VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

VSTE News

Free #GoOpen Regional Summit, June 14, 2019

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Does it seem like everyone is talking about OER? Want to learn more about how OER can provide high quality, free resources for your school? Join VDOE and its partners in beautiful southwest Virginia to learn, share and grow. 

David A. Wiley, Chief Academic Officer of Lumen Learning, Education Fellow at Creative Commons, and Adjunct Faculty of Instructional Psychology & Technology at Brigham Young University, will provide the keynote for the #GoOpen SWVA Summit being sponsored by The Virginia Department of Education, VSTE, UVA Wise, and Old Dominion University. This event will be held June 14, 2019, in Abingdon, Virginia, to bring together technology and curriculum leaders to discuss current successes and challenges in implementing the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) as curriculum.

The full schedule is available now.

Registration is open here!

#GoOpen Regional summits are intended for new districts who have recently committed to become a #GoOpen Launch district or are curious about making a scalable transition to openly licensed educational resources.

With all of the sessions that will be offered, school divisions are encouraged to send a team of up to 8-10 individuals so you don't miss anything! Teams should consist of division leaders, school based administrators, technology coaches, instructional coaches and teacher leaders.

Please share the flyer with your colleagues!

SWVA Conference Flyer

This event is free with morning beverages, lunch and an afternoon snack provided.

Thanks for the support from MyVRSpot we will be recording and archiving this event.

Lodging:

We have not reserved a specific hotel block, but there are a variety of low-cost lodging options in the Abingdon, Virginia, area. NOTE: Most hotels will provide the state rate for state employees as long as official ID is provided.

Hotels:

Hampton Inn, Abingdon
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Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Abingdon
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Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Abingdon
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Quality Inn & Suites
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Comfort Suites
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Hilton Garden Inn, Bristol
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Big Book Deal, March 1, 2019

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Blue rectangle with words Maximizing Technology in the the 21st Century Classroom bright graphic on left side of rectangle displays words 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 with Diversity in STEM, News in the Digital Age, Shakespeare in VR & More....

 

Profiles of Diversity in STEM

Helping students see the possibilities of careers in STEM fields means providing them with diverse role models. PBS LearningMedia has made a list of some of the top black scientists, engineers, inventors, and mathematicians, along with media resources to help teachers to bring their work—and stories—into the classroom.

 

Coding Adventures for Beginners

Grasshopper is an app by Area 120 for both Android and iOS users who want to learn to code with JavaScript. The app was created by one of Google’s experimental project teams.

3D Adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company has taken Shakespeare’s most iconic play to the cutting edge of immersive storytelling in Hamlet 360: Thy Father’s Spirit, using the power of virtual reality (VR) to plunge viewers into Hamlet’s harrowing journey. This cinematic 360-degree adaptation explores new dimensions of the photoplay medium by casting the viewer as the Ghost of Hamlet’s dead father.

Art Competition Encouraging Preservation of the World’s Oceans

The Science Without Borders Challenge engages students around the world in promoting the need to preserve, protect, and restore the world’s oceans and aquatic resources. The challenge is sponsored by the Khaled bin Sultan Living OceansFoundation to get students and teachers interested in ocean conservation through various forms of art.

 

Big Book Deal,  March 1st,  2019

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Vote Now for Virginia’s NextGen: Emerging EdTech Leaders

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Two Virginia educators--Chanel Alford-Campbell from Alexandria City and Scott Lewis from Frederick County--have been nominated for the NextGen Emerging EdTech Leaders award, an annual recognition developed and co-sponsored by CoSN and EdScoop. This award is meant to recognize and support emerging leaders who are passionate about K-12 education technology and committed to taking their career to the next level.

Finalists are selected via online voting, and you can help select the NextGen: Emerging EdTech Leaders by casting your vote today. Voting ends at midnight, February 19, 2019. Click here to learn more and cast your vote.

Here's a bit more information about the outstanding nominees from Virginia:

CHANEL ALFORD-CAMPBELL

In just a few months with Alexandria City Public Schools, Chanel Alford-Campbell, a Technology Integration Specialist, has helped to create a professional development plan that includes both digital and in-person components. She also works with a group of girls after school teaching block coding, JavaScript, and coding with sphero robots. With a passion for programming languages, she says she aspires to further the field of instructional technology by conducting research, writing articles, and designing a nationwide professional development model.

SCOTT LEWIS

From Middle School Dean to Instructional Technology Coach, Scott Lewis from Frederick County now mentors and offers feedback for 80 teachers as they figure out how to incorporate technology into their lesson planning. As part of this role, Lewis worked with co-taught and self-contained special education teachers who teach students with learning and physical disabilities on online portfolios and coding. Lewis, along with a teacher and student, were invited to speak before Congress on this work. In addition to his day-to-day work, Lewis founded a weekly Twitter-based edchat centered around instructional leadership called #fcpslearn. He also created the district's first podcast that shares innovative teaching practices and lessons.

Click here to learn more and cast your vote.

Celebrate Digital Learning “Day” with VSTE

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Digital Learning Day, sponsored by the Alliance for Excellent Education, will be held February 28, 2019.

You can participate: tell us how you define digital learning. Learn More

Our annual award winner webinar will be held via YouTube Live on February 28, 2019, at 7:30 PM. We will feature our three Tech Coach of the Year finalists discussing innovation in their schools and divisions. Use this link to join us live.

 

 

VSTE partnered with Common Sense Media for a webinar featuring two VSTE leaders. Meg Swecker, VSTE Board member from Roanoke County, and Tamara Letter, VSTE Conference Committee member from Hanover County, will be discussing  Cultivating Kindness: A Foundation for Digital Citizenship on Thursday, February 21, 2019, at 4:00 PM. Recording Available Here

We will be announcing additional events as they are scheduled.

 

Big Book Deal, February 1, 2019

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Blue rectangle with words Maximizing Technology in the the 21st Century Classroom bright graphic on left side of rectangle displays words 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 with Emotional Learning, VR Lab Experiences, Arts Integration & More ........

 

Tool for Creating Arts-Integrated Curricula

The Phillips Collection’s education team collaborated with K–12 teachers and researchers to develop Prism.K12, an innovative teaching tool for K–12 teachers—of any subject—to create rich arts-integrated curricula. Prism.K12 helps teachers enhance current lessons or build new ones from scratch.

Inquiry-based, Learning-by-Doing Robotics Activity

The Botball Educational Robotics Program engages middle school and high school students in a team-oriented robotics competition and serves as a way to meet the Next Generation Science and Common Core Standards.

Books Inspiring Children to See Math in the World Around Them

One way to bring the subject of mathematics to life, according to the Mathematical Science Research Institute (MSRI), is through literature. According to the organization, “books connect with the sense of wonder and imagination and creativity.”

The Archives