Join VSTE and Learning Forward for a joint Tweet Chat, May 13, 2019, 8:30 - 9:00 PM. We'll be discussing Rethinking Professional Learning in the Digital Age.
Live Events
Keith Reeves to Keynote LearnerPalooza 2019
Join us for the 6th annual gathering on June 10, 2019, at Lord Fairfax Community College in Middletown, Virginia. Rod Carnill, VSTE Board Vice Chair, is the lead planner for this annual event.
A palooza is defined as an exaggerated event, and LearnerPalooza 2019 is exactly that and maybe a little more although I could be exaggerating. Honestly, though, in the past six year, LearnerPalooza has become a VSTE co-sponsored edtech event of educators, by educators and for educators.
When we first started out, we wanted to provide a local and low key environment for educators from across the region to come together and share best practices, formative experiences, edtech tools and applications, and have some fun doing so. This year proves to perhaps be one of the best ever. I know I said that last year but this time I am not exaggerating when I tell you that edtech leaders will be at the forefront of the offerings this year.
Our keynote speaker, Keith David Reeves, is the VSTE Board chair. He is also the author of Insurrection: A Teacher Revolution in Defense of Children, a work on educational philosophy and pedagogy, and of Paperless Research Writing: Effective Digital Scaffolding for Academic Writing. He currently serves as Senior Instructional Technology Coordinator at Discovery Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, the largest Zero Energy elementary school ever constructed in the United States. He is a Certified Educational Technology Leader (CETL).
Jean Weller, a Teaching and Learning Technology Integration Specialist with the Virginia Department of Education, will provide updates from Richmond on current VDOE initiatives, especially #GoOpen. We will have an opportunity to explore the Virginia OER Commons website.
Karen Richardson, VSTE Executive Director and ISTE Certified Educator as well as Patrick Hausammann, VSTE Technology Coach of the Year and Google Certified Innovator will share their knowledge and expertise. Many other local teachers, ITRTs and technology coaches and Google Certified Trainers will provide experiences and insights on topics like classroom productivity, enhanced instruction, student content creation and, of course, with the usual throwbacks to the event's ‘GooglePalooza’ roots, the latest and greatest GSuite apps and extensions. This is ALL to help you place ‘Students First’ and engage in ‘Learning Forever’.
I hope to see you there! Remember to bring your own device and invite a friend to join you because we are always better together.
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VSTE Sponsoring NoVa Maker Educator Meetup
VSTE is proud to sponsor the 3rd NoVa Maker Educator Meetup held as part of Maker Faire NoVa. Join makers and educators from the state and region for a day of sharing and learning on June 2, 2019, at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia.
The meetup will last from 10 AM - 1 PM. The Maker Faire itself runs from 11 AM - 5 PM.
Sylvia Martinez, author of Invent to Learn, and George Meadows, professor of education from Mary Washington University, will keynote the meetup. In addition, lightning sessions, breakouts and workshops will provide an interactive element.
Interested in participating in the meetup? Use the form here to register and suggest topics. Meetup attendees must attend the Maker Faire but are eligible for a 50% discount on Maker Faire tickets.
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Brainstorm 2019 Schedule Available
Barbara Huth, Education Program Manager, Common Sense Education, will keynote the 8th annual Brainstorm Conference, April 12, 2019, at James Madison University. This event is a partnership of VSTE, SVTC and JMU M. Ed. in Educational Technology. Common Sense Education partners with school districts in DC, Maryland, Virginia and beyond to help educators and parents build the foundational digital citizenship skills for kids to utilize technology safely, responsibly and meaningfully.
Prior to joining Common Sense, Barbara was a National Board Certified Science Teacher. She holds a bachelor's degree in integrated health studies from Kent State University and a master’s degree in comprehensive science education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
The schedule is available and includes presenters from the region sharing their best practices and innovative uses of technology to support teaching and learning. eMedia VA and The Source for Learning will also join us for the day.
Morning beverages and lunch are provided.
Registration is open now and will sell out so reserve your seat for this opportunity to learn, share and grow!
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Free #GoOpen Regional Summit, June 14, 2019
Does it seem like everyone is talking about OER? Want to learn more about how OER can provide high quality, free resources for your school? Join VDOE and its partners in beautiful southwest Virginia to learn, share and grow.
David A. Wiley, Chief Academic Officer of Lumen Learning, Education Fellow at Creative Commons, and Adjunct Faculty of Instructional Psychology & Technology at Brigham Young University, will provide the keynote for the #GoOpen SWVA Summit being sponsored by The Virginia Department of Education, VSTE, UVA Wise, and Old Dominion University. This event will be held June 14, 2019, in Abingdon, Virginia, to bring together technology and curriculum leaders to discuss current successes and challenges in implementing the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) as curriculum.
The full schedule is available now.
#GoOpen Regional summits are intended for new districts who have recently committed to become a #GoOpen Launch district or are curious about making a scalable transition to openly licensed educational resources.
With all of the sessions that will be offered, school divisions are encouraged to send a team of up to 8-10 individuals so you don't miss anything! Teams should consist of division leaders, school based administrators, technology coaches, instructional coaches and teacher leaders.
Please share the flyer with your colleagues!
This event is free with morning beverages, lunch and an afternoon snack provided.
Thanks for the support from MyVRSpot we will be recording and archiving this event.
Lodging:
We have not reserved a specific hotel block, but there are a variety of low-cost lodging options in the Abingdon, Virginia, area. NOTE: Most hotels will provide the state rate for state employees as long as official ID is provided.
Hotels:
Hampton Inn, Abingdon
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Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Abingdon
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Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Abingdon
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Quality Inn & Suites
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Comfort Suites
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Hilton Garden Inn, Bristol
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