VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

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Common Sense Education Resource Share – January 10, 2024

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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

Educators: Earn PD credit for FREE with TeachersFirst (1/2024)

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4 reasons to attend our free virtual workshops.

Free, Hands-on PD from TeachersFirst

 

Did you know you can earn relicensure credit for free online?

TeachersFirst provides certificates to Virginia educators who fully participate in our live OK2Ask virtual workshops. In addition to earning credit, here are four great reasons to make TeachersFirst your first stop for professional learning:

  1. It’s free, and so are the tools we cover in our workshops! TeachersFirst is provided by a nonprofit, so educators never pay for our OK2Ask professional learning offerings.
  2. Leave with practical, easy-to-implement strategies and tools you can use with your students right away.
  3. Get hands-on guided practice with tech tools and get your questions answered by our experienced edtech coaches!
  4. It’s suitable for teachers at every technology comfort level. Whether you’re new to teaching with technology or a seasoned pro, OK2Ask has something for you.

Ready to get started? Join us this winter for interactive sessions about tools for digital reading, Sway student projects, AI tools, and more!

Register Now

Teachers First Logo

Looking for more free professional learning opportunities?
Sign up for our OK2Ask email list to receive announcements and reminders!

Access Granted: Accessibility for All Students

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The Issue

One of the rising needs in school communities is student accessibility. To be clear, this is not something that is new, Accessibility has always been a law, a need, and a necessity within an educational environment. However, within the last few years, the needs in many districts throughout the commonwealth have grown and the struggles of teacher shortages, lack of proper staff training and onboarding, and even chronic absenteeism, have all taken the focus off what is most important in the educational system, the student.

What to do/Who can help?

When we look at combating these issues, there is no simple solution, but there are ways to help with student success. By looking at ways to improve student motivation, educators need to ensure that the students have everything they need first and only then, can they start to look to set up exciting, engaging, and  innovative lessons. There are so many great lessons out there, and so many ideas for modifying the lessons that will help support all learners, but the biggest issue that many educators battle with is that stubborn beast that just can't help but get in the way, Time. Having time to create the scaffolds and modifying the lessons to ensure appropriate strategies does not have to be a burden. Look to your support team for help. It doesn't have to be a lone battle of you vs time. Use your team of fellow teachers, coaches, and even administrators who can help support student success.

Where to start:

Look to start simple, targeted, and clear. Use the ADA website for guidance found here.

Images: Add images to your presentations. Using tech tools like Canva and Adobe Express will allow you to create accessible lessons that can both educate and engage.

Fonts and Colors: Choose fonts that are ADA approved and colors that do not cause eye strain.

Extensions, Add-ons, and more: Check with your tech coaches to see what accessible extensions are available in your district for students to use when they need them. Some examples would be, Microsoft Immersive Reader, Snap-n-Read, Mote, Audacity, other Video Recording software, Nearpod, Discovery Education, etc...

Look to see what works best for your students and ask yourself these 3 questions before you implement your lesson or idea:

  1. Is it accessible to all my students?
  2. Is there any technology that needs to be used and is it available and cleared by my district?
  3. Who can I go to for help if I need it?

Wrapping It Up:

Asking questions and learning how to make lessons accessible only enhances your learning as an educator. It starts with a simple thought: Do I know my students and do I know what they need? If you take into account, from the very beginning of who your students are and how you know they can succeed, you open up the door to access their true potential.

Ryan Champney

Instructional Technology

Spotsylvania County Public Schools

rchampney@spotsylvania.k12.va.us | @champtech17

New EdTech Reels Episode – Classroomscreen!

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Check out the New #VSTEEdTechReel episode on Using @ClassroomScreen to Promote Engagement and Focus created by @cehynden82!

Using Classroom Screen to Promote Engagement and Focus

From the Classroomscreen website:

With Classroomscreen you've got all the classroom tools at your fingertips. Whether you need a timer or would like to show your instructions, Classroomscreen has a variety of features that support your class activities, stimulate engagement, and help your students get to work. Widgets include text, timer, poll, group maker, sounds level, and more!

Power of Coaching Conference

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Power of Coaching conference Promo Graphic

Register - February 6-7, Williamsburg, VA

Click HERE to reserve your room to get the discounted price!

The schedule is live!

VASCD and VSTE are teaming up to bring to Virginia educators a coaching conference to unpack the power of coaching!

In this two-day conference, participants will gain knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to effectively serve in the role of instructional coach. As more and more schools bring coaches as part of their staff and as the role of ITRT shifts from resource teacher to coach, this is a much-needed conference for building capacity and for developing strong networks of coaches, instructional leaders, and coach supervisors across the Commonwealth.

Join us for an amazing chance to learn, teach, lead, and connect!

  • Instruction: Teaching and learning are the core business of schools, and the coach’s chief role is to improve and support instruction in the classroom. Sessions in the INSTRUCTION strand provide coaches, instructional leaders, and coach supervisors with practical applications to support the role of improving instruction.
  • Relationships: The relationship between the coach and school leaders is a critical one for improving student learning outcomes. Sessions in the RELATIONSHIPS strand focus on strengthening the partnership between coach and school leader, data literacy, strategic planning, and roles and responsibilities of coaches and administrative teams.
  • Leadership: Working with teachers and leaders is another key function of instructional coaches, and this is a different set of skills when compared to working with students. Sessions in the LEADERSHIP strand will build participants’ capacity for differentiated support when working with individuals, teams, and/or large groups with a heavy emphasis on research-based development, effective professional learning strategies, and adult learning theory.

Day 1:

  • General Session Keynote and Workshop (Eric Sheninger)
  • Lunch and Networking
  • Two concurrent choice sessions
  • General Session Keynote (Kim Richardson)

Day 2:

  • Two concurrent choice sessions
  • General Session Keynote (Matt Mingle)

COST: $325