Virginia Society for Technology in Education
In the April 2021 edition of the VSTE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Webinar, Dr. Penni Sweetenburg-Lee, Director of Training & Alumni Development Programs for the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities, discusses the organization's work and the services they provide to the people of Virginia.
The webinar is hosted by Dr. Nicci Dowd.
On May 17, 2021 (note NEW date), 
on the Virtual Environment Professional Learning Network (VE PLN) sim on Second LIfe, Dr. William Schmachtenberg (Dae Miami SL) will present data from high school students and how well they did with outside activities, creative projects, and traditional assignments such as watching a video or doing a worksheet.
Please join us at 8 PM ET. This is part of our series: A report from the front lines, teaching in schools during COVID. Dr. Schmachtenberg teaches Earth Science at Franklin County High School and is an innovator in virtual environments and virtual reality.
Second Life is a virtual environment and requires an avatar to participate. Use the information below to create an account and get your avatar to the VE PLN sim.
Basic directions to join VSTE Space
If you don't have a Second Life account get one, it's free. We recommend setting one up at the Rockcliffe University Consortium's Gateway here: https://urockcliffe.com/reg/
Download and install Second Life viewer software. You will be directed to download the Second Life viewer but we prefer the Firestorm viewer at https://www.firestormviewer.
When you are ready to join us, while your Second Life viewer (software) is open, click this link http://maps.secondlife.com/
VSTE partner, SVETC, is excited to present the 10th Annual Brainstorm Conference, coming April 13-17, 2021.
Brainstorm 2021 will be a fully-virtual Ed Tech Conference designed to motivate educators to innovate their classrooms and integrate ed-tech tools. Presenters and keynote speakers will focus on the future of Ed Tech in education and strategies, tools, and resources to transform classrooms to meet the needs of the 21st-century learner.
The conference will be powered by the Canvas Platform from Virtual Virginia and will feature:
Learn more on the SVETC website and view the Brainstorm 2021 Schedule.
And follow the conference and our participants on social media using the hashtag #vabrainstorm21
There are two registration options for this conference:
Register NOW for Brainstorm 2021. Registration will close on Friday, April 9th, 2021.
Don’t forget to invite your friends, colleagues, and/or team members to join you for this wonderful learning experience!
VSTE is thrilled to partner with TCEA to offer an exciting virtual learning experience just for elementary educators!
Are you the kind of elementary educator who’s always looking for bright new ways to grow learning? Know someone who is? If so, we have an event that’s perfect for you.
Our friends at TCEA invite you to be a part of the online 2021 Elementary Technology Conference. This is the summer’s hottest education event, the perfect way to chill out with your peers online, earn professional learning credit hours, and gather a batch of new ideas:
Soak up summer learning and get powerful, specific resources for your grade level or specialization, and renew your commitment to PreK–5 education. Don’t forget to invite your friends, colleagues, or team members to register!
Elementary Expertise: While you are waiting for June, check out these PreK-5 resources from TCEA.
Join VSTE's dynamic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee for two webinars in March, both presented by committee members. Free and open to all.
Share Your Story, Get That Job
March 17, 12:30 PM
Katie Fielding, Instructional Technology Coach, Prince William County Public Schools, will provide tips and techniques for creating a compelling portfolio.
Has the past year made you think about changing schools, changing roles, or moving into educational leadership? Do you remember making a portfolio in your education program that involved a lot of page protectors and slipping in pieces of evidence? Or maybe you haven’t given your digital portfolio an update in a while. Join me for guidance on creating a portfolio strong both visually and content wise that will allow you to “Share Your Story, Get that Job”.
Being the Calm in the Storm
March 3, 2021, 9:30 AM
Amy Stewart, Virtual Academy Principal, Colonial Heights Public Schools will discuss “Being the Calm in the Storm.” This webinar will highlight ways to maintain calm, transparency, and control during times of technological difficulties.
