ARRL Education and Learning Manager Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, attended the Georgia Educational Technology Conference.

The conference was the first part in a series of planned ARRL exhibits to meet with teachers and promote amateur radio in the classroom. Assisted by ARRL Teachers Institute Instructor Wayne Greene, KB4DSF, along with volunteers Cyndi Goodgame, K5CYN, and Betsey Greene, they spoke to hundreds of teachers, school administrators, and technology directors about the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology.

ARRL's participation at this conference, as well as future events, is meant to inform and network with educators looking to incorporate amateur radio into their curriculum.

"The level of interest among teachers was incredible!" said Goodgame. "Our booth enjoyed heavy traffic for the duration of the conference, much of the time with all four of us engaged in discussions with multiple people simultaneously. Except for a couple of teachers we met who were already hams, few teachers had heard of amateur radio before this conference. These teachers were absolutely amazed at the possibilities that exist when including amateur radio and related educational experiences in their schools."

"Teachers were especially excited at the connections between amateur radio and space. We shared information about the ARISS program -- Amateur Radio on the International Space Station -- as well as communicating via amateur satellites. Enough teachers were interested in learning more about the relationship between amateur radio and satellites communications that we put together an impromptu live demonstration using two handheld radios and an Arrow antenna we had for display in the booth. We gathered a crowd of teachers, along with a few students who were presenting their Student Showcase projects and headed outside. We enjoyed a good satellite pass and made contacts through AO-27. One of the students even got on the air!"