Virginia Society for Technology in Education
VE PLN Tonight at 8 PM
What are you reading?
VSTE members read books, blogs, magazines, journals, newspapers, websites, and more, from novels to the backs of cereal boxes. Join Beth Ghostraven as we discuss what we're reading, and how we get news about education in virtual worlds. Meet at the VSTE Island Community Center in Second Life.
Join the Google Plus community to learn more about the Virtual Environments PLN.
What Can You Expect to Learn During the series of 3 District Digital Conversion webinars?
Learn how key findings from Project Red have influenced the 10 Lessons Learned in the McGraw Hill Education Digital Conversion Framework. Find out key considerations when creating a sustainable, digital ecosystem.
During the first webinar, we will work through the framework and unpack two-three of the key lessons learned and how they impact digital conversion.
During the next two webinars, we’ll build on those lessons learned and work through the rest. Whether your district is in the architecture phase, have rolled out a 1:1 initiative already, or don’t know where to begin, the Lessons Learned can assist all districts.
You’ll also learn how McGraw Hill Education has partnered with Future Ready Schools and exclusive offers to Future Ready districts. Participants are encourage to ask questions and will be asked to provide feedback on their successes, challenges, and asked to participate in polling questions throughout the webinar.
Celebrate Digital Learning Day with VSTE Winners
Virtual Panel Discussion: Leadership and Innovation in the Commonwealth
Thursday, March 12, 2015, 7:30 - 8:30 PM
VSTE and the Virginia Department of Education are co-sponsoring this free webinar that will feature VSTE's 2014 award winners discussing how they lead and innovate in their schools divisions. An hour of innovation and inspiration!
Speakers:
We'll meet in our Adobe Connect Room: http://vste.adobeconnect.com/vstelive
Connected Educator Month 2015 Webinars
Wednesday, October 21, 7 PM: Learning and Making
Join Meg Swecker and Tina Coffey from Roanoke County to learn how they are implementing engineering and design through makerspaces.
Missed It? You can listen to the archived recording here.
Monday, October 26, 8 PM: Minecrafting History: Iterative learning, virtual environments and you
Join educators from The Madeira School as they share how Minecraft can be used as a meaningful tool for curriculum and student engagement in the history classroom. It will also discuss the importance of virtual environments, world building and citizenship as part of a social sciences course. There will be classroom examples, lesson artifacts and student observations regarding their experiences in-game to help demonstrate why the Minecraft enabled classroom offers a safe, iterative environment as well as meaningful learning experiences for students of all levels of digital literacy.
Missed It? You can listen to the archived recording here and view the interactive Sway presentation here.
Wednesday, October 28, 7 PM: Coding for Students and Teachers
Join Marnie Hawk from Loudoun County and Charles Hinsch from Virginia Beach as they talk about how they are implementing coding programs for students and teachers. Marnie will describe the C.A.M.S. pilot program at Blue Ridge Middle School while Charlie discusses his work with teaching programming to adults as part of professional development.
Missed it? You can listen to the archived recording here.
Celebrate Digital Learning Day with VSTE Winners
Virtual Panel Discussion: Leadership and Innovation in the Commonwealth
Thursday, March 12, 2015, 7:30 - 8:30 PM
VSTE and the Virginia Department of Education are co-sponsoring this free webinar that will feature VSTE's 2014 award winners discussing how they lead and innovate in their schools divisions. An hour of innovation and inspiration!
Speakers:
Virtual Panel: Ed Tech Planning, Tuesday, February 17, 2015, 7 PM
Join VSTE Board members Becky Fisher (Albemarle County), Michael George (Fredericksburg City) and Karen Streeter (Portsmouth) to learn more about how to engage in effective technology planning at the division level.
Archived Recording
Minecraft in the Classroom, November 3, 2014, 7 PM
Join us to hear from educators who are using Minecraft with elementary students in engaging and exciting ways. Panelists include third grade teacher Mary O’Brien who uses Minecraft in her third grade classroom in Maine, technology associate Trish Cloud who works with elementary students in North Carolina and was instrumental in introducing Minecraft to the Charlotte Mecklenburg schools, and fourth grade teacher Xavier Flores who uses Minecraft in a wide variety of ways with his students. This promises to be a lively conversation! Free and open to all. Archived Recording
Tuesday, April 8, 2014, 8 p.m. - Technology to Help Change Lives at Your Library
VSTE Board member Kelly Miller will host this webinar to celebrate AASL’s 2014 School Library Month -Lives change @ your library. Although the role of school librarians in the digital age has fundamentally not changed, the needs of the changing school library environment have. Come hear about some of the newest tools, methods and devices that school librarians are using to change lives. We will discuss topics such as how to manage mobile devices; how to use social media for professional growth and for promotion and tools to support digital literacy and incorporate digital content into the library media center. Archived Recording
Makerspace Price List
Wednesday, February 5, 2014, 8 PM
Digital Learning Day
Why Digital Learning? with VSTE Award Winners Wendy Phillips and Richard Pierce
Archived Recording
Thursday, January 23, 2014, 4 PM
Cabinets of Wonder in Your Kids’ Century: The Art of Digital Curation
Ira David Socol, Senior Provocateur at Educology Partners and Design 2015 Project Manager, Albemarle County Public Schools
The most important skill of this century is the effective curation - both individuals and as a community - of the flood of information currently available. In the past curation was an adult activity - textbook authors and publishers, school librarians, local newspaper and television editors, and teachers selected what students were exposed to.
But today all of that has been destroyed by a firehose of data arriving 24/7 via all kinds of devices, so all the needs of your students have changed.
With a nod to the book WonderStruck, we will explore building student curation skills today, as well as the “instructional tolerance” and universal design concepts which are necessary to yield this control to students. Keep your twitter feed, you news feed, your YouTube channel, and all on, and join us.
Archived Recording
Wednesday, October 23, 8 PM
Integrating Technology in the Math Classroom
VSTE (The Virginia Society for Technology in Education) has partnered with VAASCD to present a webinar related to math instruction and technology.
Join us for a lively discussion around the use of technology to support effective math instruction. We will be welcoming a panel of math specialists and teachers who will share their strategies for integrating technology. The panel will include:
Suyi Chuang, Math Supervisor, Loudoun County Public Schools
Barry Smith, Teacher, AP Calculus/Math Analysis, Goochland County Public Schools
Michael Snyder, Robotics & Computer Science, Flint Hill School
Cassandra Willis, Educational Specialist, K-5 Mathematics, Henrico County Public Schools
This webinar will be held in VSTE’s Adobe Connect Room:http://vste.adobeconnect.com/vstelive. Invite your favorite math teacher to attend with you! Archived Recording
Thursday, October 17, 2013, 8 PM: Hackerspace Conversation
Join long time VSTE member and conference committee member Tim Stahmer to learn about the Hackerpapce, an exciting new feature of the upcoming annual conference. The hackerspace will be an informal area in the conference center where we’ll explore the many ways that educators are adapting hardware, software, the web, the world to meet their needs. There will be demonstrations, hands-on experiences, and opportunities to connect with others experimenting with new ideas to actively involve kids in their learning.
That’s our idea of what Hackerspace should be. What’s yours? Come to the webinar to learn more and share your own ideas of what this space should include. YouTube Archive
Monday, October 21, 2013, 3:30 PM: Talking About Learning
With the pressure of high stakes testing, it can be easy to lose sight of students and their learning. How do we ensure that students and their learning are consistently primary in decision-making? How can we avoid language, organizational structures, and processes that fail to keep student learning at the heart of the school in the face of sometimes-daunting non-educational considerations? Join VSTE Board members Becky Fisher and Keith Reeves in a conversation about learning.
YouTube Archive
Tuesday, September 19, 2013, 8 PM: A Domain of One’s Own
VSTE Board Member Tim Owens will host the first webinar of the fall. Come hear about an exciting new project from the University of Mary Washington that is giving every new student their own domain and web space to build out their digital identity on the web. The panel will discuss the importance of these digital literacy skills and how the role of schools in nurturing and guiding students to reclaim their online presence in a safe environment that puts the ownership and control in the hands of students. YouTube Archive
Thursday, May 16, 2013, 8 PM: Motivating the Reluctant Reader through Technology
“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.” – Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde has it right and all readers can easily relate to this quote. But, what about those students who are reluctant to read, or worse yet, don’t read at all. What does it say about them? What about their future? Not only does it scare us to think about our students’ futures without a desire to read, but also it saddens us to think about all that they will miss because not one teacher could create the magic that ignites the passion for reading. In this presentation, which uses the 10 principles for motivating reluctant readers cited in the article written by Pamela Allyn, Taming the Wild, I will share technology apps, web sites and programs that create a supportive environment for the reluctant reader and also instill that important passion for reading. Over 25 apps, web sites and programs will be shared. They will then each be discussed in relation to one of the 10 principles for motivating reluctant readers. It is no longer acceptable to say “technology will change education in the future.” The future is here, the future is now and technology has changed education. Presenter Rob Furman from South Park Elementary Center in Pennsylvania will share ideas on how to motivate the reluctant reader through apps, websites/programs that create a supportive environment and instill that important passion for reading. Archived Recording
Thursday, May 9, 2013, 8 PM: Mobile Learning Open Mic: Supporting Projects with Mobile Devices
Teachers from Jamestown Elementary School shared their student projects. Archived Recording
Thursday, April 18, 2013, 8 PM: The Future is Here: Engaging Students through Gesture-Based Learning
Monica Kissel and Adina Popa from Loudoun County Public Schools, both Innovative Educators of the Year, will discuss kinesthetic learning. Sponsored by the Innovations Committee. How do we engage our 21st Century students? How do we help them understand that the material covered in class is relevant to their lives? In his book “Motivating Students to Learn,” Jere Brophy suggests that students learn best when they are actively engaged with the content. Through kinesthetic learning, they develop lasting skills that many times translate into higher levels of student achievement. But how does kinesthetic learning look in a 21st Century classroom? The answer is simple: gesture-based learning. Does this initiative belong to the future? Not according to the 2011 Horizon Report which highlights Gesture-Based Computing as one of the six emerging technologies that will likely enter mainstream use within the next four to five years. The purpose of this session is to identify current technologies that employ gesture recognition, and then present innovative and replicable ways through which these technologies have been used at Steuart Weller Elementary. From turning shy students into persuasive public speakers through Avatar Kinect, to opening a world of possibilities to students with special needs though Kinect Adventures, to saving animal species with partner classrooms across the globe using multiple technologies, to exergaming, children have been immersed in a world of learning that they love. Attendees learn not only what relevant technologies are available, but also how to use these technologies in any curriculum area. Archived Recording
Wednesday, April 10, 2013, 4 PM: Can You Hear Me Now? Integrating Audio in the Classroom - Chris & Melissa Bugaj
Enter the podosphere to discover a wide array of free podcasts that can be used to differentiate instruction for learners of all ages. From listening stations for students to providing multi-modal professional development for staff, podcasts allow people to capitalize on the shortage of our most precious commodity; time. Partake in the discussion, share your favorite podcasts, learn how to search and subscribe to podcasts, and discover new ways to implement audio into your learning environments.Archived Recording PowerPoint
Thursday, March 21, 2013, 8 PM: Awaken Learning with Augmented Reality Apps
Augmented Reality is an exciting new technology that layers the digital world on top of what we usually see. Watch your students’ faces light up when they see the 3D images pop up on screen. Let’s talk about some augmented reality apps that are easy to use and how students and teachers are using them. Stephanie Bass from Portsmouth Public School will reprise her popular conference presentation. Archived Recording PowerPoint
Wednesday, March 20, 2013, 4 PM: Xbox 360 & Avatar Kinect - Chris Bugaj, Karen Dietrich, Tara Jeffs
Research shows that the best learning environments are those in which the students are engaged, active, and moving. In 2012, Loudoun County Public Schools implemented a number of Xbox Kinect consoles for students with disabilities. Participants in this session will learn about the positives and pitfalls of the implementation process as well as the progress made by students using the technology. The session will include a discussion of technical and environmental considerations, account creation, avatar generation and customization, games selection, online collaboration and communication (using Avatar Kinect), and case studies describing specific IEP goal progressions and comparisons. Let’s play! Archived Recording PowerPoint
Thursday, March 14, 2013, 8 PM: iPad Deployment
Come join us as information, resources, and lessons learned are shared concerning iPad Deployment in our school district. Presented by: William Waller, Technology Services Coordinator, Richmond City Public Schools and VSTE Board member. Archived Recording PowerPoint
Wednesday, March 13, 2013, 4 PM: The Great Eight - Eight (or Ten) of our favorite strategies for differentiating instruction - Chris Bugaj & Sally Norton Darr
Technology provides educators with an wide array of possible interventions when a student begins to demonstrate difficulty achieving learning objectives. How does one choose which tool to put in place to achieve a given task? This session will explore eight (or more) free (or close to free) strategies that can be used to increase accessibility and student performance following a simple strategy for tool selection. Turn around and use these strategies, already at your fingertips, tomorrow to help students meet their educational goals. Archived Recording PowerPoint
Thursday, February 21, 2013, 8 PM: Paperless Research Papers
Keith Reeves from Arlington Schools
Students will take advantage of the Google Docs platform within the Google Apps for Education environment to research, draft, refine, and author research papers. Tailored to the high school level primarily, the model instructed (the Moulen-Reeves Model) can be utilized with some modification at the middle school level as well. Having used the model successfully in both special education, general, and gifted environments, the model provides scaffolding and organization for students free of paper and utilizing the advantages of the cloud and digital collaboration. Archived Recording
Thursday, January 17, 2013, 8 PM: Criminal or Inventive: Dispelling myths about using copyright materials in education.
Join Michael George from Fredericksburg City Schools for a conversation about copyright. He will dispel a few myths and provide tips for staying legal. We will also celebrate the 10th anniversary of Creative Commons. Michael George’s Copyright Website Archived Recording
Thursday, January 10, 2013, 8 PM: iLearn, Learning Snapshots from an Elementary iPad Program
What does it look like when students are engaged in creating their own expressions of learning with multimedia on the iPad? Come learn how you can use the iPad for student productivity,
creativity, and multimedia. We will discuss classroom management strategies and apps to use for creativity, productivity, and student publishing. Participants will learn how to use this media-rich resource effectively with students it the classroom. Presented by: Camilla Gagliolo, Instructional Technology Coordinator, Arlington Public Schools, Apple Distinguished Educator, Class of 2007, and Mobile Learning SIG President Archived Recording
Thursday, December 13, 8 PM: VSTE Conference Open Mic
Exciting, Igniting and Inspiring Sessions from the VSTE Conference
The VSTE12 Conference provided many opportunities for igniting ideas, plans and resources for learning. This webinar will be a great time to share resources and ideas inspired by the conference. Participate in the webinar as we have open mic time for sharing ideas you are excited about. You’ll need a headset mic to be part of voice chat or you can share in the text chat. Either way, come by for an informal evening of sharing! Archived Recording
Thursday, November 15, 8 PM: Using Virtual Worlds as a Tool for Project-Based Learning
Peek inside two project-based programs within NIAUniverse: daVinci Worlds and the RealWorld-InWorld NASA Engineering Design Challenge (RWIW). Within daVinci Worlds, elementary, middle and high school students team to synthesize and organize their learning by constructing knowledge spaces in this virtual world setting. In RWIW, college engineering students virtually mentor middle and high school students to refine NASA-inspired engineering design solutions. Steps of the engineering design process are displayed and models built InWorld. Join Sharon Bowers from Virginia Beach City Public Schools to learn how this space is used to support constructivist, student-centered learning.Archived Recording
Thursday, October 18, 8 PM: Kids Creating Games
I am an elementary grade teacher or I am a teacher educator; I teach math and science; no I am an art teacher and I work with special ed students in social studies. No matter how I may describe myself, Scratch can be infused in any content or grade level or ability. Longwood University’s Institute for Teaching through Technology has collaborated with teachers in using Scratch in HP and national funded projects. The presentation will include why, how, and what of Scratch implementation in classrooms. Dr. Mano Talaiver from Longwood University has been working with middle and high school students to create digital games as part of a National Science Foundation funded project. They are doing exciting things with programs like Scratch. Come hear about their work! Archived Recording
Thursday, September 20, 8 PM: BYOD: Lessons Learned and What’s Next?
When it comes to allowing students to bring their own technology to school, we are just getting started, especially when it comes to making good use of the devices for instruction. Join us to discuss how some Virginia school divisions including Fairfax County and Virginia Beach City have implemented BYOD as well as some ideas for helping teachers understand how the technology can enhance student learning. Archived Recording Virginia Beach Presentation Fairfax Presentation
Tuesday, August 14: Special Issues: Teacher Evaluation
Last year, the Virginia Board of Education approved revised guidelines and evaluation criteria for teachers. The guidelines and standards became effective on July 1, 2012. What are school divisions doing to implement these new standards?
VSTE will help answer that question and provide time for discussion at a special webinar on August 14 at 8 PM. We are pleased to welcome three state leaders to help facilitate this discussion:
Dr. Barbara Gruber, VSTE Board Member and Technology Resource Specialist from Loudoun County
Becky Fisher, VSTE Board Member and Director of Educational Technology and Professional Development from Albemarle County, and
Dr. Matt Haas, Assistant Superintendent for Organizational and HR Leadership from Albemarle County
Thursday, May 17: From Vision to Practice: A Model 21st Century Classroom
Sponsored by the VSTE innovations Committee
Join ITRT Bea Cantor and high school teacher Erin Yearout-Patton as they have met a vision for a twenty-first century learning environment with flexible, student-centered pedagogy and a combination of furniture placement, online tools, IWB, and more. Archived Recording
Thursday, April 19: MOOCS
Tom Woodward, Assistant Director for Instructional Technology at Henrico County Public Schools, will introduce us to Massive Online Open Courses. What are they and what can K12 teachers learn from them? Both professional development and concrete classroom applications will be explored. Archived Recording
Thursday, March 15: Google Earth
Mike Scott, Instructional Technology Resource Teacher in Botetourt County Schools and VSTE Board member, will provide an overview of Google Earth as well as tips for using it in instruction. Archived Recording
Special edition of VSTELive! February 25, 10 AM with Dr. Richard Ingram, James Madison University
Powerpoint, with a new minty flavor. Discover PechaKucha. Have you ever experienced the proverbial “Death by Powerpoint”? Have you ever been responsible for creating such a calamity? Then this is the session for you. Have you ever eaten a Peppermint Patty on a cold day? That’s sort of what PechaKucha does for your PowerPoint presentations. A breath of fresh air. It makes your old (and new PowerPoints) a little more interesting, and maybe even a bit refreshing. PK is a style or presentation that lets you and your students experience those staid old PowerPoint presentations in a creative new way. Are you up to the challenge? This webinar session explores PechaKucha – what it is, when to use it, and how to create it. Most of all, it prepares you to participate in the PechaKucha challenge to be featured during the upcoming JMU/VSTE Brainstorm on March 24 at JMU. There could be prizes…. Archive Video LInks Web Resources
Thursday, February 16: Comics, Graphic Novels, Storyboarding and Video for the 21st Century
Mark Geary, Assistant Professor of Technology and Literacy at Dakota State University will discuss how to help students visually express their ideas using create comics or storyboards to tell a story or illustrate a topic. ArchivePresentation URL
Digital Learning Day, February 1, 2012
Ena Wood, Arlington Schools: Archive
David Rankin, Chesterfield County Schools: Archive
Gigi Badawi, Chesapeake Schools plus Mobile Learning SIG: Archive
Thursday, January 19: QR Codes: What’s Black and White and Promotes Collaboration?
Mike Speidel, Staff Developer from Loudoun County Schools, and Derek Kaufman, Technology Resource Teacher, Loudoun County Schools, will provide ideas for using QR Codes in the classroom to enhance teaching and learning. Archived Recording
PowerPoint Presentation
Thursday, December 15: Top 25 Websites For Teaching and Learning: We are pleased to welcome Heather Moorefield Lang, Education and Applied Social Sciences Librarian at Virginia Tech, who will take us on a tour of the top 25 websites in the areas of teaching and learning as designed by the American Association of School Librarians Best Websites Committee. Archived Recording
Thursday, November 17: Conference Preview: This webinar will feature a preview of the upcoming annual conference. Come learn more about Virginia’s premiere educational technology conference. Archived Recording
Thursday, October 20: When Kids Bring Their Own: This session will focus on division level initiatives related to students bringing their own devices. Several school divisions including Fairfax and York Counties will be featured. Come with your questions and stories as we explore this new world where the kids “bring their own.” Archived Recording
Thursday, September 15: Gear Up for the New Year With VSTE: Facilitated by Karen Richardson and other board members, the first part of this webinar will provide an overview of VSTE events and networking resources. During the second half, Tim Stahmer and Anita Harris will host a conversation about how to create and maintain your online learning network. Participants will have an opportunity to share their own favorite websites and apps that keep them connected as well as tips for how to manage time and information online. Archived Recording
Wednesday, August 24, 2011, 6:30 PM: Podcasting Polka with Chris Bugaj Participants will partake in a lively discussion about podcasting and how this powerful tool can be used as both as a professional development tool as well as a way to engage a variety of learners. Participants will walk away from the session with the ability to download a podcast, create their own podcast, and use other podcasts to improve professional development initiatives in their districts or organizations. Archived Recording
Webinar Archives:
Thursday, March 14, 2013, 8 PM: iPad Deployment
Come join us as information, resources, and lessons learned are shared concerning iPad Deployment in our school district. Presented by: William Waller, Technology Services Coordinator, Richmond City Public Schools and VSTE Board member. Archived Recording PowerPoint
Thursday, January 10, 2013, 8 PM: iLearn, Learning Snapshots from an Elementary iPad Program
What does it look like when students are engaged in creating their own expressions of learning with multimedia on the iPad? Come learn how you can use the iPad for student productivity, creativity, and multimedia. We will discuss classroom management strategies and apps to use for creativity, productivity, and student publishing. Participants will learn how to use this media-rich resource effectively with students it the classroom. Presented by: Camilla Gagliolo, Instructional Technology Coordinator, Arlington Public Schools, Apple Distinguished Educator, Class of 2007, and Mobile Learning SIG President Archived Recording
April 12, 2012, 7 PM Webinar
Digital Storytelling with iPads
Photos, video, animation, sound, music, text, and narration…bring all of these together as students create and collaborate. Katie Neville, Vice President of VSTE’s Mobile Learning Special Interest Group, and Laura Briggs, VSTE Board Director, share strategies for engaging students in research, writing, and using their imaginations! The webinar will be held in our Adobe Connect Room. Thanks to Adobe for providing our room! Archived Recording Presentation Website
March 14, 2012, 7 PM Webinar
Reading, Writing and Publishing on the iPad, Camilla Gagliolo, Mobile Learning SIG President
Learn how students use apps to access interactive books, conduct research, create books and publish their own products and eBooks on the IPad. We will discuss apps to use and strategies to use in the classroom. Camilla is Instructional Technology Coordinator for Arlington Public Schools. The webinar will be held in our Adobe Connect Room. Thanks to Adobe for providing our room! Archived Recording NOTE: You can continue this conversation atVSTEOnline!
March 28, 2012, 7 PM Webinar
Mobile Math
Goochland County Public Schools has been using mobile devices since the days of the iPod Classic. This year, Goochland County has deployed a combination of devices (iPod Touch and iPad) both at the elementary and secondary level. Bea Cantor, Goochland County ITRT and Mobile Learning SIG secretary will present this session. Some of Bea’s favorite apps focus on Math. Bea will share her favorite apps and how they can be used to design engaging learning activities. The webinar will be held in our Adobe Connect Room. Thanks to Adobe for providing our room! Archived Recording
