Here's day 2:

Monday, 6/28 - I wake up around 9am shower, shave, and grab some breakfast. I plan on using Denver's Bcycle service as transportation. This turns out to be a good idea, sorta. I know I'm running late and have already missed the keynote. I download the Bcycle app to my phone and find that the nearest Bcycle station is nearly 1 mile away. So I walk to the station, purchase a 24 hr pass and Google Map it to the convention center. I arrive at 12:30pm and am surprised that it's hot but I'm not sweating too bad; I later find out this because Denver isn't as humid San Antonio. I check in and head directly to the Social Butterfly Lounge. There I hope to collect myself before heading to my first session. While trying to make sense of ALL that is ISTE and which free session to attend one occurs right next to me. There is a principal from Minnesota presenting on her school's 1:1 success; and how it has helped increase state test scores across the board 15-20%, curbed discipline issues and motivated teachers. I jot down notes and scramble to plan my next move, it's nearly 3pm! Twitter is not helping because there are so many great things happening at once I can't focus. On the TV directly in front of me an audio stream of Dr. Robert Marzano begins and I decide to listen. He's explaining his research process with Promethean and what has developed since beginning 2 years ago on this project. I am geeking out because I've used Promethean's ActivBoard for the past 6 years and presented across the country on them. He is to the point and very clear about his findings. What? I've missed lunch, it's after 4pm and I have a Tweetup at 5pm! Outside I go to grab a bcycle and roll arrive at the Tweetup just after 5pm. I haven't missed much but my feet and hands are hurting. I've been lugging my heavy laptop bag and ISTE swag bag with 1 1/2 functioning hands. I don't win anything and my tummy is not impressed with the snack food. I grab another bcycle and find that my bed is over two miles away. This doesn't bother me, I'm an endurance athlete and regularly ride 10 times as far. What does bother me is that Google Maps and my internal compass can't seem to jive. I head in the wrong direction, twice. By the time I find my bearings the light outside begins to wane. Vietnamese noodles at Parallel 17 it is. I find the strength to drop off the bcycle, walk the mile back to the hostel and shower. My head is pounding when I lay down and I can't believe what an absolute dump this place is. I was in the Army for 6 years and if I think this place sucks the average person wouldn't be able to keep their lunch down. I blackout from exhaustion sometime around midnight.

My thoughts on ISTE and EdTech after today is that about 50% of us are quick to notice the inequities of our schools, school leaders, and our ed. situation in general. I overhear conversations ranging from excited optimism to downright caddy. This is education so that's nothing new to me, but I am surprised that so many of my technology people are so quick to find the fault in things. Maybe it's just me and the jetlag, maybe it's just people settling into ISTE. My first day at ISTE has me perplexed.