i nAction
D
r eam BIG !
ISTE Pre
sident Trina Davis encourag
es
educators to refine their visions, adva nce
their efforts, and ultimately expand th eir
students” horizons.
“Dream BIG. As educators we have,
through our classrooms (face-to-face and
virtual), the ability to awaken young minds
to a world of possibilities and promise.”
Recently, I found myself re-
ecting on NECC 2008, and
I wanted to share some of the
ideas that I highlighted during my
opening address. I hope that many
of you were able to fuel your imagination at the conference, and connect in ways that will ultimately
help you play a role in transforming
teaching and learning. As we think
about transformative events, they
start or take place when the need
for change and the opportunity for
change coincide.
ink of all the events that have led
to a transformation of one kind or another. e international anti-apartheid
movement, the creation of the United
Nations, the invention of the World
Wide Web, or the civil rights movement—I believe all had something in
common. ey were all—regardless
of their ultimate size and scope—
envisioned, nurtured, and grown from
a small group of dedicated, passionate
people convening to address an issue
or cause who connected with and attracted others to join them, and acted
in a concerted and focused way until
the change, the transformation they
sought, happened.
As educators, we have an amazing opportunity to add to the list of
transformative events. Supported by
technology, we can use our collective
knowledge, experience, and passion
to connect with others to transform
the way we teach and the way our
students learn. I’d like to suggest ve
simple, actionable things you can do
to personally nurture and help grow
the dynamic movement of educators
who are advancing the e ective and
appropriate use of technology to improve teaching and learning:
• Be a powerful advocate for
educational technology
• Share your knowledge and
passion (across your entire
sphere of in uence)
• Showcase your work and your
students’ work in creative and
innovative ways
• Use all of the resources available
to you to help e ect change, and
• Dream BIG!
e need for advocacy for state
and federal funding for educational
technology was communicated across
several venues at NECC and is especially signi cant during this election
year. Educating the public, the politicians, and others who control the purse
strings is always a challenge, and it
must be a priority! This message was
heeded by several conference goers—
more than 3,000 letters were sent to
Congress by the fourth day of the conference ( http://www.iste.org/advocacy).
Above all, it’s essential that we dream
big. We must have high expectations for
our students and think critically about
how technology can help them achieve
those expectations. e possibilities
are limitless when smart, committed
people have a vision for their students,
their classrooms, or their organizations.
We must continue to learn better ways
to engage our students, challenge their
thinking, assess their progress, and ultimately expand their horizons. I believe
that the change we seek will ensure that
education is the means by which our
children will be prepared to participate
in the transformation of their world.
So many of you are already addressing my short list and are making
a tremendous di erence in the lives
of children around the world. Please
share your successes and your stories
with me at president@iste.org.
Editor’s Note: Trina’s complete address is available at http://center.uore-
gon.edu/ISTE/NECC2008/program/
video_on_demand.php. ◾
