VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

VSTE News

In Memoriam: Robert Matthew Poole

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 mattpooleIt is with sorrow and regret we share the loss of pioneering virtual educator Matt Poole who passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, June 5. A memorial service will be held on VSTE Island in Second Life on Monday, June 20, 5 PM SLT (8 PM RLT). Use this link to get to the island. 
As an early adopter and a docent on ISTE Island, he was a mentor to many of us as we began in Second Life. He was instrumental in celebrating the opening of our own sim, VSTE Island, in 2009 and continued to be an active member through tours of science, art, and historical builds. An explorer at heart, Matt founded Expedition Central in Second Life, where he curated numerous landmarks for avatars wishing to find interesting, educational, or beautiful sims to tour.
cyrushushMatt co-presented and supported the VSTE Virtual Environment PLN at VSTE Conferences in Virginia Beach and Roanoke and supported us in all our sessions. He was bright, friendly, and patient in helping new users grasp this innovative social network.
Matt was a professor at American National University (ANU) in Roanoke where he especially enjoyed teaching Environmental Science online. He dreamed of getting a PhD and teaching at a public university.
On Monday, June 6, members and friends met to comfort each other on VSTE Island, and twenty-five or so people from all over Virginia and the country came to share their memories of this incredibly smart and kind man. Whether they knew Matt in the physical world or only virtually, to know him was to like him. He had a great sense of humor and entertained us often with his quick switching of avatars from the humanoid to the bizarre creations he found and enjoyed.
On behalf of the VSTE family and all educators, we express our great sympathy to all who knew and loved Matt Poole.  He was a valued member of our community, admired and enjoyed for his humor and intelligence.
Kim Harrison, VSTE VE PLN Chairperson

Board Elects Officers for 2016-2017

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The VSTE Board of Directors leads the organization and includes 16 educational technology leaders from across the Commonwealth. During their June 4, 2016, meeting, the Board elected its officers for 2016-2017:

  • Keith Reeves, Chair
  • Karen Streeter, Vice Chair
  • Anita Harris, Secretary
  • Michael Speidel, Treasurer

In addition, the Board recognized the service of four outgoing Board members:

  • Michael George
  • Barbara Gruber
  • Ernie Longworth
  • Jill Vogel

 

Statement Opposing HB 8, Virginia Virtual School

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February 16, 2016

The Virginia Society for Technology in Education represents over five thousand members including public school teachers, administrators, and higher education faculty. VSTE’s mission is to promote excellence in education through professional development endeavors supporting the integration of existing and emerging technologies.

The Board of Directors for the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) has reviewed House Bill 8, which calls for the creation of the Virginia Virtual School (VVS). We have serious questions and concerns about provisions in the bill and their potential impact on public education and public school divisions in the Commonwealth.

Those questions and concerns are as follows:

Funding is the major concern. Virginia’s funding per student, when adjusted for inflation, dropped on average by 13% annually since 2009, with some divisions experiencing drops as high as 17%. [1] While the bill includes limits on the number of students who could participate in the online school, the legislation will divert both state and federal money for our public school systems to the Virginia Virtual School (VVS), which will contract with non-profit or private entities. Students who opt to participate in VVS would no longer count toward the average daily membership (ADM) count of their local school division, meaning that divisions would lose anywhere from 25% to 75% of their per-pupil funding for each of those students. Smaller rural school divisions who rely more heavily on state and federal funding would be more adversely affected. School divisions rely on those funds to provide pooled services to their students and diverting the funds could have significant impacts on services provided to all students in a school division. Additionally, all the funds would go to the provider even though they would not be providing access to non-instructional services such as nutritional and extracurricular activities.

We are especially concerned that these dollars would go to a private entity. An analysis of the current list of approved providers as well as of the existing marketplace suggests strongly that only one private company - K-12, Inc. - will be able to provide full-time virtual schooling for grades K-12 as most providers on the approved list only provide courses for grades 9-12.

We are very concerned about the quality of instruction provided by K-12, Inc. The company has a poor track record of providing high quality online education, with states across the nation dropping them as providers. The National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado reported in July 2012 that K-12, Inc. students are falling further behind in reading and math scores than students in brick-and-mortar schools. [2] They also pointed out that the student population is transient and graduation rates are low. Finally, K-12, Inc. spends millions each year on advertising and lobbying. Is this really how we want public education funds to be spent?

Finally, we believe we do not need to replace the current systems, processes and advisory board in place for implementing virtual learning. We have a highly qualified Board of Education already in place that could certainly, with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, oversee the school. Currently, access to virtual learning is left at the discretion of local school divisions who are able to make decisions based on their local population and needs. The Virginia Department of Education is piloting an online high school and, in conjunction with many local school divisions, working to provide online opportunities. Why do we need additional legislation when work is already being done across the state? Creating a statewide school takes that local control away from local school boards.

We believe these questions and concerns need to be addressed before this legislation moves forward and the new board is established. We further believe that Virginia has a long history of local control and the establishment of virtual programs should be left at the discretion of our local school boards.

[1] School spending in Virginia hasn’t recovered since recession, Peter Dujardin, October 3, 2015, Daily Press, http://www.dailypress.com/news/education/dp-nws-jlarc-education-report-20151003-story.html

[2] Report Shows Students Attending K12 Inc. Cyber Schools Fall Behind, William J. Mathis and Gary Miron, July 18, 2012, National Education Policy Center, http://nepc.colorado.edu/newsletter/2012/07/understanding-improving-virtual%20

Contact:

Karen Work Richardson, Executive Director
karen_richardson@vste.org

Advocating for Public Schools: VSTE Statement Opposing HB 8

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The Board of Directors for the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) has reviewed House Bill 8, which calls for the creation of the Virginia Virtual School (VVS). We have serious questions and concerns about provisions in the bill and their potential impact on public education and public school divisions in the Commonwealth.

You can read the full statement here and then we urge you to take action by contacting your legislator about the potentially negative aspects of this bill.

Not sure who represents you at the state level? Find out at the Who's My Legislator website.

Making It Happen Award Winners 2015

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Making IT Happen is an internationally recognized awards program for educators and leaders in the field of educational technology integration in K–12 schools. The program identifies and rewards educational technology leaders around the world for their commitment and innovation. The program is coordinated by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

In 2015, VSTE recognized two Virginia educators with this important award:

copenhaverJanet Copenhaver is the Director of Technology and Innovation in the Henry County Public Schools. Copenhaver has worked for the Henry County Public School system for 21 years. Her untiring dedication to the students of Henry County has helped make the school division a leader  in emerging technologies. She has received a variety of recognitions for her work and has traveled throughout the United States presenting at conferences and helping other school divisions.

A photo of Dr. Mano TalaiverPrior to her retirement, Dr. Mano Talaiver was the Director of Longwood University's Institute for Teaching through Technology & Innovative Practices (ITTIP). She has worked to bring emerging technologies, STEM learning, online learning, teacher professional development to school divisions with a focus on broadening the participation of low-income, rural and minority communities in computing and STEM.  She continues her work as part of ISTE's Verizon Mobile Learning Academy.

You can learn more about the award and previous Virginia winners here.