VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

VSTE Annual Conference

2025 Outstanding Technology Teacher, Coach and Leader of the Year Award

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VSTE will recognize and honor Virginia Educators, Technology Coaches and Leaders who are VSTE members or at least 30 days prior to nomination and who have demonstrated outstanding achievement and leadership in implementing technology to improve education. Award recipients will be selected from a pool of nominations submitted by VSTE members from around Virginia.

Nominations will be accepted from June 1 - September 21, 2025. Nominations will be reviewed by the VSTE Awards Committee and past winners. Select nominators will be contacted in early October to provide additional evidence and documentation. Nominators are encouraged to work with the nominee to gather this additional information.

Decisions will be made prior to the VSTE Annual Conference. Award winners will be recognized during a general session at the annual conference. They are also provided with a complimentary conference registration and three nights of hotel accommodations for the annual conference. This year's conference will be held December 7-5, 2025, in Virginia Beach, VA.

The Awards Committee uses the VSTE certified coach standards developed with ForwardEdge as the basis for judging the Outstanding Technology Coach awards. Please review the appropriate standards when preparing nomination materials. Nominees are rated solely using criteria identified in the rubric.

Please use this form to nominate a technology coach for this award.

More information about the ForwardEdge Core of Coaching,  ISTE Standards for Educators, ISTE Standards for Education Leaders.

Questions should be addressed to awards@vste.org.

New VSTE Conference Lead Named

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The Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) is proud to announce that Heather Hurley has been named the organization's next Conference Lead, beginning July 1, 2025. Heather currently serves as Assistant Principal of a virtual elementary school and brings deep expertise in instructional technology, professional learning, and large-scale event planning.Heather Hurley headshot

Heather has long been a dedicated member of the VSTE community, having served as a Board Member, Presentations Chair, and Exhibits Lead for the annual conference. Her leadership extends nationally through her work with ISTELive, where she has held multiple roles in conference planning and content development.

"Heather's deep knowledge of instructional technology and her proven leadership in local and national arenas make her an ideal fit to lead the VSTE Annual Conference," said Craig Spraggins, outgoing Conference Lead and incoming Executive Director. "She understands the value of connection, innovation, and meaningful professional learning."

Heather will officially begin her tenure as Conference Lead on July 1, 2025.

Ken Shelton VSTE22 Keynote Speaker

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Ken (He/Him/His) currently holds an M.A. in Education with a specialization in Educational Technology as well as New Media Design and Production. He has worked as an Educator for over 20 years and spent most of his classroom experience teaching technology at the Middle School level. As a part of his active involvement within the Educational Technology community, Ken is an Apple Distinguished Educator, a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, and a Google Certified Innovator.

Ken has worked extensively at the policy level with a number of State Departments of Education, Ministries of Education, and non-profit organizations. Ken was appointed to the Education Technology Task Force formed by a previous California State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Ken regularly gives keynotes, presentations, consults, and leads workshops, covering a wide variety of Educational Technology, Equity and Inclusion, Anti-Bias/Anti-Racist, Multimedia Literacy, Cultural Intelligence, Visual Storytelling, and Instructional Design topics. Ken is the International Society for Technology in Education Digital Equity Professional Learning Network 2018 Excellence Award winner. Ken is the International Society for Technology in Education 2022 Making IT Happen Award winner due to his extraordinary commitment, leadership, courage, and persistence in improving digital learning opportunities for students. Because of his extensive and broad impact, Ken has also been named by EdTech Magazine as an influencer to follow.

Learn more about Ken

Register for VSTE22

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!