VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

Blog

Common Sense Education Resource Share – January 2025

by

An image of students working on laptops in a classroom. A Common Sense Education text overlay appears in the top right of the graphic."Common Sense is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to helping all kids thrive in a world of media and technology. They support pre-K–12 schools with lesson plans, edtech reviews, family resources, and everything else students need to thrive in a connected world." Below is a custom set of resources pulled from this month's newest updates! Check them out via the links and explore even more at www.commonsense.org/education. VSTE is proud to partner with Common Sense Education.

For Teachers:

For Parents & Caregivers:

 

 

All Resources via Common Sense Education

All VSTE Posts of Common Sense Education Resources

Common Sense Education Resource Share – December 2024

by

An image of students working on laptops in a classroom. A Common Sense Education text overlay appears in the top right of the graphic."Common Sense is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to helping all kids thrive in a world of media and technology. They support pre-K–12 schools with lesson plans, edtech reviews, family resources, and everything else students need to thrive in a connected world." Below is a custom set of resources pulled from this month's newest updates! Check them out via the links and explore even more at www.commonsense.org/education. VSTE is proud to partner with Common Sense Education.

For Teachers:

For Parents & Caregivers:

 

All Resources via Common Sense Education

All VSTE Posts of Common Sense Education Resources

Thank a Teacher Contest from the VA Lottery

by

Thank a Teacher started in 2016 with one goal: to thank as many K-12 public school teachers in Virginia as possible during National Teacher Appreciation Week in May. With thank-you notes designed by students and distributed by the Virginia Lottery, Virginia’s residents can thank their favorite public school teachers and help them win a cash prize and supplies for their schools from Supply Room.

We’re currently looking for three students to have their artwork featured on the thousands of thank-you notes distributed across the state. The contest is open to K-12 students enrolled in one of Virginia’s public schools, and one top-prize winner will be selected from each level: elementary school, middle school and high school. The three winners will not only get to see their artwork featured on the 2025 thank-you notes, but they’ll also receive a $200 gift card and win $2,000 for their school’s art department.

We’re asking all our partners to help us get the word out! If you’re interested in helping, attached are some social media posts that you can share on your social networks, as well as some fun images to go along with them. We’ve also included a flyer that you could distribute to your email lists or post on your website.

Submissions will be accepted until February 3, 2025. For more information about the Thank a Teacher Art Contest including official rules, eligibility and entry requirements, visit www.ThankaTeacherVA.com.

Join ARISE at George Mason University to Engage in the Use of AI Tools for School Improvement Planning

by

Interested in AI tools for decision-making?

Join ARISE at George Mason University to Engage in the Use of AI Tools for School Improvement Planning

By Drs. Seth B. Hunter and Beth Davis

 

K-12 education has entered a new frontier where educators are exploring the power of artificial intelligence (AI) in innovative ways to enhance student outcomes. While many human-AI collaborations focus on efficiency, some venture into uncharted territory, exploring new and improved decision-making. The AI Informed Education Policy team at George Mason University is working with educational leaders to use AI to assist in making better school improvement decisions based on current, rigorous, and technical education research.

School improvement planning demands significant time and resources from school and district leaders, with many struggling to meet federal and state requirements for federally defined “evidence-based interventions.” Indeed, a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that many schools face challenges identifying and implementing compliant evidence-based interventions, conducting thorough needs assessments, and identifying resource inequities. These challenges persist despite dedicated efforts from district and school leaders.

At George Mason University, our preliminary workshops on AI-enabled tools showed great promise in reducing the time and resource demands of school improvement planning. When equipped with specialized AI tools, aspiring educational leaders reported significant benefits in both efficiency and effectiveness. These tools expedited the identification and evaluation of evidence-based interventions and saved valuable time. Dozens of future education leaders trained at George Mason are now learning to use AI tools for efficient and equitable school improvement planning. This is a testament to the potential for growth and learning in this field. Districts that understand and help shape these emerging practices will be better positioned to support and leverage the skills of their leadership pipeline.

 

Aspiring Education Leaders Use of AI-Enabled Tools for School Improvement Planning

This project, referred to as ARISE (AI for Responsive, Inclusive School Enhancement), brings district leaders across Virginia and beyond to transform school improvement planning from a compliance exercise into a catalyst for meaningful change. Our current participants, which include districts serving 10,000 to 100,000 students, are a testament to ARISE's rich opportunities for cross-district learning and collaboration. 

We are currently accepting additional divisions to be part of this exciting initiative to be at the forefront of AI and school improvement planning. There are many benefits for your division to join, including: 

Access cutting-edge AI tools that streamline the identification of evidence-based interventions

 

Connect with peers across districts to share challenges and solutions in school improvement planning and implementation

 

Shape the development of AI tools and processes that address your specific district needs

 

Receive affiliate faculty status at George Mason, providing access to comprehensive digital research resources.

 

If you are interested in getting started or would like to schedule time to discuss the initiative, contact Dr. Beth Davis at edavis32@gmu.edu. 

2024 Annual Report from the Executive Director

by

As the year draws to a close it is fitting that we look back on the months and milestones that have made 2024 a year of significant growth and advancement for VSTE. The highlights from 2024 feature many of the ways that VSTE has advanced and grown as an organization. Communication, Membership, Development, and Partnership are the four goal areas identified in the 2024-2027 Strategic Plan. Guided by our 2024-2027 Strategic Plan, we achieved the following.

Communication
Communication as a goal primarily focuses on showcasing the identity of VSTE, focusing on its purpose, and recognizing ways to strengthen involvement through awareness. Our strategic plan emphasizes a clear purpose and intentional decision-making. Developing the strategic plan provided many opportunities for the Board to discuss the values and vision of the organization. The plan has helped to solidify our commitment to our core values and utilize our organizational strengths. Communication is critical to our success. There is more to follow regarding the Communication Plan and gaining insight from our membership. We have restructured our regular meetings to enhance communication and encourage dialogue among the Board. Weekly meetings with the executive director have also increased the flow of information and the opportunities for said dialogue.

Membership
Engaging and expanding our membership is the focus of the second strategic plan goal. The adoption of an association management system and the creation of a membership portal will lead the organization toward better understanding and interacting with its membership. The membership portal has enhanced member engagement by allowing members to manage their profiles and keep their information up-to-date. The membership portal has also allowed the organization to better keep track of the roles and locations of our members, including those that support the organization as exhibitors and sponsors. This will lead to more effective and efficient dialogue with members and allow VSTE to effectively know and better understand our membership. Through these efforts, we have been establishing a foundation for enhancing the benefits of membership. Every attendee at this year’s annual conference is an active VSTE member with an updated profile including all of our exhibitors and our sponsors.
Our annual conference builds on our reputation for providing an outstanding lineup of presenters and featured speakers. Our presenters allow us to celebrate the success of the finest educators in Virginia and bring perspectives from those recognized for their impact on the national teaching and learning community. The efforts of our conference team have been focused on continuing this legacy through the enhancement of the overall conference experience.

Development
Continued development is important to any organization. VSTE has continued to build on the certified coaching program and has also begun to shape and develop the professional services team. The certified coaching program has grown significantly, with over 300 certified coaches and over 100 more in training. The professional services program has begun to recruit talent and has taken on its first series of content creation and delivery which will roll out in early 2025. Both of these programs bring together a network of talented individuals to support the ongoing innovation that is a hallmark of VSTE. These networks will also help us to better identify the needs of our community and also the expert and experienced professionals to meet those needs.

Partnerships
Partnerships with other organizations stretches VSTE in positive ways as the collaborations extend the reach and influence of the organization. Our partnerships with key supporters are essential to our mission and vision. Maintaining ongoing partnerships and seeking out new partnerships provides both structure and new opportunities to serve our community. We are pleased to continue the work we have done with the Virginia Department of Education, Virtual Virginia, the Virginia Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (VASCD), CodeVA, the Greater Richmond Area Educational Technology Consortium (GRAETC) and the Shenandoah Valley Educational Technology Collaborative (SVETC), Blue Ridge PBS, WHRO, Virginia Ed Strategies, Forward Edge, Virginia's Training and Technical Assistance Centers (T/TAC), the Commonwealth Partnership for Learning, as well as our many sponsors and exhibitors. We also continue our memberships with national organizations like the Consortium of School Networks (CoSN), the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) and the School, Health, Library Broadband Coalition (SHLB). We learned in 2024 that the merger of ASCD + ISTE will bring changes to the relationship we have with those organizations as ASCD + ISTE refine their partnership program. Continuing on with effective partnerships provides VSTE and its members with great possibilities in the future. An example of this type of collaboration can be heard and seen in season one of the ActiVAtED Podcast series and by subscribing to season two.

Strategic Planning
The recently adopted 2024-2027 Strategic Plan is one way the Board has focused on VSTE’s internal growth and development. We completed several necessary revisions to our guidance documents and standard operating procedures like the VSTE Webinar Protocols, Procedures, and Best Practices and the Finance Policy and Procedures documents. The development of a Communications Plan has helped us make improvements in the utilization of the VSTE Blog, VSTE newsletter and various social media platforms to keep our followers informed and engaged. Effective communication, emphasis on the value of membership, developing programs that respond to the changing needs of our community and engaging partners that can support our growth are the goal driven and strategic means by which VSTE can proudly enter into 2025 and toward our fortieth conference with pride in its past and hope for its future.

Be well, make good happen, and keep in touch.