About ICE
Indiana Computer Educators (ICE) is a non-profit professional group whose mission
is assisting educators to enhance learning through the use of technology. David
Flowers of the Fort Wayne Community School Corporation founded this organization
in 1980. In 1980, ICE was a user group of forty-three people that had an interest in computers, met two or three times each year, and publlished
a newsletter. The first ICE Conference included six hardware vendors.
|
ISTE News by Tim Tahara |
Indiana Computer Educators is one of approximately 50 Organizational Affiliates (OAs) of The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).
Based in Eugene, Oregon, ISTE is the largest teacher-based non-profit organization in educational technology. Most ISTE members reside in the United States and Canada and the rest throughout the world. ISTE's national and international regional affiliates comprise an estimated membership of more than 85,000.
The International Society for Technology in Education is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit educational association dedicated to the improvement of education through the use of computer-based technology. ISTE is the largest professional organization of it's kind.
ISTE is the administrative sponsor of the National Education Computing Conference (NECC). NECC provides a forum for exchanging ideas about using computers at all grade levels and in all types of education. NECC 2008, their 29th national conference, will be held in San Antonio, Texas, June 29 - July 2, 2008.
ISTE supports its members by offering books, courseware, professional development services, government and legislative representation, a monthly newsletter, periodicals (including Leading and Learning With Technology), Organization Affiliates, Special Interest Groups, and other benefits.
Annual dues, which include a year's subscription to your choice of either Learning & Leading with Technology or Journal of Research on Technology in Education and the ISTE Update online newsletter, are $58. OA members may join for only $50.00. For more information or to obtain an ISTE catalog, call 1-800-336-5191, check the Web site, or send e-mail. |
General Information
Today, ICE has more than 2,500 members who are K-12 educators, administrators, or higher
education professionals. The ICE conference is Indiana's premier educational technology
conference for K-12 teachers, administrators, and school technology leaders and
is the fifth largest conference of its kind in the nation. The conference has grown
in attendance from 16 people at the first conference in 1980, to nearly 1500 people
at the ICE 2007 conference including participants and exhibitors.
The 2007 ICE conference was held in Indianapolis at the Indiana Convention Center
January 24-26, 2007. Back by popular demand, the keynote speaker was Dr. Debbie Silver. Debbie is truly a "teacher's teacher!" She is an award-winning educator with 30 years experience as a classroom teacher, staff development instructor, and university professor. Her numberous recognitions include being named the Louisana State Teacher of the Year. Along the way, she has taught almost every grade level and most every kind of student.
Dr. Silver has been an invited author for several educationsl journals and has given keynotes at state, national, and international conferences in 49 states, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. She has been a featured teacher for the PBS Online Teacher Chat and for KDS Knowledge Delivery Systems.
Debbie's book, Drumming to the Beat of a Different Marcher: Finding the Rhythm for Teaching a Differentiated Classroom, has been updated and re-released by Incentive Publications. Songs she co-wrote with Monte Selby are featured on his latest CDs. She is married to Dr. Lawrence Silver, and they have recently moved to Texas.
Debbie's keynote address was "The Art and Heart of Teaching" and her spotlight sessions included "Calgon, Take Me Away! A Stress Management Workshop for Educators" and "Learning about Learning Styles."
More than one hundred workshops were offered during the three-day conference. The
workshops were offered Wednesday evening, Thursday all-day, Thursday morning, Thursday afternoon, Thursday late afternoon (new in 2007)
and Thursday evening.
In addition to the workshops, there were more than ninety 45-minute concurrent sessions
and nine spotlight sessions offered during the day on Friday. The Thursday
evening opening reception was held at The Westin Hotel Grand Ballroom. Presentation
of the annual 2007 Teacher of the Year award and the 2007 Technology Education Advocate
award were among other highlights of the conference. The busy exhibitor and vendor
area with 124 booths was available for conference participants with almost 250 representatives
from 93 businesses.
Planning for ICE 2008, scheduled for January 23-25, 2008,
began even before the 2007 conference ended. Planning for the 2009 ICE conference
has also already begun. This conference is planned by the ICE Conference Committee that consists of more than 40 volunteers who meet every two months to make this
huge, annual event possible. In addition to the annual conference, ICE publishes
a monthly electronic newsletter, InTouch, containing interesting
articles, Web resources, and Indiana Department of Education updates. InTouch, is e-mailed to current members .
The ICE Newsletter
The ICE newsletter, InTouch, contains interesting
articles, Web resources, and Indiana Department of Education updates. InTouch is e-mailed to current members.
ICE Board
There are fifteen ICE Board members who meet six times each year. This Board is
made up of technology coordinators, educators, a higher education member and two
ex-offico members. Those ex-offico members include a representative from the Indiana
Department of Education and the ICE administrative assistant who coordinates all
communication between the Board, Conference Committee, and membership. This Board
sets the direction of the organization and plans all the events for the year.
Special Interest Group
The ICE SIG group, Hoosier Educational Computer Coordinators (HECC), focuses on issues of importance to leaders in technology coordination/administration. This group of 150 technology leaders sponsors an annual conference each year on topics pertinent to its constituency and has a listserv for members. Join the HECC listserv . HECC sponsors a strand of concurrent sessions at the ICE conference.