VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

Board of Directors

Board Candidate – Margaret Sisler

by

photo of Margaret SislerMargaret Sisler

School Based Technology Specialist
Westfield High School/Fairfax County Public Schools

Educational Leadership

I’ve served as a school based technology specialist (SBTS) for the last 10 years where I have led professional learning, collaborative teams and equity work. I have been part of a number of pilot programs including FCPSOn, a division initiative to ensure all equitable access for all students to meaningful learning experiences and technology. I moved into a division leadership position supporting professional learning and expansion of this initiative to all middle land high schools, leading a cross departmental project team before returning to a high school SBTS in October of 2019. My experiences at school and division levels bring a unique perspective and understanding of the big picture and specific details needed to make change.

Vision for VSTE

VSTE’s commitment to pedagogy and relationships, professional learning and building connections between educators around the state is critical to ensure all students have equitable access to meaningful learning opportunities. VSTE is uniquely positioned to partner with and connect districts and individuals for learning experiences focused on strong pedagogical practices. These ongoing connections are what truly makes a difference in our schools and classrooms.

Biographical Sketch

Margaret Sisler is a former elementary teacher, elementary tech coach and division level educational specialist who currently holds her dream job - high school tech coach, where she spends her days supporting teachers and students, coplanning meaningful learning for all students and supporting school wide professional learning and the work of the school’s Equity Team. She is a cofounder of #NoVAedchat (a weekly Twitter chat) and edcampNoVA (a bi-annual day of learning for teachers) and a member of the VSTE Conference Committee. Outside of school, Margaret enjoys being outdoors, gardening, reading, aerial yoga and she is a huge WVU sports fan!

Back to Candidate Page

Featured Resources from #GoOpenVA

by

SSwirl with word Go Open VAince its debut in January 2020, #GoOpenVA has been building its collections with the help of Virginia educators. This collaborative initiative enables educators and others throughout Virginia to create, share, and access openly-licensed educational resources (OER, also known as open education resources). OER are free digital materials that can be used or modified to adjust to student needs; they are openly-licensed unhampered by many traditional copyright limitations.

Jean Weller, VSTE Board Member and VDOE Technology Integration Specialist, leads this effort. We asked her to periodically curate a few of the resources to give a sense of what is available. Start with these but stay for so much more! And be sure to follow Jean on Twitter.

Featured Resources:

Decimal Rounding Podcast Episode (Mic Drop Maths Podcast): Two teachers (Lindsey Paulson and Whitney Wells-Corfield) in Hanover County collaborate to bring you their cool ideas on Mathematics SOL for 5th graders.  Broken into segments for easy “digestion,” it’s a way to get your own creative juices flowing. https://goopenva.org/courseware/lesson/496/overview

 

Blended Content Studio: This resource, created by Mike Caulfield of WSU Vancouver is full of great tips and videos to help teachers new to online learning.  Just one of the resources outside of Virginia that can be useful to Virginia educators trying to stay current during this crazy time.

https://goopenva.org/courses/blended-content-studio-emergency-online-teaching-at-wsu-vancouver/view

 

I Can Forecast the Weather Remix: Adrienne Sawyer of Chesapeake created a remix of a pretty simple lesson about recognizing clouds and made it much more robust for students, adding a great downloadable “Weather Journal” for students to use.

https://goopenva.org/courseware/lesson/1283/overview

From the VSTE Board of Directors

by

The Virginia Society for Technology in Education is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment in all of our endeavors for all members, participants, volunteers, partners, staff, contractors, and Board members. VSTE will continue to stand for and promote diversity and inclusion. We are committed to working with disenfranchised communities to support digital equity and access.

VSTE Welcomes New & Returning Board Members

by

Five board members--three new and two returning--were elected to the VSTE Board of Directors for the 2020 - 2023 term. Join us in welcoming them to the leadership of VSTE.

Click on the links below to learn more about each member. And, click here to learn more about the board.

 

 

Chanel Alford-Campbell

Technology Integration Specialist
Alexandria City Public Schools

Learn More

 

 

Heather Hurley

Smiling WomanSupervisor of Personalized Learning
Arlington County Public Schools

Learn More

 

 

Scott Kiser

Smiling Man with plaid tie

Director of Technology
Wise County Public Schools

Learn More

 

 

Timothy Mays

Photo of manDivision Instructional Technologist
Sussex County Public Schools

Learn More

 

 

Heather O'Brien

smiling woman

Instructional Technology Resource Teacher
Culpeper County Public Schools

Learn More

 

 

Tim Tillman

by

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.

Back to Candidate Page