Your ISTE+ASCD 2026 Survival Guide: Keynotes, What’s New & How to Navigate Orlando

It’s here!

ISTE+ASCD 2026 takes over the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando from June 28–July 1 — four days of keynotes, hands-on learning, playgrounds, and the kind of hallway conversations that stick with you long after you fly home.

Whether this is your first ISTE or your fourteenth (it’s mine!), the week can feel like drinking from a firehose. So I went through the official program and pulled out the things actually worth circling — the mainstages, what’s new this year, how to work the expo floor, and a simple plan so you leave with ideas you can use on Monday instead of a camera roll full of slides.

Let’s get you ready. 👇

🎤 The Mainstages You Don’t Want to Miss

Each day carries its own theme, and the mainstage sessions are where it all comes together. All three are in the Valencia Ballroom.

✨ Opening Mainstage — “Spark Curiosity”

Sunday, 3:00–4:30 p.m.

ISTE+ASCD CEO Richard Culatta welcomes everyone and sets the stage, followed by bestselling author and LinkedIn Global Voice for Education Heather McGowan on how educators and leaders can thrive in an era of relentless change.

🧠 Tuesday Mainstage — “Develop Expertise”

Tuesday, 8:15–9:30 a.m.

Board President Jeremy S. Owoh, Ed.D. joins, plus PBS & PBS Kids Resident Librarian and “Reading Rainbow” host Mychal Threets on amplifying student voice and building inclusive, engaged learners.

🎬 Closing Mainstage — “Elevate Reflection”

Wednesday, 1:15–2:30 p.m.

Board President-Elect Patricia Brown, Ed.D. joins, followed by Pixar Art Director Deanna Marsigliese (Inside Out, Soul, Luca, Inside Out 2) on the creative habits that fuel innovation — and how to spark them in students.

🆕 What’s New This Year

• ISTE+ASCD Central — Learning & Discovery Stages: Two new walk-up stages with relaxed, 30-minute sessions. The Learning Stage is story-driven and speaker-led; the Discovery Stage hosts “pull-up-a-chair” panels. Central is also home to the bookstore, author signings, and merch.
• EL Authors Live! Quick, candid 20-minute conversations with Educational Leadership magazine authors on the field’s most urgent topics. Tuesday at the Discovery Stage.
• Profile of an AI-Ready Graduate Pavilion: An interactive experience with six themed stations, educator stories, hands-on challenges, and short talks at the Spark Talk Stage. (Level 1.)
• Creativity Crossroads: Student and educator projects, the Creators Collective showcase, and the hands-on Sunshine Studio with local artists. New activities daily on the first level.

🛍️ The Solutions Hub Expo (a.k.a. the show floor)

I’ll be honest — the expo floor is one of my favorite parts of the whole week and you will probably find me running around with my podcasting setup. The vender booths are where the ideas get real: you can put your hands on the tools, ask the questions that actually matter for your classroom, and talk straight to the people building them.

• Where: West Hall B, Level 2
• Hours: Mon 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. · Tue 9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. · Wed 8:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
• Pro move: Start at Trailblazer Base Camp (booth 2269) and grab an educator-created route so you walk the floor with purpose (and grab some swag).
• Look for the ISTE Seal: It flags products that meet high standards for digital pedagogy, usability, and alignment to the ISTE Standards — a quick trust signal as you evaluate tools.

🤖 If You’re Here for the AI Conversation

Let’s be real — AI is the conversation this year, and it can get loud fast. So instead of trying to see everything, here are a few places I’d start:

• Profile of an AI-Ready Graduate Pavilion (Level 1) — see what human-centered, AI-enabled learning actually looks like in practice
• Google AI Educator Series Playground (W204BC) — hands-on, standards-aligned AI training; Google booth #1500
• Microsoft Learn Live Classroom (W207AB) — AI in action with Copilot, agents, and Learning Accelerators; Microsoft booth #1800
• Spotlight on Solutions sessions: Microsoft — Mon, June 29, 1:00–2:00 p.m. · Google for Education — Tue, June 30, 10:30–11:30 a.m.

🧭 A Simple Game Plan (so you don’t leave with just screenshots)

The program at this years conference is huge. Your attention isn’t. Here’s the approach I come back to every year:

1. Pick one problem you’re trying to solve. Finish this sentence before you walk in: “This year I’m trying to improve ___.” Now every session becomes a filter, not a distraction.
2. Keep a “Monday List” (3 bullets max). Sort every idea into Try Monday, Try This Month, or Park It. Leave with 20 ideas and you’ll ship none; leave with 3 and you’ll actually use them.
3. Schedule your hallway time on purpose. The best moments happen between sessions. Ask one person what they’re hoping to bring back to their district — that’s how a PLN is built.

📍 Where to Find Me

I’m at ISTE+ASCD 2026 as a Featured Voice Speaker with two sessions for instructional coaches:

• 🤝 Using Coaching Newsletters Effectively to Setup Classroom Conversations — Playground (in person), Monday at 11:30 at the Instructional Coaches Playground
• 📊 Measuring What Matters: Defining Success in Your Instructional Coaching Programs — Interactive (in person + virtual), Tuesday at 1:00

🔗 All my sessions, handouts, and resources live here (updated all week): teachercast.net/iste2026

I’ll also be stopping by a few partner booths to record conversations for the podcast — say hi if you catch me at BenQ (#2401), Renaissance (#2000), Edmentum (#1422), Rise Vision (#2357), or GradeScan (#1050).

👋 One Last Thing

ISTE week is equal parts inspiration and overwhelm. If you only do one thing with this guide, pick your one problem and protect your Monday List. That’s how a great conference turns into real change back home.

See you in Orlando (or online),

Jeff Bradbury, Your Digital Learning Coach

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