Just added 6/19/2012 

Even though the weather in San Diego will be balmy, all conference centers seem to be kept frigid. Bring a light sweater or wrap that you can take on and off, and won’t take much space to deal with unexpected “arctic” conditions.

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I’ve managed to cobble together going to ISTE at the last minute. Big thanks to Karen McMillan (McTeach) for the ride south. This will be my third ISTE, but the first since the name of the conference changed from NECC (2009) to ISTE, so I’m an almost newbie (although last year at ASCD kept me in the swing of things) and looked with interest at some recent posts on how to prepare/do ISTE. They are full of great advice, so I’m going to link and just excerpt my favorite parts here

10 Tips for ISTE 2012 Attendees: Making the Most of Your Conference Experience is written by Katie Stansberry at the ISTE Blog and has many helpful suggestions for getting the most without burning yourself out.

• She points out how big it is (18,000 attendees last year). This alone can make it overwhelming for first timers.
• Her suggestion to not over-do the scheduling, but to plan your “must-do” sessions in advance is wise.
• You will enjoy yourself and learn more if you don’t do a presentation every single session, but spend some time hanging out in the lounge areas, etc.

ISTE12 Recommendations from Michelle Baldwin is full of great advice aimed at getting both newbies and old hands connecting. My husband is in transportation, not education, and has wisely said that most of what he “learns” at conferences happens in conversations in the hallway with other attendees. Michelle gives some concrete suggestions on how to make this happen. I know she lives her advice because I we ended up sharing a cab, that led to dinner at the last ISTE/NECC conference I attended.