VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

Events

Playing in the Halls at the VSTE Conference

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Most education conferences have a typical structure, with one or two keynote talks for all attendees and the bulk of the time devoted to hour long lecture/demo sessions of varying sizes. Tech education conferences also feature longer, hands-on sessions.

At the VSTE Conference, we've been trying to shake up that model to encourage our members to interact with each other throughout the three days.


In the past few years we have been setting activities out in the halls, inviting people to stop, participate, ask questions and play. Like playing with robots or making collaborative music. Stay as long as you like with no set time commitment.

At this year's conference in Roanoke, we are planning two areas in the conference hall for these kinds of informal, interactive activities. Look for them in the program, or just stop by and join the learning.

In addition, we will be adding something new in the form of mini-unconferences. In the style of an edcamp, these will be sessions where the topics will be decided by you and the format is about conversation, rather than presentation.

All of this and much, much more will be packed into three days of great learning and collaboration at the Hotel Roanoke, December 3 - 5. Registration is now open, and it includes options for one or two days if you are unable to join us for the full conference.

We look forward to seeing you at VSTE 2017!

 

Student Showcase at the VSTE Conference

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One of the highlights of the VSTE Conference is always the opening day Student Showcase. Sunday afternoon we get to hear directly from students at area schools about what they are doing in their classrooms and how technology is making a difference in their learning and their lives.

From the 2016 Conference, here are a couple of examples featuring students in Virginia Beach schools.

First are some elementary students talking about the tools they use for collaborating with their peers on projects.

Next, some high school students talk about their robotics team projects and how they reach out to elementary schools to help them learn.

The VSTE Conference for 2017 is December 3-5 at the Hotel Roanoke and we are looking forward hearing from more talented students during the Sunday Student Showcase. Super early bird rates are only available for a few more days (until September 15), so make plans now to join us.

VSTE Keynote and Spotlight Speakers

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For the annual conference, we try to bring our members some of the most significant and influential voices in educational change. During the Sunday spotlight at VSTE 2016, we heard from Jaimie Casap, Google's Global Education Evangelist.

In his engaging and challenging talk, Jaimie discusses how our students will need to address global problems that we haven't even defined yet, and what we can do to help them learn the necessary skills to solve them.

Here is the video if you missed his talk, or if you would like to watch it again.

For VSTE 2017, our spotlight speaker will be Eric Sheninger, a Senior Fellow and Thought Leader on Digital Leadership with the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE). His work focuses on leading and learning in the digital age as a model for moving schools and districts forward. Sheninger is the author of the best selling book Digital Leadership.

At our Sunday spotlight we will hear from VSTE member Kim Wilkens, the founder of Tech-Girls, an organization with the mission of empowering girls to imagine and achieve their future in our tech-savvy world. Kim is the K-8 Computer Science Initiative Coordinator at St. Anne’s-Belfield School in Charlottesville.

Registration for VSTE 2017 is now open. Super Early Bird rates end soon, so make plans now to join us at the Hotel Roanoke, December 3-5.

One more reminder: the call for conference proposals closes in a little over a week, on September 15. Consider applying to be part of the conference.

Save the Month: #vstereads for Connected Educator Month

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Diane Harazin and Lynmara Colon from Prince William County Public Schools are leading our October book study. We'll be reading Learning Transformed: 8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow's Schools, Today by Eric C. Sheninger and Thomas C. Murray.

You can review the first webinar archive here. (The link will open in a new tab.)

We'll be using flipgrid to share thoughts about the book. (The link will open in a new tab.)

Reading Schedule:

  • Week 1/October 2nd- Chapters 1 &2
  • Week 2/October 9th- Chapters 3&4
  • Week 3/October 16th- Chapters 5&6
  • Week 4/October 23rd- Chapters 7&8

Activity Schedule:

  • October 4- #NovaEd Chat
  • October 5- Live Webinar
  • October 11 & 18- Flipgrip Interactions
  • October 25- Live Webinar
  • October 30- Write a Blog Post or Reflection
  • January 30- Post with Application

Participants in the Fall 2017 book study are able to earn 10 recertification points by participating in the synchronous and asynchronous events including:

  1. At least one of two live webinars (October 5, 7:30 PM & October 25, 7:30 PM) Webinars will be held in VSTE's Adobe Connect room: http://vste.adobeconnect.com/vstereads Choose guest login and enter your name the way you wish it to appear in the attendee list.
  2. #novaedchat Twitter Chat (October 4, 8:00 - 9:00 PM) You'll need a free Twitter account. Be sure to use the hashtag #novaedchat AND #vstereads. Here's a short tutorial about participating in Tweet Chats.
  3. Post to at least three of four flipgrid topics related to the book study. (Topics will be posted each week throughout the month of October, usually on Wednesdays.) The Flipgrid link is coming soon!

If you are interested, please complete the registration form.

 

We Need Your Session for VSTE 2017!

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Our annual conference is just a little over three months away, and anyone who has attended this event in past years can tell you to expect three packed days of learning, interaction, and fun. But that experience doesn’t happen by itself and the conference committee is now gearing up to put all the arrangements in place.

Makey Makey MusicHowever, what really makes a great conference is not noted keynote speakers (although we do have them) or a big vendor floor (also part of VSTE) or parties (are you ready for some karaoke?). No, a great conference is due to educators like you.

Teachers, librarians, TRTs, and other talented people who are willing to share their experience and knowledge with the larger VSTE community. The vast majority of VSTE sessions feature educators from all over Virginia who are working to improve the use of technology in our classrooms. They are largely responsible for making sure everyone leaves the conference with heads full of great ideas and renewed energy to help students become superpowered learners.

All which means we need you to submit a proposal to present at the conference. Yes, you!

No matter how long you’ve been an educator, you have experiences that can benefit your colleagues. Maybe it's a project or activity that makes great use of tablets. Or a new approach to using Google Drive. Or a new approach to creating a maker space that students flock to.

Don’t assume what you’re doing is old news, that everyone already knows about it. Your special expertise could help other VSTE members become better educators, and in turn, benefit their students. And don’t be afraid to consider creating a presentation out of that far-out idea you have in the back of your head. You may just find a like-minded community to help you expand even farther out!

So, how do you submit a session proposal for the VSTE conference? It’s easy.

First, decide whether your presentation will be a traditional one-hour lecture/demonstration or a two-hour fifteen minute BYOD hands-on session.

Then sit down and write an outline, maybe working with a colleague who will be your co-presenter.

Define the important parts of your presentation. Just as you would for a student lesson or activity, be clear about what you want your audience to know and be able to do when you finish.

Finally, write a good title and description for the program. One that will both tell readers what they will learn and also sell the session to your potential audience. The description should include both the tools and ideas you will share, and the technology standards you will be addressing.

Be specific about your audience. There are presentations that apply to general audiences, but many sessions work better when you plan with a specific subject area and grade level in mind. VSTE serves many different constituent groups and we want to make sure we have sessions that target specific needs, as well as sessions that apply to all.

And try to find ways to weave our theme, “SuperEmpowering Kids & Learning”, into your session description and title. Think of fun ways to incorporate the theme into your session! Spandex, capes, and superhero masks are optional.

Now that you have your great idea and session proposal, submit it here. (You’ll also be asked for some basic information about yourself.)

But get it done by September 15. Because December 3rd is coming fast. The planning committee is looking forward to reading your great idea for a session and adding it to the 2017 VSTE Conference program.