Reflections from the Heart of Innovation: My ISTE 2025 San Antonio Experience!

Written by: Kyleigh Kumm

What an incredible week it was! I’m still buzzing from my experience at ISTE 2025, which recently wrapped up in San Antonio, Texas, from June 29 to July 2, 2025. As an educator, attending the annual ISTE conference is always more than just professional development; it’s a pilgrimage to the forefront of educational technology, a chance to connect with passionate peers, and an opportunity that truly recharged my teaching batteries.

San Antonio proved to be a fantastic host city, rich in history and vibrant culture. I really enjoyed balancing the powerful learning with experiencing its unique charm, especially along the iconic River Walk! Throughout the halls of the convention center, you could see displays of “Fiesta Innovations,” poster sessions, and Turbo Talks representing the culture of San Antonio. These included student presentations and showcases of student work.

Diving Deep into EdTech Trends

ISTE 2025 was, as always, renowned for its incredible breadth and depth of sessions. I made a beeline for those who pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in the classroom. Topics ranging from Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR/XR) to digital citizenship, computer science, and innovative learning environments were covered, and there was always something to spark new ideas. I learned so much about how AI can move beyond challenges to truly innovate, how AR/VR can create immersive learning experiences, and the latest strategies for fostering responsible digital citizens.

Beyond the formal sessions, the “Playgrounds” and “Creation Labs” were, as always, a highlight. These hands-on opportunities allowed me to get my hands dirty with new tools and strategies, testing them out in a low-stakes environment before bringing them back to my students. I also really enjoyed the “Connections Theater” and “Innovation Arcade” – places where impromptu conversations and serendipitous discoveries often led to the most profound learning.

EdTech Smash: AI Innovation with Brisk, Canva, ScreenPal, Suno, and Padlet!

This year, I was particularly keen on sessions that showcased the cutting edge of AI in education, and I was not disappointed! I managed to catch some fantastic Ed Tech Smash events, highlighting new AI features from various tools.

One of the standouts was seeing new AI functionalities from Brisk. Their AI-powered features for educators are truly impressive, designed to streamline tasks, personalize learning, and provide more targeted feedback. It was exciting to see how AI can genuinely help differentiate instruction and generate engaging lesson plans more efficiently.

And speaking of game-changers, I have to remind everyone about Canva Education. If your district isn’t already registered, you might be missing out on a fantastic, free opportunity for your entire school to access Canva Pro features. Canva Education offers a powerful and intuitive design platform perfect for students to create presentations, infographics, videos, and so much more, fostering creativity and digital literacy. It’s an absolute game-changer for project-based learning and engaging assignments, integrating seamlessly with many Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams.

Is your district registered for free Canva Education? If not, head over to https://www.canva.com/education/schools/ and set up your school with your SSO.

Another incredible tool I explored was ScreenPal. I learned about their fantastic new feature that allows you to change videos into multiple languages! This is a huge win for accessibility and reaching diverse learners, letting us create content that truly transcends language barriers.

I also delved deeper into innovative tools like Suno and Slido at the conference, and heard about exciting updates to Padlet.

• Suno: This generative AI music creation program was mind-blowing! I saw demonstrations where users could type in a text prompt – describing a genre, mood, or even lyrics – and Suno would generate a full song, complete with vocals and instrumentation. For educators, this is a revolutionary tool for creative writing assignments, digital storytelling, or even creating unique background music for student projects. It opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for sound and music integration in the curriculum, allowing students to become composers and producers with ease.
• Slido: This interactive polling and Q&A platform truly boosted audience engagement in presentations and sessions. With Slido, participants could submit questions, upvote questions they wanted to see answered, and respond to live polls (including multiple choice, word clouds, ratings, and quizzes). For educators, Slido is fantastic for checking for understanding, sparking class discussions, gathering instant feedback, or even conducting quick formative assessments, making learning more dynamic and inclusive.
• Padlet: The new updates to Padlet were also a major talking point. Padlet continues to evolve as an incredibly versatile digital canvas. The enhancements I saw promise even more robust collaboration features, improved accessibility options, and perhaps even deeper integration with AI for content creation and organization. These updates will undoubtedly make it even more powerful for brainstorming, project management, and creating engaging interactive lessons.

Networking and Collaborating with Fellow Innovators

One of the greatest benefits of ISTE was the incredible community it fostered. Walking the convention center halls, I struck up so many conversations with educators from across the globe, all sharing a common passion for transforming education. I connected with others who were grappling with similar challenges, celebrated successes, and brainstormed solutions. Whether it was through scheduled networking events, informal chats over coffee, or connecting on social media using the conference hashtag, these connections were invaluable, extending well beyond the conference itself.

Immersing Myself in the Charm of San Antonio

Even with the primary focus on edtech, I definitely carved out time to experience San Antonio’s unique flavor. I was able to:

• Stroll the iconic River Walk by night: I enjoyed a group of educators on the EdTech Bites Tour of the City. We experienced three amazing food sources from the city while talking EdTech reality. 
• Visit The Alamo: A powerful historical landmark, a visit here offered a poignant reminder of the city’s rich past and served as the starting point for our EdTech Bites tour.

Looking Ahead to ISTE 2026!

And, of course, while I was soaking in all the knowledge and inspiration in San Antonio, it was exciting to learn that the innovation continues next year in Florida! ISTE 2026 will be held in Orlando, Florida, from June 28 – July 1, 2026. It’s always great to have future learning opportunities on the horizon! Join your fellow Huskers and add it to your calendar.

Bringing It All Back Home

Did you attend ISTE 2025 in San Antonio? What were your highlights? Share your thoughts in the comments below.