At SLC, we believe data is key to making learning relevant and personalized – and we’re doing a bit of learning ourselves this weekend.  We'll be attending the International Society for Technology in Education(ISTE) 2012 Conference on June 24-27, and we've been tracking the #ISTE12 hashtag to identify trends we should expect to see – to help us start the learning process before we touch ground in San Diego.

We've got to say, we are blown away by the pre-conference conversation: with over 11,003 tweets in the last 30 days, collectively, the hashtag #ISTE12 has had a potential reach of 31,978,563 Twitter users!  31 million. We can’t wait to see what the number is during ISTE.

We've also put together a list of the most influential and informative Twitter handles to follow during the conference.  We calculated the list using a combination of number of retweets, numbers of times the hashtag #ISTE12 has been used, the size of their following, and how many replies they inspire:

1. @web20classroom
2. @thenerdyteacher
3. @teachingwthsoul
4. @cybraryman1
5. @tomwhitby
6. @bethstill
7. @ron_peck
8. @edutopia
9. @angelamaiers
10. @coolcatteacher
    *To note, @ISTEconnects stands their ground as the No. 1 #ISTE12 Tweeter with over one thousand retweets, but we saved the numbered list for external influencers.

You can follow the whole list here.

Another interesting note was the use of other hashtags alongside #ISTE12. Most popular are #edtech (no surprise there), #edchat, followed by #flipclass. Trendspotting! Will the flipped classroom be the top subject area at ISTE?

Finally, we wanted to share the most shared articles and links among #ISTE12 Tweeps, in the hopes of preparing for networking conversations and having a "common topic":

1. Cybraryman’s ISTE Internet Catalogue (CybraryMan)
2. Why Teachers Need Social Media Training, Not Just Rules (MacFound)
3. How to Follow the ISTE2012 Conference From Afar (Engaging Educators)
4. The 33 Skills Every 21^st Century Teacher Should Have (Educators Technology)
5. Common Misconceptions of Educators Who Fear Technology (A Principal’s Reflections)

We look forward to connecting with you at ISTE – either in person at Booth 2852 or on Twitter! Follow us at @SLCedu - we'll be live tweeting personalized learning and eddata sessions.