VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

Education

Featured Resources from #GoOpenVA, October 26, 2020

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logo for go open vaJean Weller, VSTE Board Member and VDOE Technology Integration Specialist, leads the #GoOpenVA initiative in Virginia. 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.

The database is growing. Jean recently created a collection for resources specifically related to professional learning. Technology coaches from across the state have contributed and you can learn more here.

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.

Investigating Force: This student-facing lesson from Jane Brown of Hanover, young students think about forces and design an investigation. A PhET simulation is used to encourage the students to delve deeper.

https://goopenva.org/courseware/lesson/1637/overview

Three Takes on One Resource--All Spanish Tenses Chart Classroom Uses:  Three different World Language teachers looked at this simple tool from Spanish411 and determined how they would want to use it with their own students.

What Do You Notice? Tina Fuller of Buchanan wrote an inquiry lesson on proper fractions, improper fractions, whole numbers, and mixed numbers. This could be adapted into an online activity, using break-out rooms for student collaboration.

https://goopenva.org/courseware/lesson/1462/overview

VA Copes Outreach Program Available

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The Virginia Crisis Counseling Program (CCP) was launched in June by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Services. Our service provides an outlet to those facing stress and uncertainty in these trying times.The

Virginia CCP is called Virginia C.O.P.E.S. which stands for compassionate, optimistic, person-centered, empowering support. Crisis Counselors are available during the following times to take calls. Monday-Friday 9am-9pm and on Saturday-Sunday from 5pm-9pm. VA C.O.P.E.S can be reached by phone or text at 877-349-6428.  Spanish speaking counselors are available. flyer about counseling program

VA C.O.P.E.S is available to all Virginia residents who may be struggling to cope with the effects and circumstances such as isolation, fear, grief and anxiety around COVID 19. VA C.O.P.E.S. counselors are prepared to refer and provide additional information for callers as well but should not be utilized as an emergency or suicide hotline. More information can be found at: vacopes.com and on our Facebook page (VA COPES).

Featured Resources from #GoOpenVA, August 24, 2020

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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:

C3 Teachers: Immigration Inquiry Remix: Amy Gaulton from Hanover County created this remixed lesson, providing an inquiry lesson in a student-facing format, about immigration to New York City in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

https://goopenva.org/courseware/lesson/1520

Science Inquiry from Home: Series: Anne Petersen of the VDOE has added a series of ideas for exploring science while students are at home.  The series currently features grades K-5.

https://goopenva.org/search?f.search=science+inquiry+from+home&f.general_subject=&f.sublevel=&f.alignment_standard=

Cell Phone Electrons: Sarah McGlothlin of Giles County has created a lesson to use all those old unwanted cell phones by having students take them apart to find out how they work, integrating engineering into science.

https://goopenva.org/courseware/lesson/1738

Featured Resources from #GoOpenVA

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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

Apply for VSTE Diversity and Inclusion Mentoring Program

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VSTE values human differences and welcomes diverse voices that help us serve our membership, students, and teachers across the Commonwealth better. For over a year, the Ad Hoc Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, co-chaired by Nicci Dowd and Amy Stewart, has been meeting and working on projects to further the participation of underrepresented groups in educational technology leadership across Virginia. Through the establishment of a mentoring program and planning targeted professional development activities, the members of the task force are giving their time and making a concerted effort to level the playing field and welcome new voices.

The task force is soliciting applicant for the Mentorship Program. This program, begun in 2019, is targeted towards minority educators so that the educational technology field in Virginia becomes diversified and inclusive for all people. This mentorship opportunity will pair non-minority/minority mentors with minority mentees. Learn more about the program here.

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