VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

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Connecting to the Virtual Environments PLN

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logo for VE PLN

The VE PLN hosts events on most Mondays at 8 PM ET in either Second Life or Minecraft. Learn more about how to connect to both these virtual worlds.

VSTE in Second Life Office Hours:

There is a small learning curve for getting up and running in Second Life. But, we think it's worth it. If you want some help, join Jaz and Thunder for Saturday morning office hours. Use the directions below to install the software and set up a free account.

screen shot of Second Life avatars

Basic directions to join VSTE Place, VSTE’s Minecraft world:

You must have a Minecraft account from https://minecraft.net/en/ to join. There is a one time fee of $26.95 to download and install the software. You will need to be whitelisted to enter the VSTE server.

Email Kim Harrison at K4sons@gmail.com from an educational email address with your real name and Minecraft account name.

Start the software and choose multiplayer and add a server: Name VSTE Place IP 69.175.17.26:25565

We use Discord to share voices in Minecraft. This is a voice and screen sharing application that will run on your computer or mobile device. Download and install it for free. Create an account. Many of us use the same name for our Discord account as our Minecraft account to keep things simple. Our channel is https://discord.gg/nDX4mZv It helps us to be able to play Minecraft in one screen and listen via Discord with earbuds or headphones.

Basic Directions to access VSTE in Second Life:

Tutorial Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TdiHylfcvM&feature=youtu.be

Second Life is a virtual world that is navigated using an avatar. You will need a free Second Life account as well as the software in order to participate. We recommend setting up an account at the Rockcliffe University Consortium's Gateway here: https://urockcliffe.com/reg/second-life/ Download and install the software.

Once the software is installed and open, click this link http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Soulgiver/156/169/58 and your avatar will be teleported to VSTE Island. Look for an avatar on VSTE Island and say, "Hey, I'm new!" We will take care of the rest.

 

Past Events:

 

Minecraft Monday

Monday, May 4, 2020, 8 PM

Let's go Orienteering in Minecraft!

Minecraft Monday will be on May 4th at 8 PM Eastern time in VSTE Place. I have maps purchased from my village cartographer which we will duplicate and use to find treasure or temples! Come work with a friend, alone, compete or cooperate - you do you, but first we will talk about coordinates and how to follow the map. How could you use this with students?

 

Scroll down for more information about how to connect to Minecraft.

Virtual environments like Second Life and Minecraft offer opportunities to expand online learning for both teachers and students. The VSTE Virtual Environments PLN will be offering a variety of events in the coming weeks. Minecraft Monday: Held the first Monday of each month at VSTE Place in Minecraft. Details for connecting are at the bottom of this post.

VSTE in Second Life Photo Tour: Staying home and looking for ways to stay connected with your fellow educators? Come join us in Second Life, Monday, April 27, 8:00 PM EST at the VSTE Virtual Education Network. We will do a Photo Tour of the 2020 Fantasy Faire, a virtual Relay for Life event that supports Cancer Research. Featuring over 18 fantastical-themed zones, partake in a Tour of the various areas as we talk about the creations and take some magical photos. Details for setting up a free Second Life account and accessing VSTE in SL are at the bottom of this post.

VSTE in Second Life Student Presentation: A Comparison of the Jurassic Rocks of Switzerland and Como Bluff,  WY USA: A CaseStudy in International Collaboration at the High School Level

Monday, May 11, 2020, 8:00 PM

We often hear in schools about the need for students to learn 21st Century skills such as creativity and collaboration on an international scale. Franklin County High School student Darien Bradley worked for months with a scientist in Switzerland to compare and contrast the geology of the Jurassic time period of Switzerland with the classic dinosaur locality at Como Bluff, WY. He will discuss challenges and benefits of doing online collaboration with someone in another country as well as what he learned about the Jurassic time period in these countries.

Join us in Second Life, Monday, May 11 at 8:00 PM EST.

Details for setting up a free Second Life account and accessing VSTE in SL are at the bottom of this post.

Heather O’Brien

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smiling womanHeather O'Brien
Instructional Technology Resource Teacher
Culpeper County Public Schools

Educational Leadership

As a former secondary band teacher and middle school assistant principal, I recognize the importance and necessity of infusing technology in teaching and learning. As an instructional technology resource teacher, I collaborate with teachers, curriculum staff, and administrators to foster innovation. In an effort to exemplify best practice, I model the infusion of technology into instruction with high energy. Serving on the county’s technology task force committee has afforded me the opportunity to guide change. This committee strives to enhance student learning while giving voice to the division’s vision as it relates to technological innovation. Additionally, with the support of my school’s leadership, I have successfully initiated a school-wide STEM program.

Vision for VSTE

As a teacher in a rural district, I see the ever-pressing need to advocate for greater accessibility for our students. As the recent corona virus pandemic has shown, there is great inequality between urban, suburban, and rural access to broadband services. To meet the demands of the future and provide for the promise embodied in the state’s Profile of a Graduate, VSTE needs to be an advocate for struggling communities throughout the Commonwealth. Fostering relationships with internet service providers and providing lobbying efforts at the General Assembly, VSTE can provide the catalyst to forge opportunities for all of our learners, regardless of their disposition.

Biographical Sketch

For 22 years, I have served in many capacities in the field of education. From band director, to middle school ITRT, to Assistant Principal, and then to elementary ITRT. I have viewed the incorporation of instructional technology from many angles. As a life-long learner, I strive to find new ways to adapt and evolve so that I can better serve my students, teachers, and district. Seeing the need to develop expertise in specific areas, I attended the Promethean Train the Trainer’s Academy in Atlanta, became a Google Certified Level 2 Educator, and most recently was designated as a Seesaw Ambassador. I earned my Bachelor of Music in Education from Virginia Commonwealth University and a M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision.

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Starts Monday, April 27: Brainstorm 2020: Limitless Learning

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Brainstorm: Limitless Learning Online Conference
A joint online conference between UnisonEDU, SVTC, VSTE, and JMU!

The Brainstorm Conference is going virtual this year modeled after amazing online PD like the Ditch Summit, Hive Summit, or Cy Fair Edtech. The sessions will be interview style and/or recorded with a tool, concept, or project featured as well as resources to aid each session yielding a takeaway the attendee can implement right away. Presentations can be tech related or on any other topic people are passionate about that could benefit other educators.

Join in this amazing professional learning opportunity with over 20 different sessions all with dynamic presenters!

Sessions will begin going live the week of April 27, 2020!

Sign up for daily VIP Email Updates.

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Tim Tillman

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Thinking ManTim Tillman
Chief Information Security Officer
Virginia Department of Education

Educational Leadership

Before my current position, I was a Technology Director for Colonial Heights Public Schools for six years. I have spent half of my career in EdTech and enjoy every new challenge that comes along. In my current position, I'm able to affect change on a state level.

Vision for VSTE

We have seen a tremendous shift in technology usage due to COVID-19. We've seen in action what we thought might be possible, but may have been too scare to implement. The reliance on technology in K-12 has increased to levels we never imagine and its only the beginning. After this event, we won't go back to the old normal. One-to-one programs, curriculum maps, and effective teaching strategies have forever been changed. VSTE, over the course of the next few years, can help teachers and technology leaders continue to answer the needs of our students in a forever changing environment. It's an exciting time to see solutions in action. We don't know what is next, but NOW we know we can be ready for anything.

Biographical Sketch

I hold a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Averett University. From VCU, I hold two master's degrees in Business Administration and Information Systems. I am in my last year of a doctoral program in Educational Leadership. I am certified as a Educational Technology Leader (CETL) from CoSN. I also hold various technology industry certifications.

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Diane DeMott Painter

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Smiling wommanDiane DeMott Painter
Associate Professor (adjunct)
Shenandoah University

Educational Leadership

When teaching in K-12 schools fulltime, I served as a VSTE Journal editor and as a member of the VSTE Board. As a member of both VSTE and ISTE, I presented at the annual conferences for both organizations and at mini-conferences for VSTE. While teaching fulltime as a teacher-educator, I served as chairperson of the Curriculum and Instruction Department and Program Head of the Master of Science in Education, Special Education at Shenandoah University. Presently, I serve as the Education Liaison for Makersmiths, Inc., a non-profit community maker space organization, working to form partnerships with schools and libraries in Loudoun County, VA.

Vision for VSTE

Not long ago, many school systems eliminated hands-on learning skills such as those found in home economics, woodworking and metalworking shops and introduced classes that use computer technology such as desktop publishing, coding and other programming skills. Now we find schools establishing maker spaces, many going into school library areas where access to computers running the maker technologies can be used. VSTE can be instrumental in helping to inform and train those working in K-12 and higher educational institutions about the technologies used in these maker spaces, but most important, help them understand how maker space technologies can be employed to support and enrich curriculum initiatives and vocational skills.

Biographical Sketch

As a public school teacher, I spent thirty years in Maryland and Virginia as a K-12 special education and technology resource teacher. From 2005-2017, I served as a fulltime teacher-educator at Hood College and Shenandoah University. Currently I work part-time teaching the Projects in Curriculum and Instruction course for Shenandoah University. I earned a BSE in Elementary Education (GMU-1974); a M.Ed. in Special Education (University of Maryland-1978); and a Ph.D. in Special Education Technology (GMU-1994).

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