International Society for Technology in Education

Picture of the Startup Pavilion at the ISTE Conference

ISTE is known for hosting a variety of events related to innovation in elementary, secondary, and higher education. The annual conference (called the ISTE Conference & Expo) serves as a forum for exploring and exchanging ideas about education technology with educators from around the world. The event attracts more than 24,000 educators and education leaders. Recent conferences have been held in Philadelphia, PA (2019), Chicago, IL (2018), and San Antonio, TX (2017). In 2020 the ISTE Conference was schedule to be held in Anaheim, CA but will be held virtually as a result of COVID-19.

The ISTE Standards (formerly "National Educational Technology Standards", NETS) are a framework for implementing digital strategies in education to positively impact learning, teaching and leading. Along with the standards themselves, ISTE offers information and resources to support understanding and implementation of the standards at a variety of levels.

In November 2019, ISTE announced the acquisition of EdSurge in a pairing of events and news-focused education technology organizations. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but CEO Richard Culatta stated that its investors will not receive a return on their investment.[2] EdSurge continues to operate as an independent news organization focusing on reporting around innovation in elementary/secondary education, higher education, and the education industry.

ISTE also publishes books focused on innovation in education, with titles on topics such as sketchnoting, blended learning, artificial intelligence, and augmented and virtual realities. In addition ISTE publishes two peer-reviewed journals: 1) the Journal of Research on Technology in Education (JRTE), and the 2) Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education (JDLTE). Both JRTE and JDLTE are currently published by Taylor & Francis. In 2018, JRTE published its 50th volume. JRTE is published quarterly with an acceptance rate at approximately 17%.

ISTE provides professional development opportunities on a range of educational topics, including digital citizenship, computational thinking, artificial intelligence, and online teaching. The organization offers professional learning for a wide variety of educator roles, including ed tech coaches, library media specialists, and classroom educators and school leaders. In June 2020, ISTE launched a Summer Learning Academy to prepare teachers to be effective at teaching online as many districts canceled face to face instruction as a result of COVID-19.

The ISTE Certification for Educators credential is a competency-based, vendor-neutral teacher certification based on the ISTE Standards for Educators. It recognizes educators who use ed tech for learning effectively. The process to obtain this credential has three parts: a two-day, in-person training workshop, a five- to eight-week online course (led by a professional development facilitator and with a cohort), and a final submission of a portfolio of artifacts to ISTE for review and evaluation. The certification program is delivered through ISTE-selected Certification Authorized Providers across the world. 

ISTE collaborates with education organizations in several ways, including grants. ISTE's grant work includes developing professional learning programs that incorporate educational technology best practices across various topics. Current ISTE grant programs include a learning science initiative (2018–2019) funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation, an artificial intelligence explorations program (2018–2019) funded by GM, an educational technology initiative focused on retail and workforce development funded by Walmart, a 2018 open education resources initiative funded by Hewlett Foundation, and a collaboration on future-ready librarianship funded by Follet.

ISTE membership is extended to individuals, affiliates (organizations, like school districts and state technology organizations), and corporate members interested in the use and application of technology in Education. ISTE has members in over 100 countries with concentrations in the US, Canada, Latin America, and Australia. ISTE also maintains a corporate membership program to support companies in developing high quality ed tech products.

The International Council for Computers in Education (ICCE) was founded in 1979, with David Moursund as executive officer and editor-in-chief of the organization's organ The Computing Teacher.[3] In 1989 ICCE changed its name to the present name, International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Shortly after, in 1990, The Computing Teacher was retitled Learning and Leading with Technology.[4]