VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

VSTE News

Keith Reeves to Keynote LearnerPalooza 2019

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Join us for the 6th annual gathering on June 10, 2019, at Lord Fairfax Community College in Middletown, Virginia. Rod Carnill, VSTE Board Vice Chair, is the lead planner for this annual event.

A palooza is defined as an exaggerated event, and LearnerPalooza 2019 is exactly that and maybe a little more although I could be exaggerating. Honestly, though, in the past six year, LearnerPalooza has become a VSTE co-sponsored edtech event of educators, by educators and for educators.

When we first started out, we wanted to provide a local and low key environment for educators from across the region to come together and share best practices, formative experiences, edtech tools and applications, and have some fun doing so. This year proves to perhaps be one of the best ever. I know I said that last year but this time I am not exaggerating when I tell you that edtech leaders will be at the forefront of the offerings this year.

Our keynote speaker, Keith David Reeves, is the VSTE Board chair. He is also the author of Insurrection: A Teacher Revolution in Defense of Children, a work on educational philosophy and pedagogy, and of Paperless Research Writing: Effective Digital Scaffolding for Academic Writing. He currently serves as Senior Instructional Technology Coordinator at Discovery Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, the largest Zero Energy elementary school ever constructed in the United States. He is a Certified Educational Technology Leader (CETL).

Jean Weller, a Teaching and Learning Technology Integration Specialist with the Virginia Department of Education, will provide updates from Richmond on current VDOE initiatives, especially #GoOpen. We will have an opportunity to explore the Virginia OER Commons website.

Karen Richardson, VSTE Executive Director and ISTE Certified Educator as well as Patrick Hausammann, VSTE Technology Coach of the Year and Google Certified Innovator will share their knowledge and expertise. Many other local teachers, ITRTs and technology coaches and Google Certified Trainers will provide experiences and insights on topics like classroom productivity, enhanced instruction, student content creation and, of course, with the usual throwbacks to the event's ‘GooglePalooza’ roots, the latest and greatest GSuite apps and extensions. This is ALL to help you place ‘Students First’ and engage in ‘Learning Forever’.

I hope to see you there! Remember to bring your own device and invite a friend to join you because we are always better together.

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VSTE Sponsoring NoVa Maker Educator Meetup

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VSTE is proud to sponsor the 3rd NoVa Maker Educator Meetup held as part of Maker Faire NoVa. Join makers and educators from the state and region for a day of sharing and learning on June 2, 2019, at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia.

The meetup will last from 10 AM - 1 PM. The Maker Faire itself runs from 11 AM - 5 PM.

Sylvia Martinez, author of Invent to Learn, and George Meadows, professor of education from Mary Washington University, will keynote the meetup. In addition, lightning sessions, breakouts and workshops will provide an interactive element.

Interested in participating in the meetup? Use the form here to register and suggest topics. Meetup attendees must attend the Maker Faire but are eligible for a 50% discount on Maker Faire tickets.

Virginia Technology Integration Specialist Named NextGen Leader

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smiling womanChanel Alford-Campbell, Technology Integration Specialist from Alexandria City, was recognized at the recent CoSN conference as an Emerging EdTech Leader as part of the NextGen program.

This program, created by CoSN in partnership with EdScoop, recognizes rising school system leaders. Alford-Campbell was part of the first all-women cohort for the program.

According to EdScoop, Alford-Campbell's impact in Alexandria has been transformative. Learn more about her work here.

Board Candidate – Heather B. Askea

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Heather Askea, candidate for VSTE Board 2019Heather B. Askea
Instructional Technology Coordinator
The University of Virginia's College at Wise Center for Teaching Excellence

Educational Leadership

My path to educational leadership started in 2005 when I became one of Wise County's first ITRTs. That role allowed me not only to learn from some of the best teachers and tech leaders in our state, but also allowed me to find my place within the Virginia Society for Technology in Education. I was appointed to the VSTE Board of Directors in 2006 and served two additional terms on the board. During my time on the board, I served as Secretary and Vice Chair, and worked on Advocacy initiatives. I was named an ISTE Advocacy Policy Trendsetter in 2010. After that time, I have helped launch the Center for Teaching Excellence online programming and began facilitating the Region VII Tech Directors and ITRT meetings. I continue to work closely with VSTE, the Southwest Public Education Consortium/Foundation and other organizations on a variety of regional events. I also am the lead organizer for the annual TechSplash event held in Abingdon, VA.

Vision for VSTE

VSTE was a place where I found my “people” in 2005 when I attended my first conference. From that time until today, VSTE has always been about connection to me and the rich collaborative environments that are fostered at the conference, regional events, and online initiatives. My vision for the next three years is to continue to grow and shape VSTE’s outreach and support into rural Virginia. This would include efforts to increase membership from Region VII and increase access to information and support on the latest tech trends and happenings throughout the Commonwealth. I believe that my passion for edtech is contagious and I would like to continue to work closely with the VSTE membership and board to advocate for the effective use of educational technology in all parts of Virginia.

Biographical Sketch

For the last 18 years, I have served in many capacities in the field of education from classroom teacher, ITRT, and mathematics instructional coach, to adjunct instructor and Instructional Technology Coordinator at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise Center for Teaching Excellence. I earned my B.A and teaching endorsements in PK-8 at UVAWISE, a M. Ed in Administration and Supervision at UVA, and am currently pursuing a doctoral degree from Boise State University. I am truly passionate about creating engaging and innovative learning opportunities for students and educators as well as advocating for the field of education. I have spent my entire life living and working in Wise County and love the pace of country life. I live in Norton, Virginia with my husband Ray and two adorable fur babies, Henry and Luna.

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Board Candidate – Janet Copenhaver

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Janet Copenhaver, candidate for VSTE Board 2019Janet Copenhaver
Retired Educator
Henry County Public Schools

Educational Leadership

I was Librarian and then Director of Technology for Henry County Public Schools for 27 years. During my tenure we implemented the first and largest textbook iPad initiative in the Commonwealth. We also implemented the first New Tech School in the state, enhancing project based learning and giving learners an opportunity to chose a traditional, advanced, or New Tech high school experience. We also began to change our media centers from traditional tables and rows of books to new learning spaces and collaborative environments. We hosted many sessions for other school divisions to visit and collaborated with them with best practices to update their technology in their divisions.

Vision for VSTE

My vision for VSTE is to continue to be part of an organization that will continue to support educational technology around our state by providing many professional and collaborative conferences and opportunities. I continue to see VSTE improving communication and relationships with other tech companies and organizations across the nation. In three years, I see that VSTE will continue to expand the yearly technology conference with a wide range of cutting-edge technology experiences. As technology improves and more and more devices are introduced into the learning environment, I want VSTE to continue to research and offer learning opportunities for all school divisions by continuing to support a relationship with our Virginia Department of Education.

Biographical Sketch

Retired and living in Collinsville with husband James. I have BS in Library Science, and MS Educational Leadership from Radford University. Currently serves on Patrick Henry Community College Board as Vice Chair and continue to consult with companies and local colleges to provide training in technology.

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