VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

VSTE News

Celebrate Digital Learning Day 2020

by

logo for eventVSTE is pleased to partner with the Virginia Department of Education and the Alliance for Excellent Education to sponsor several events for Digital Learning Day 2020. This year, the day will be held February 27, 2020.

VSTE and VDOE will be focusing on the #GoOpenVA OER initiative and portal that opened at the beginning of the year. For Digital Learning Day 2020, the VDOE and VSTE will highlight the #GoOpenVA open educational resources platform recently launched on January 24 with the following activities:

Graphic with details for Digital Learning Day

Check back for more information and keep an eye on the VSTE newsletter. Don't get the newsletter? It's part of the free VSTE membership. Learn more.

* When you click one of the links for a Zoom meeting, you will be asked for permission to open the Zoom application. If the software is not already installed on your computer, tablet, or phone, you will be asked for permission to download and install the free Zoom app.

Big Book Deal, February 1, 2020

by

Big Deal Media

 

VSTE partners with Big Deal Media to bring you carefully curated resources designed for K-12 educators. Grants, competitions, web-based and mobile resources and more. We select our favorites from each newsletter but be sure to scroll down and view the whole newsletter. And, since not all the Big Deal Book resources are time sensitive, we provide an archive for you to browse

This newsletter will help you Game Design Program, Digital Logic Games, Assistive Technology & More......

Nation’s Highest Honors for STEM Teaching

For more than 35 years, the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) have honored and inspired more than 5,000 teachers across the country. PAEMST are the highest honors bestowed by the United States government specifically for K–12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teaching. Awardees receive a trip to Washington, DC; a $10,000 award; and opportunities to network with colleagues from across the nation.

 

Worldwide Campaign to Engage Girls in Engineering

On February 20, 2020, DiscoverE’s Girl Day, thousands of people—engineers, educators, and others—will act as role models, facilitate engineering activities, and educate girls about how engineers change the world. Key findings from DiscoverE’s report Despite the Odds found that this simple formula helps girls develop an interest in engineering, builds confidence in their problem-solving skills, and creates a STEM identity.

 

Digital Program to Develop Math Thinkers

DreamBox Learning Math is the only K–8 digital math program powered by students, built by and for educators, and independently proven to positively impact student achievement. DreamBox dynamically adapts and differentiates in real time based not only on students’ answers but also on how they solve problems. By continually supporting all students at their right level, DreamBox is a powerful partner in every classroom, school, and district.

Big Book Deal, February 1st, 2020

The Archives

 

 

Minecraft Monday: Connect & Learn, February 3, 2020, 8 PM

by

Logo for EventJoin members of the VSTE Virtual Environments PLN on Monday, February 3, at 8 PM EST, when participants in the EVOMOOC (Electronic Village Online Massively Open Online Course) will visit VSTE Place, and Dakotah Redstone will provide them with a tour.

Electronic Village Online sponsors the MOOC, and this week, the participants are exploring the multi-player game Minecraft as a virtual world for learning. Many of participants are teachers, particularly language teachers, but some enjoy online gaming as a way of improving their English as a second language.  This MOOC is run by Vance Stevens, who is a member of the VSTE VE PLN.

Basic directions to join VSTE Place, VSTE’s Minecraft world:

You must have a Minecraft account from https://minecraft.net/en/ to join. There is a one time fee of $26.95 to download and install the software. You will need to be whitelisted to enter the VSTE server. Email Kim Harrison at K4sons@gmail.com from an educational email address with your real name and Minecraft account name.

Start the software and choose multiplayer and add a server: Name VSTE Place IP 69.175.17.26:25565

We use Discord to share voices in Minecraft. This is a voice and screen sharing application that will run on your computer or mobile device. Download and install it for free. Create an account. Many of us use the same name for our Discord account as our Minecraft account to keep things simple. Our channel is https://discord.gg/nDX4mZv It helps us to be able to play Minecraft in one screen and listen via Discord with earbuds or headphones.

#GoOpenVA Professional Development Resources

by

Go Open VA headerThe Virginia Society for Technology in Education has been working closely with the Department of Education to support the #GoOpenVA initiative, a collaborative initiative that enables educational entities throughout Virginia to create, share, and access openly-licensed educational resources (OER, also known as open education resources).

As part of the opening of the #GoOpenVA platform, where educators across the Commonwealth can create, share and remix openly licensed resources, VSTE has begun development of a Workshop In a Box to help technology coaches and other trainers introduce the platform to their faculty. The first module, which provides an overview of the platform, is available now. Subsequent modu les focusing on more detailed use of the platform are in development and will be available this spring.

While the Workshop is designed to be used directly by divisions, VSTE may be able to provide support for face to face and online trainings. Please contact Karen Richardson (karen_richardson@vste.org) with requests or questions.

Nominations for Board of Directors Open

by

VSTE members may nominate themselves or a colleague who belongs to VSTE to be considered for election to the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) Board of Directors for a three-year term.  This is an opportunity to become involved in the key decision-making group for the Virginia Society for Technology in Education.

Nominations for the 2020-2023 Board term will be open from Monday, January 27, 2020, through Friday, February 28, 2020. Nominees and those who nominate them must be members of VSTE.

The slate of nominees will be announced in March and the election will be held in April.

The nomination form will be available in the Members' Only area of the website. When you are ready to nominate either yourself or someone else, you can start here.

Learn More About the VSTE Board of Directors

You can preview the nomination form but must submit the final form online.

Remember, you must be a VSTE member to nominate, to be nominated, and to participate in the online election.  Details for a complimentary membership can always be found at VSTE’s website.  Please let us know, via email to boardelections@vste.org, if you have any questions or need further information about the election process.

In order to vote in the elections, you must be a member for at least ten days prior to the opening of the Board elections in April.

Member Login Information

It will be necessary for you to login to the system to participate in the nomination and election process. You can find the login page here. Unless you have changed it, you should use your email address at which you receive VSTE mailings for your login.  If you do not remember your password, you may click the link on the login screen for those forgetting their password. Your password will be emailed to you.  Once you login, you can update your membership information, change your login and/or password (as necessary) and submit a nomination.  Please write to karen_richardson@vste.org if you have problems accessing the member only section of our website.

Thank you for your interest,

VSTE Election Committee, 2020

Janet Copenhaver, Chair