Virginia Society for Technology in Education
The 7th annual Brainstorm Conference, a partnership of VSTE, SVTC and JMUM. Ed. in Educational Technology, will be held Friday, April, 13, 2018, at Memorial Hall, James Madison University, 395 South High Street, Harrisonburg, Virginia.
This event is sold out.
While we hope everyone leaves the VSTE Conference with many new ideas to improve your professional practice, the best is always that one big "aha" that you can turn around and use immediately.
In this post, VSTE member Tracey Zaval talks about the great idea she brought back to her classroom from VSTE 2016.
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Last year I attended the VSTE conference for the first time. Not only was I looking forward to attending the conference as a presenter, I was also looking forward to the conference as an attendee. As I veteran teacher of 19 years, I know the mark of a great conference is one where you instantly get excited about something you learn and you can’t wait to get back into the classroom to try it out with your students, and I had high hopes for the VSTE conference. Well, let me tell you, that conference last year was a GREAT one!
One of the first sessions I attended was a “pop-up” session in the hall of the convention center. The one I attended taught participants about digital breakouts, a computer version of the very-popular escape room concept that require students to work collaboratively and think critically. I had never heard of digital breakouts but within 20 minutes of the presentation, I was excited and I was hooked. I couldn’t wait for the session to be over so I could start looking around the digital breakout site for myself to see how I could adapt their ready-made breakouts for my class.
As soon as the session was over, I found an empty table to sit at as I checked out the available resources on the digital breakout site. I very quickly decided I would need to create my own digital breakout in order to support my students’ learning, so I got right to work. There are a series of videos on that site that teach people how to make their own digital breakout - everything from how to build a google site, how to embed secret clues, and how to create a google form to house all the digital locks. I pretty much spent the next two days of the conference working on my digital breakout in between sessions until I had a finished product.
I debuted my first digital breakout, “It’s a Wrap”, in my classroom right before the winter holiday break. The premise of the breakout was to breakout out of the town that ran out of gift-wrapping paper and make it to the town of Wrappinville to buy more. My students had such a great time participating in this activity, they asked right away if they could do another one. At that point, I had already begun working on my next one, a content-related breakout involving James Madison as he was writing the U. S. Constitution. My students were so excited, three weeks later, when they got an attempt to break James Madison out of his office to help him find where he put his draft of the Constitution.
Since the conference, I have created three additional digital breakouts and each time I use one in class, my students’ excitement and engagement goes through the roof. I am so thankful I attended the VSTE conference last year. If there is anyone who is looking for a great conference to attend to enhance the use of technology in their classroom, the VSTE conference is exactly what you are looking for!
Tracy is an 8th grade civics teacher at Midlothian Middle School. Photos are of her students at work on their Breakout EDU.
Join us at VSTE 2017, December 3-5 at the Hotel Roanoke to discover your next big idea. Due to the size of the convention center, space is very limited and is filling fast. Register now!
The best reasons to attend the VSTE Conference are, of course, the many, many opportunities to learn and collaborate with your colleagues. But that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun during our three days in Roanoke.
To that end, we hope everyone will be able to join us for the annual VSTE Karaoke Night party. Sing along to your favorite tunes or just enjoy watching your friends warm up for their Voice audition. Either way, it is always a great evening.
Since our theme this year is about the superhero that is inside everyone, we also invite you to do a little cosplay and come to the party in costume. Whether you are channeling Batman or Ms. Marvel, or maybe you choose to go the alter-ego route and show up as Peter Parker or Diana Prince, this is always a highlight of the conference.
While the VSTE Conference is primarily about feeding your hunger for knowledge, we don’t ignore your need for real food (and snacks, of course). VSTE is one of the few conferences you will attend that goes all out to keep you fed.
Your Conference registration includes lunch all three days, snacks and beverages every afternoon, and lots of M&Ms, the official VSTE candy. And, since we are at the Hotel Roanoke, keep an eye out in the afternoon for their famous candied bacon. Because we know everything is better with bacon. But pay attention since this treat always goes quickly.
Registration for the 2017 VSTE Conference is now open but spaces are going fast. Because our Roanoke venue is smaller than in Virginia Beach, the number of people we can accommodate is also smaller. The conference will sell out.
So don’t delay. Register now and we’ll see you December 3 - 5 for lots of learning and fun in Roanoke.
VSTE and the Virginia Department of Education are partnering to present the Leading Ed Forum, a two-day conference for school division instruction and technology leaders including chief technology officers, technology directors, and superintendents. Session topics will focus on E-rate, digital equity, 1:1 initiatives, and student data privacy. Broadband connectivity will be a special focus on Friday, October 20.
The conference will be held October 19 - 20, 2017, 8:00 AM to 4 PM, at Daniel Technology Center, Germanna Community College, Culpeper, Virginia.
Two nationally known speakers will participate at the event.
Ryan Imbriale, Executive Director of Innovative Learning for the Baltimore County Public Schools, will provide a keynote to kick off the event on Thursday, October 19. Ryan is responsible for for leading the system’s digital conversion initiative, S.T.A.T. (Students and Teachers Accessing Tomorrow). Learn more about Ryan here.
Joe Freddoso, USAC consultant and co-founder and COO of Mighty River, will lead a panel discussion on Friday, October 20. Learn more about Joe here.
Lodging:
We have not reserved a specific block of rooms but there are a variety of reasonably priced hotels close to the campus:
VSTE is pleased to partner with Virginia's Google Educator Groups to present the premier G2 Super Hero Summits! These certification workshops are designed for those who have earned Google Level 1 Educator certifications and wish to expand their learning by taking the Level 2 exam.
Through the combination of online mentoring and face to face coaching, certified trainers will support your learning through an online study group, video tutorials, live tutoring as needed and a face to face bootcamp style review the morning before you take the exam.
The face to face summits will be held at three locations throughout the state on March 3rd:
Frederick County: Lord Fairfax Community College, Middletown Campus, Middletown, VA
Loudoun County: Mercer Middle School, Aldie, VA
Spotsylvania County: Riverbend High School, Fredericksburg, VA
Registration is $50 and includes the online mentoring and face to face summit. Breakfast and lunch will be provided at the summits. You may attend the summit without taking the exam in the afternoon.
Registration is open now.
