We are ISTE.
We help educators around the world use technology to solve tough problems in education.
How ISTE got its start.
All good ideas start with “what if. . .” “What if” is the seed of an idea that grows only when we dare to share it. When we allow many minds to dream and wonder, and add their what-ifs to ours, we nurture and grow great ideas.
At a backyard barbecue in Eugene, Oregon, a tight-knit group of forward-thinking K-12 and University of Oregon educators began asking, "What if ...?"
What if we gave students powerful tools allowing them to take charge of their learning?
What if we let students follow their passions and work with peers to solve problems?
What if teachers didn't lecture, but served as guides and collaborators?
What if we let computers do what they do best, freeing up humans to create, to dream, to change the world?
This small group of educators set out to make this vision a reality.
They began by connecting with others who shared their belief in the potential of educational technology. From there, ideas and inspiration spread geographically and generationally.
Nearly 40 years later, those what-ifs -- those seeds of great ideas -- have grown into a worldwide network of educators who are still dreaming big.
ISTE doesn't represent a constituency. We aren't an impersonal organization -- an acronym without a face or a heart. ISTE represents a movement, and our community is the driving force.
Because, ultimately, it's not about the technology at all. It's about changing the way learning and teaching takes place to make it more meaningful and impactful for educators and learners around the globe.
It's about working together to turn what-ifs into what is.