VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

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Classroom Snacks Archive #1: Bull Run Middle School, Prince William County

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Classroom SnacksAs part of Connected Educator Month, VSTE is making virtual classroom visits to talk with students across the Commonwealth.

On October 6, 2016, we talked to students from Bull Run Middle School in Prince William County. A big thank you to Diane Harazin, Supervisor of Instructional Technology, and Netia Elam, Instructional Technology Coach, for helping kick off our snacks.  And, of course, thanks to the students for sharing their ideas about educational technology, learning and life.

You can view the archives here:

Slow Tweet Book Group, October 2016

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VSTE is pleased to welcome Shana White as guest moderator for the first week of our Slow Tweet Chat Book Group. She'll be leading us in a discussion of the first chapter of The Missing Voices in EdTech: Bringing Diversity Into EdTech by this year's conference keynoter, Rafranz Davis.

Register ahead of time for reminders and the chance to win VSTE swag!

Just getting started with Twitter and Tweet Chats. Here are a few resources for learning:

Twitter Tips

VE PLN: Introduction to Twine, October 10, 2016

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Introduction to Twine
Sponsored by the Virtual Environments PLN (VE PLN)
Monday, October 10, 2016, 8 PM EST
VSTE Island in Second Life

Learn more about the work of our VE PLN

 

Join us October 10, at 8 EST, on VSTE Island in Second Life*, as VSTE Vice-Chair/Facilitator Bluebarker Lowtide presents his summer long exploration and usage of Interactive Fiction (IF) with easy-to-use "soft-coding" programs: Twine, SugarCube, and free publishing through philome.la.

We will be taking a quick look at the most current research and stats of this nation's K-12 report regarding reading and writing.  Then, we'll move to technology tools that can support the research findings.

Tools like Twine can help teachers offer grade level customization, reading level differentiation, and unique critical thinking challenges to engage students' creatively with hopes of improving retention and increasing an individual's skill of reading and reading comprehension. Twine uses an easy set of coding commands to create a working IF (also known as choose-your-own-adventure stories) that open paths based upon the decisions of the reader and several useful text tools such as a help box or hover box to aid readers who are struggling or learning new vocabulary. It can be as indepth as you make it.

SugarCube is a export module that allows customization of the interface with the addition of picture files, expressive google fonts, page layouts and border options.

The website http://www.philome.la/ is free-to-use to upload and host your IF creations in a public space. These can be accessed anywhere from the internet so no additional programs or plugins will be necessary allowing it to be completely done within the browser. At the end, members will be exposed to the first prototype of a "Harry-Potter"-esque IF that will be featured at the Virginia Children's Book Festival the following weekend. Enjoy the IF and provide comments or critiques to help improve the final version

*Need help getting started in Second Life? Contact the team through the Google Plus Community to get support. We LOVE newbies!

Classroom Snacks: Prince William County, October 6, 2016

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As educators, we spend lots of time talking about students but not much time talking to them. VSTE is working to change that by providing virtual visits to classrooms across the Commonwealth. Our "classroom snacks" will take place on Thursdays throughout October.

We'll start with Bull Run Middle School on Thursday, October 6, 2016. We'll meet live with students at 10:30 AM, 11:00 AM, and 1:00 PM. Join us in our Adobe Connect room to listen live or access the archive later.

Big Deal Book, October 3, 2016

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VSTE partners with Big Deal Media to bring you the best in online resources, grant and competition opportunities and more. In this edition, you can Cross Social Boundaries, Create Safe Schools, "Feel" the Past & More.

Here are a few of our favorites from this edition...be sure to check the full Big Deal Book for more great resources!

SaveOnEnergy Teacher Grants

SaveOnEnergy.com is offering its second annual $500 teacher grant opportunity to help students learn about energy in science and society. Teachers are invited to submit their best original lesson plans for teaching K–8 students about energy or sustainability. Deadline: October 21, 2016

National History Day Contest

Around the world, middle school and high school students are taking their learning beyond the textbook with the annual National History Day Contest. This project-based contest provides students an opportunity to demonstrate their historical research skills through one of five categories: documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, and website. Guided by an annual theme, students are encouraged to choose a topic that matches their personal interests. The 2017 theme is Taking a Stand in History.

Twitter Activities on Current Issues

Every Friday on its Do Now website, KQED Education posts a weekly activity for students to engage in and respond to current issues using social media tools, such as Twitter. The activity includes a brief introduction to the topic and a media resource that can be played directly on the site.

Interested in more information? Check out the complete Big Deal Book for October 3, 2016:

Big Deal Book, October 3, 2016

Not everything in the Book is time sensitive so be sure to check out the archives.