VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

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Register Now: Leading Ed Forum “Light”, October 14, 2021

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Logo for conference with date of October 14, 2021 

 

Student Data Privacy: Planning for Protection

VSTE and the Virginia Department of Education are partnering to present the Leading Ed Forum "Light," on October 14, 2021, 9 - 3:30 PM. This event will focus on Student Data Privacy from two perspectives: building a student data privacy program and working with providers to create privacy agreements. We are please to welcome two national presenters to address these important topics. The event is free and open to all. The focus audience are technology and instructional directors. 

9:00 - 11:30 AM
Student Data Privacy: Your Privacy Program, Your Way
Presenter: Linnette Attai, President, Playwell LLC

Register in advance for this meeting
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

As districts leverage technology for learning in physical and virtual classrooms, they must also ensure that they have safeguards in place to protect the privacy and security of student data. It’s never been a more complicated time to build or strengthen a data protection program, and the need for the work has never been greater. 

It requires a depth and breadth of knowledge around the legal requirements, development of fundamental policies and practices to govern the protection of student data, a system of continuous improvement around that work to meet the needs of the ever-evolving climate, and transparency with parents about how you’re protecting student data. Learn the fundamentals of building a student data privacy program, and how CoSN’s Trusted Learning Environment (TLE) program can help can you measure and improve your compliance efforts, empower educators to leverage technology safely, and build a trusted partnership with parents. Bring your unique needs to the table, learn from the experts, and come away with tangible steps to move your data privacy efforts forward. 

Prework: Please fill out this self-assessment in advance either alone or with a group. We'll use the results to focus in on some common areas of interest and need.

smiling womanAbout the Presenter: Linnette Attai is the founder of PlayWell, LLC, a compliance consulting firm helping companies and districts navigate regulations and best practices surrounding data privacy and user safety, as well as security, product development and marketing. Linnette has over 25 years of experience in the compliance industry, with special expertise creating industry and school compliance programs. Linnette co-authored the Future of Privacy Forum Guide to Student Data Protections Under SOPIPA for School Administrators and Vendors, and has advised the Mobile Marketing Association, helping write their guidelines on children’s advertising and leading a subcommittee on children’s privacy. She works with schools and youth groups, teaching stakeholders how to manage online privacy and safety, and serves as Project Director for CoSN’s Privacy Initiative and Trusted Learning Environment program. In addition, Linnette is an adjunct professor of marketing at The New School and at Fordham Graduate School of Business, where she teaches a course she designed on ethical marketing to young consumers.

12:30 - 3:00 Streamlining Privacy Stewardship
Presenter: Dr. Larry Fruth, Executive Director / CEO at Access 4 Learning Community

Register in advance for this meeting
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

A key component for any conversation is to understand the lens from which your discussion partner is viewing the world.  The majority of “disconnects” seen between marketplace players and their customers evolve from of a lack of common expectations in data stewardship.  The Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC) and VDOE/VSTE have partnered to streamline privacy stewardship tasks for information technology leaders in all Virginia Divisions. This workshop will show schools how to access these free tools and templates in use across more than 9,000 schools in the US. address privacy issues schools face protecting learner information.  The most impactful move of these has been the release of a new National Data Privacy Agreement (NDPA) being adopted across two dozen SDPC Alliances.

smiling manAbout the Presenter: Dr. Larry Fruth II is currently the Executive Director and CEO of the Access 4 Learning (A4L) Community, an independent non-profit membership organization comprised of over 3,200 software vendors and educational institutions whose mission is to support the identification, management, movement and usage of learning information within the education sector. The main community product is the collaboratively developed, platform independent and vendor-neutral technical specifications (SIF Specifications) to enable data sharing among education software applications internationally. Additional activities include the establishment, support and growth of the Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC) addressing critical on the ground privacy issues. Dr. Fruth has over 30 years of experience in teaching and learning as a classroom teacher/professor, curriculum and professional development designer and state and federal policymaker. Most recently Dr. Fruth served as an Director for the Ohio Department of Education where he oversaw development of Technology Academic Content Standards, was the State Educational Technology Director designee, lead for various federal programs as well as pointing various pK-16 partnership initiatives. He has been a national keynote speaker, grant reviewer, and currently sits on state, national and international boards relating to education and technology.

 

Register now: UnisonEDU Conference, October 23, 2021

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UnisonEDU is excited to announce our first virtual conference on October 23, 2021, from 9 AM - 3 PM.

Four keynotes and 30+ sessions throughout the day will explore topics including STEM, coaching, first year teachers, creation tools, SPED, and SEL topics. There is something for all educators!

All of the sessions will be live and free to join that day. There will be an all access option for $10 a person that will provide access to conference materials after October 23! Paid access will include access to all session recordings along with recordings of bonus sessions that will be not presented during the live event.  Be sure to save the date and come #LearnWithUnisonEDU!

Registration is open now. 

Learn more about UnisonEDU.

logo for unisonedu conference

Your Fifteen Minutes of Fame

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Join VSTE, Virtual Virginia and Canvas to highlight all the great work teaching and learning being done in Virginia. This does not have to be something extraordinary. Sometimes, the ordinary is just what everyone needs to see and may be extraordinary for someone else. Canvas, VVA, and VSTE have all teamed up to promote these regional stories, and there are even prizes!

It’s super simple to submit a video and the wait is finally over. If you have a story, this should take you no longer than 20 minutes to record, create, and upload. StoryMedia has released their new version and CanvasLMS has been added. We’d love for you to take part in telling your “Canvas/Blended Learning Story” by downloading the latest version and start creating!

iOS App Store

Google Play

Here are some great examples using this tool:

We will be giving away THREE (3) $25 Amazon Gift Cards to the TOP submissions by September 26, 2021. VSTE will be giving away one CONFERENCE registration per region as the Grand Prize.

To enter all you need to do is download the app, get creative, and share your video with eddie.small@instructure.com. The deadline for stories is October 4, 2021.

VSTE Executive Director Search Open

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Executive Director Position Announcement

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

VSTE is seeking a highly qualified and energetic person to become the organization's next executive director. It is our hope to announce the next executive director at the upcoming annual conference in December, then allow for a period of transition that would gradually transfer all roles and responsibilities of the executive director to the newly hired candidate by June 30, 2022. The desired start date would be July 1, 2022.

Apply At Indeed

Responsibilities

Under the direction of the Board of Directors the Executive Director shall provide leadership and administrative oversight for the items listed below:

Oversee management of financial accounts and budget 

  • Participate in Finance Committee Meetings
  • Communicate regularly with Account/Bookkeeper and tax preparer

Maintain Communications 

  • Prepare and present a monthly report that includes any budgetary accounting, communications with other agencies and activities that support or promote the organization to the Board of Directors
  • Email, member newsletter and notifications
  • Attend meetings, webinars, conferences

Research, write, and otherwise appeal for grant funding

  • In partnership with organizations both state and local

Coordinate efforts of Board Committees

  • Attend committee meetings
  • Support Committee Chair 
  • Advertise events

Maintain and develop professional community networks and relationships

  • Represent VSTE as State Affiliate of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), Consortium of School Networking (CoSN), School Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) and other potential or future affiliations
  • Act as liaison between board of directors and VSTE partners e.g. Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), Greater Richmond Area Educational Technology Consortium (GRAETC), Shenandoah Valley Educational Technology Consortium (SVETC), Unison EDU, Common Sense Education or others as identified in the guidance documents

Provide oversight for all organization sponsored activities

  • VSTE Conference
  • Leading Ed Forum
  • Other regional events and activities e.g. GRAETC Ed Tech Conference, Brainstorm, Roanoke Maker Faire...

Negotiate, secure, supervise and manage all paid contractors, sub-contractors, or work for hire

  • Corporate Sponsors
  • Annual Conference Sponsors
  • Admin Assistant
  • Conference Chair
  • Events Coordinator
  • Accountant/Bookkeeper
  • Tax preparer
  • Legal representatives

All other responsibilities as deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors

Qualifications

Education

A bachelor's degree in education or related field required. A master’s degree or higher in educational leadership or organizational management preferred.

Experience

At minimum, the candidate must have 3 years experience in an educational setting, and 3 years experience in a leadership role with a non-profit organization, or 3 years experience in a leadership role within an organization that serves education professionals or the public. 

Knowledge of the history and development of educational technology as well as the current trends and best practices within the field of pedagogy and the learning sciences required.

Requirements:

  • Professional experience with a non-profit, business, or school
  • Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to handle sensitive situations with respect, discretion, and professionalism
  • Effective organizational and time management skills with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects, events, and commitments efficiently and effectively
  • Capability to work independently and lead a diverse team of professionals with wide-ranging skill sets
  • Work ethic that is creative, highly motivated, outgoing, and detail oriented 
  • Excellent computer skills with a working knowledge of educational and business software, Google Productivity Suite, presentation tools, video conferencing and various social media platforms
  • Availability to work weekends and evenings as needed. Hours are largely flexible, but evening and weekend hours are required for attending meetings and travel to events in order to fulfill the responsibilities of the position
  • Knowledge of VSTE’s affiliations with national organizations (ISTE, CoSN, SETDA) and our relationship with the Virginia Department of Education, other regional organizations, individual school districts and consortia
  • Valid driver’s license
  • Live in or be willing to relocate to Virginia

 

Compensation

 

A salary range of $35,000 - $45,000 is based on part time, flexible, remote work schedule and is also to be commensurate with experience. Benefits include designation under grant funding to supervise and manage funding, reimbursement for organizational memberships, travel related expenses, adequate Internet connectivity, hardware and software deemed necessary to complete responsibilities.

Apply for 2021 – 2022 VSTE Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Mentoring Program

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Since 2019, VSTE's Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Committee has sponsored a mentor program for pre-service and in-service educators to support increasing minority representation in instructional technology fields while helping build strong instructional technology pedagogy. Learn more about the program here.

An ideal mentor is currently working in instructional technology and has a desire to help break cultural barriers within instructional technology professional communities. Mentees are minority pre-service and in-service K-12 educators with an interest in instructional technology.

Mentors will help build the mentee's professional learning networks and connections, while also helping to increase the mentee's knowledge of educational technology. This mentorship program is for classroom teachers, instructional technology teachers, technology teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals who are committed to gain educational technology experience through a year-long mentorship program.

The interest survey is open now. Please consider applying to be a mentor or mentee.

The definition of minority educator for the purposes of this program are as follows:

Individuals that identify their race as African American/Black, Hispanic, Latinx, Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiians, Multi-racial, Arab, etc.
Individuals that identify gender as Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, or Asexual+
Individuals that identify as non-able bodied

Please consider joining this effort as a mentor or mentee and passing the information along to others who would be interested.