kindergarten classrooms. – Ashley Hays talking about using technology throughout the school day.

4. Plan your technology goals to be a positive influence in students’ lives beyond the time they are in your school. – Me talking about designing technology integration programs.

5. Celebrate the technology innovators in your school. Encourage them to their good work to with other teachers. – Me talking about getting teachers excited about using technology.