VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

Live Events

Leading ED Forum

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Registration has closed for this event.

Leading Ed Forum - Leading Education Forward

Leading Ed Forum 2023 Leading Education Forward Logo

Thursday, October 19, 2023
ACCA Shriner’s Center
1712 Bellevue Ave, Richmond, VA 23227

The Consortium for School Networking reports that over the past 10 years, the top challenge for EdTech leaders remains the same. Budget constraints and lack of resources were ranked the number one challenge in 2013, it still ranks as the number one challenge in 2023. However, some of the other top priorities have changed. The top three in 2013 were mobile learning, BYOD, and online assessment readiness. In 2023, cybersecurity tops the list, followed by network infrastructure, student data privacy, and security.

With budgets stretched thin and expectations at an all-time high, the return on investment looms large for school technology leaders. VSTE’s 2023 Leading Ed Forum will bring together all those with common concerns and needs so that we can focus on the future, finding ways to deliver ideas and strategies to set the stage for progress for the next decade one school year at a time.

Technology Directors from all regions of Virginia have identified their own greatest areas of concern:

  • Lack of qualified IT staff to support 1:1 computing programs and the division's IT infrastructure
  • Maintaining 1:1 with the financial cost of damaged/lost/missing devices
  • Cybersecurity and the need for division-wide education, training, and staff to support preparedness
  • Keeping pace with modern technology acceleration and the challenges related to emerging technologies including technical support staff and instructional implications for the use
  • Sustaining infrastructure after COVID
  • Standards of Quality funded positions for ITRT's and technicians, given the acceleration of technology, are not currently sufficient
  • Student data privacy!
  • Available and affordable internet at home for students and staff

This year’s Leading Ed Forum will draw together experienced leaders and current industry experts on these topics to assist school divisions in finding the best possible solutions and designing a path forward that honors the desire for educational opportunity with the stark realities of the challenges faced by those leading in education.

The Opening Session will start at 8:30 AM. The full schedule will be released at a later date. The attendee cost is $100.

Registration has closed for this event.

Incident Response is a Team Sport: A Cybersecurity Event

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According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), when it comes to cybersecurity, K-12 school divisions are “particularly lucrative targets due to the amount of sensitive student data accessible through school systems.”

Incident Response is a Team Sport is an event designed to provide participants with the opportunity to experience how a cybersecurity incident may unfold and how an Incident Response Plan can help minimize loss of information and disruption of services.  K-12 division-level leadership including superintendents, assistant superintendents, technology directors, network admins, and other critical staff who would be involved in incident response decisions should attend. The objective for the day is for schools to leave with a draft of an IRP if they do not already have one, or to refine the one they already have as a result of interacting with cybersecurity and legal experts throughout the day.

We will start the day with district teams engaging in a tabletop exercise to provide an opportunity for school division leaders to strengthen their cybersecurity program awareness, plans, decision-making process, and capabilities.  We will also use the tabletop exercise to determine key considerations for the core components of your division’s IRP.  During the time together, you will have an opportunity to review and update your Incident Response Plan with feedback from colleagues from other divisions as well as agency and organization cybersecurity experts.  It is recommended you register with your division team to get the most out of the tabletop exercise.  The afternoon sessions will provide breakout sessions geared toward the specific operational, legal, communications, and technical concerns of those in the crucial division-level leadership roles mentioned above.

To accommodate divisions in different geographical regions, the event will be offered twice once on March 14th at Richard Bland College of William and Mary in South Prince George, and again with the same agenda on March 30th at the New College Institute in Martinsville.  It is strongly recommended that you register with a team from your division.  Lunch will be provided.

Register your team for the Richard Bland College event on March 14th or the New College Institute event on March 30th by pointing your browser to bit.ly/incident-response-23.

Seas the Day: Limited Time for Super Early Bird Pricing

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Super Early Bird Registration for the VSTE Annual Conference ends on September 30th.

 

Super Early Bird is the best pricing for conference attendees but the savings will not last. Prices increase on October 1st for the full conference, multi-day, and single-day registrations for the annual conference.

 

Visit vsteconference.org and register today!

Leading ED Forum Fall 2022 Registration Closed

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Leading ED Forum New College Institute Martinsville, VA 13 October 2022Join VSTE and the Virginia Department of Education for the Leading Ed Forum, on October 13, 2022, at the New College Institute, Martinsville, Virginia.

Registration has closed.

Schedule for Registered Attendees

Places to Stay Near New College Institute

Learn More about Visiting Martinsville

Posted by Rod Carnill. Rod is the Executive Director of VSTE. Connect with Rod via Twitter @rodcarnill

Seas the Day: VSTE 2022 Registration & Call for Proposals Open Now

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Conference LogoSeas the Day and Dive into Learning with VSTE 2022

VSTE 2022 will be held at the Virginia Beach Convention Center from December 4-6, 2022. Super early bird registration is open now along with the call for proposals. Whether you are a first-time attendee or a seasoned veteran, you will discover a wealth of learning opportunities ready for your consideration and implementation.

VSTE 2022 will be mostly face to face but will offer a virtual option with limited seating.

Learn More About Registration

One of the best parts of the VSTE conference (besides the M&Ms and ribbons, of course) are the presenters who share their expertise with the attendees. We are able to offer presenters a discounted rate for the entire conference as we encourage them to be part of the full experience. We have detailed information about the types of presentations and the general conference schedule at the conference website.

Learn More About Presenting