Do you remember Where's Waldo? Let's play for a minute. Can you find all the pieces of technology in this picture from the 2016 States of Change Policy Symposium?

In 2008, when I started attending national arts education events, it was rare to see someone using a piece of technology. There were two of us using Twitter at that time, which made for an uninteresting backchannel. The main technology conversation was about social media and if we could use it for professional reasons or for harnessing student learning in the arts. There were many skeptics who saw educational technology as a flash in the pan.

Fast forward to 2016, and almost every person at the symposium was using a phone, tablet, or laptop at some point during the day. The Twitter backchannel was robust, and following it during the event provided new perspectives on what I was hearing from the speakers. We've seen social media start revolutions, connect people during disasters, and fuel a battle between Kim Kardashian and Bette Midler. I think we're also finally starting to see the power of technology in arts education.

Here are five things that happened at the 2016 symposium that wouldn't have occurred eight years ago:

1. More than 400 tweets using #statesofchange2016 [LINK]
2. A student artwork display in the lobby that included a word cloud and multiple works generated with digital tools
3. A deep dive session focused on STEAM education, including mentions of digital art, animation, and game design
4. A deep dive session focused on state level arts education data and an interactive dashboard
5. ECS President Jeremy Anderson sharing his experience attending mime camp at age 10 (not tech related, but still noteworthy)

I look forward to writing another post in 2024; hopefully, that post will focus on how the arts education field has blazed a trail with educational technology.