VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

Rod Carnill

Girls Who Code Summer Programs Announcement

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It is hard to believe that we have already entered the time of the year to start actively helping students find opportunities aligned with their passions for the summer. Girls Who Code are excited to continue hosting free summer programs, and VSTE wants to encourage Virginia students to apply!

Girls Who Code’s Summer Programs

  • StudentsAre 100% free, with need-based grants for tech access to those who qualify
  • Include beginner to intermediate-level curriculum featuring concepts in game design (brand new!), web design, cybersecurity, and data science (brand new!)
  • Are hosted by Corporate Partner Sponsors who lead virtual panel discussions and networking events with inspiring female entrepreneurs
  • High school girls and non-binary students can apply here!

Please share the information below with any eligible 9-12th graders to encourage them to apply?
Here is a link to our Summer Programs Student Flyer for easy sharing as well!

Girls Who Code’s Free Summer Programs
Apply now to Girls Who Code’s free summer programs, with options running June 16 - August 11! They've got two great opportunities, so you can choose the one that fits your needs:

Their 2-week Summer Immersion Program (SIP) hosts current 9th-11th graders in live virtual classrooms led by industry-leading companies like Metlife, Bank of America, and Accenture. Participants will learn how to get creative with game design. By the end of the program, attendees will learn the fundamentals of game design, UX, the iterative design process, and more, as they build out a suite of short games using the p5.js library for JavaScript. Participants can even apply for laptop and hotspot access and grants of up to $300 for financial support!

Their Self-Paced Program gives current 9th-12th graders the flexibility to learn to code through independent study and real-world projects. By the end of the program, you’ll earn beginner-level certificates of completion in HTML, CSS, or JavaScript for web development or intermediate-level certificates of completion in Python for Cybersecurity or Data Science.

Both programs introduce attendees to inspiring industry professionals and unlock lifelong college and career support. For more information on the virtual Summer Programs offered by Girls Who Code, check out our website or attend a webinar. Applications are due on March 24, 2023. Head to girlswhocode.com/summerapply and submit yours now!

Incident Response is a Team Sport: A Cybersecurity Event

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According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), when it comes to cybersecurity, K-12 school divisions are “particularly lucrative targets due to the amount of sensitive student data accessible through school systems.”

Incident Response is a Team Sport is an event designed to provide participants with the opportunity to experience how a cybersecurity incident may unfold and how an Incident Response Plan can help minimize loss of information and disruption of services.  K-12 division-level leadership including superintendents, assistant superintendents, technology directors, network admins, and other critical staff who would be involved in incident response decisions should attend. The objective for the day is for schools to leave with a draft of an IRP if they do not already have one, or to refine the one they already have as a result of interacting with cybersecurity and legal experts throughout the day.

We will start the day with district teams engaging in a tabletop exercise to provide an opportunity for school division leaders to strengthen their cybersecurity program awareness, plans, decision-making process, and capabilities.  We will also use the tabletop exercise to determine key considerations for the core components of your division’s IRP.  During the time together, you will have an opportunity to review and update your Incident Response Plan with feedback from colleagues from other divisions as well as agency and organization cybersecurity experts.  It is recommended you register with your division team to get the most out of the tabletop exercise.  The afternoon sessions will provide breakout sessions geared toward the specific operational, legal, communications, and technical concerns of those in the crucial division-level leadership roles mentioned above.

To accommodate divisions in different geographical regions, the event will be offered twice once on March 14th at Richard Bland College of William and Mary in South Prince George, and again with the same agenda on March 30th at the New College Institute in Martinsville.  It is strongly recommended that you register with a team from your division.  Lunch will be provided.

Register your team for the Richard Bland College event on March 14th or the New College Institute event on March 30th by pointing your browser to bit.ly/incident-response-23.

Regionally Speaking Webinar Series

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Join VSTE and our friends from Virtual Virginia and Canvas for the Regionally Speaking Webinar series featuring educators from across the Commonwealth.

Mark the following dates on your calendar and join us and other special guests. You can register to attend at https://bit.ly/RSWregistration

February 8
Digital Learning Day in VA
Calypso Gilstrap, NBCT
Instructional Technology Specialist
Office of STEM & Innovation
Virginia Department of Education

February 22
Prop-EL Launch: How to create a hub for EL resources  - The goods, the goals, and the challenges
Ryan Champney/Region 3

March 8
All things Power of Coaching and future collaborations!
Chris Jones/VASCD

March 22
Creating an Instructional Playbook
Erin Comninaki -Region 5
Ryan Champney- Region 3
Emily Heller- Region 4

A Look at EdTech Use Across VA During 2021-22

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In advance of the VSTE22, LearnPlatform has published a report on the usage of digital solutions, tools, and resources used by a sample of twelve K-12 districts representing just under 100,000 students and more than 15,000 educators across the state during the 2021-2022 school year. Along with a list of the top 40 digital tools with the most student and teacher interactions, the report also provides insights on overall edtech usage trends.

The data shows that teachers accessed 184 unique tools on average over the course of the entire school year, while students accessed an average of 177 unique tools during the same time period. At the district level, these numbers translate to an average of 1,759 edtech tools being accessed every month! These numbers are higher than those reported in LearnPlatform’s national EdTech Top 40 published earlier this year. 

Stats in this report include a breakdown of the top 40 solutions by their primary function.

What do these numbers tell us? At a high level, it confirms that students and teachers are interacting with a large number of different tools throughout the school year. This can pose challenges for school and district leaders when it comes to ensuring all of the tools being used are safe, equitable and having a positive impact on student learning. 

It’s critical that school and district leaders have visibility into the technology tools being used for teaching and learning both in and out of the classroom by their teachers and students. From there, they can explore whether those tools meet their needs and are compliant with federal, state and local requirements. The Virginia EdTech Top 40 Report provides a starting point for district stakeholders to hold conversations about safe and effective use of technology for education. 

Find out how you can get insight into the edtech tools used in your district, for free, with LearnPlatform’s Inventory Dashboard.

With funding limited, every district should be thinking critically about their use of technology tools to ensure they are delivering a return on the district’s investment of time and financial resources. We look forward to discussing how an edtech effectiveness system empowers districts to build an efficient edtech ecosystem that supports evidence-informed decisions throughout the edtech selection, vetting and evaluation processes during the VSTE conference.

Download the 2022 Virginia EdTech Top 40 Report!

Ken Shelton VSTE22 Keynote Speaker

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Ken (He/Him/His) currently holds an M.A. in Education with a specialization in Educational Technology as well as New Media Design and Production. He has worked as an Educator for over 20 years and spent most of his classroom experience teaching technology at the Middle School level. As a part of his active involvement within the Educational Technology community, Ken is an Apple Distinguished Educator, a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, and a Google Certified Innovator.

Ken has worked extensively at the policy level with a number of State Departments of Education, Ministries of Education, and non-profit organizations. Ken was appointed to the Education Technology Task Force formed by a previous California State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Ken regularly gives keynotes, presentations, consults, and leads workshops, covering a wide variety of Educational Technology, Equity and Inclusion, Anti-Bias/Anti-Racist, Multimedia Literacy, Cultural Intelligence, Visual Storytelling, and Instructional Design topics. Ken is the International Society for Technology in Education Digital Equity Professional Learning Network 2018 Excellence Award winner. Ken is the International Society for Technology in Education 2022 Making IT Happen Award winner due to his extraordinary commitment, leadership, courage, and persistence in improving digital learning opportunities for students. Because of his extensive and broad impact, Ken has also been named by EdTech Magazine as an influencer to follow.

Learn more about Ken

Register for VSTE22