Dave and I spent most of yesterday in the ISTE exhibit hall. He also wore his favorite t-shirt to wear to edtech events. I can not count the number of times he was stopped and told that people loved his shirt and others that asked to take a picture of his shirt. It should be noted he did get some very funny looks when he walked in the Google booth though.
Our favorite part of the exhibit hall is the startup pavilion. The startup pavilion consist of 32 unique startups that have a small space to market their product. Many times in this area you get to meet the creator of the product or someone who has worked very closely on the design of the product. The passion they have for their product is absolutely contagious. Here are some of my favorite startups.
Chibitronics - This product created by Jie Qi, an MIT student (pictured on the far right). Chibitornics combines is a STEAM tool that combines electronics, coding, and arts without all the wires because it uses stickers for the circuits. One of the projects that can be created is a book that tells a story. A startup pack is reasonably price at $30. 
AR Flashcards have been around a couple of years but just released a new app call AR Flashcards Addition. The AR Flashcard Apps require you to print the physical card then scan them from within the app. The activity then jumps off the card. I had a chance to talk with 2 of the developers and they showed me a product they are working on for future release. Lets just say this product is really going to make history come alive. AR Flashcard Apps may be found in the Apple App Store. AR Flashcards ios only AR FlashCards Addition $3.99 Other Apps in the AR Flashcard Company AR Flashcard Alphabet - Free, AR Flashcards Space - $2.99, and AR Flashcards Shapes and Colors $2.99
Easyblog.org Is a blogging platform created by teachers in the UK. Easyblog is a very intuitive platform that even very young students are being successful. The platform has easy navigation and may be accessed through the web or an app. The app makes it especially easy to add images and video. Price is free but parents are given the opportunity to download their child’s blog at the end of the school year for $9.99. 
Reading Log Cabin is an app is an easy digital reading log that not only can keep track of the progress of the student reading but also allows the student to create notes and take images. The log can then be shared to the teacher via email or social media. The Reading Log Cabin app is $2.99 and available App Store, Google Play Market and the Amazon App Store. 
Books That Grow is a tool that may be used for differentiation by providing text on various reading levels. For example Rip Van Winkle is available in the reading levels of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. The current niche market is middle grades ELA but the company has plans to expand. According to their website the library contains a mix of classic fiction, primary source documents, myths and folktales, biographies, original science and history books. Each text may be assigned to a whole class on a specific reading level or individually assigned based on the student’s needs. Books That Grow offers a 14 day free trial and various pricing models for individual, classroom, and full school account.
Walkabouts are catered to Pre K-2 and built on a ton of research about kinesthetic learning. To put it simply classes actively watch a video and while they are learning students are walking or doing other active movements to represent the skill they are learning.
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