Members of VSTE may vote each year for members of the Board of Directors. Only members in good standing ten days before the start of the election are eligible to vote.
VSTE News
VSTELive! Webinar Features VSTE Award Winners
Digital Learning Day 2015 Kick Off
Thursday, March 12, 7:30 - 8:30 PM
Join the VSTE 2014 award winners for a lively conversation about innovation and education in Virginia’s classroom. Free and open to all.
- Outstanding Leader, Janet Copenhaver, Henry County
- Outstanding Teacher, Daniel Nemerow, Prince William County
- Innovative Educator of the Year, Dr. Theresa Coffman, University of Mary Washington
Adobe Connect Room: http://vste.adobeconnect.com/vstelive
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Statement on Net Neutrality
Supporting the Open Internet
May 2, 2014
You may have been hearing quite a bit about “net neutrality” in recent days. Net Neutrality is the concept behind what is often called the open Internet, which means that all lawful content and providers should be afforded the same level of access. Governments, internet service providers and others would not be allowed to discriminate by user, content, site, platform, application, type of attached equipment, and modes of communication by providing more robust access to particular companies or applications. Many people consider net neutrality to be a fundamental piece of the Internet architecture.
In the United States, the Internet is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Net neutrality is not a new issue. In 2006, Internet2, an organization of world wide leaders in innovation, spoke to the US Senate about this issue: http://www.internet2.edu/vision-initiatives/policy-issues/
Net neutrality has been in the headlines in the last few weeks because new rules are being proposed by the FCC in response to a federal court decision that struck down the Open Internet Order in 2010. FCC Chairperson Tom Wheeler outlined his intentions for these new rules in a statement in February 2014: http://www.fcc.gov/document/statement-fcc-chairman-tom-wheeler-fccs-open-internet-rules
Recently, the text of the new rules that will be considered at the May meeting of the FCC began to circulate. While they require a baseline level of service, they also appear to allow Internet Service Providers to provide preferential treatment to some Internet companies. Net neutrality advocates are concerned that these special deals may bar small companies and organizations from being able to compete in an increasingly web-based world thus possibly stifling innovation. In addition, they believe that any limitations on net neutrality could make access more difficult for poor and marginalized populations. Educause, ALA and ARL issued a joint letter to Chairman Wheeler earlier this year addressing their concerns: http://www.districtdispatch.org/2014/02/ala-arl-educause-re-engage-fcc-network-neutrality/ They are primarily advocating for the FCC to change the classification of broadband to common carrier so it could be subject to requirements related to equitable access .
At this time, it is not clear what the impact of these changes might be on schools in terms of both access and cost.
The Virginia Society for Technology in Education supports efforts to ensure that the internet remains open as a source of content for schools, students and educators. We encourage the FCC to evaluate the impact of the net neutrality regulations on schools as part of their upcoming discussions to ensure that students and teachers have access to the fastest, most robust network available at the lowest cost.
The FCC has established an inbox for comments related to these new rules, which will be considered on May 15. Please take some time to review the resources above and provide your comments: http://www.fcc.gov/page/fcc-establishes-new-inbox-open-internet-comments
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Blueprint for the Future of Public Education
November 2011
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 the Virginia Association of School Superintendents’ Blueprint for the Future of Public Education, presented October 12, 2011. VSTE supports the goals and strategies contained within the Blueprint and believes it to be a positive step toward transforming Virginia’s educational system.
VSTE supports the overall goals of the Blueprint with emphasis in the following areas:
• Recognizing how the rapid development of technology and increased focus on STEM changes the focus of public education to prepare students for a global competitive workforce;
• Recognizing the strength of the relationship between education and economic growth as technology and innovation play a larger role in competitiveness and growth;
• Emphasizing professional development using instructional technology to improve student achievement.
VSTE believes the Blueprint’s emphasis on integration of performance competencies, multiple means of assessment, and focus on grade appropriate career development experiences serve to prepare students for a global competitive market. With the rapidly changing nature of technology and an increased focus on STEM, Virginia’s students need greater access to technologies that connect them to a complete range of resources for scientific inquiry and that assist in the development of creativity and critical thinking skills.
The key to economic growth lies in investing in education. With a more educated and technologically skilled workforce, Virginia will be able to attract more industry and increase the Commonwealth’s competitiveness in the global marketplace. VASS’s Blueprint focuses on the use of evidence-based teaching and learning models that meet individual needs of diverse students. VSTE believes it is vital to secure funding for and access to virtual curriculum. Within the scope of virtual curricula, VSTE supports the development of open source materials, mobile learning opportunities, and increased support for development and implementation.
VSTE believes the Blueprint’s emphasis on human capital is an essential piece to improving Virginia’s educational system. Professional development using instructional technology is a key to improving student achievement. Virginia is one of a small number of states that have made a statewide effort to provide support for teachers and students through the Instructional Technology Resource Teacher program. While hailed as an exemplary model of technology integration, the program has seen cuts and few divisions in Virginia are able to maintain the one to one thousand pupil ratios for both instructional technology and technical staff that has been deemed necessary for effectiveness. Significant and sustained investment in instructional technology personnel and technology tools are required to prepare students for their future.
The Virginia Society for Technology in Education is proud to support the Virginia Association of School Superintendents’ Blueprint for the Future of Public Education. The future of the Commonwealth of Virginia lies within its classrooms, thus we must make investments into supporting learning experiences that will prepare students to successfully live and work in a globally competitive workforce.
On Behalf of the Virginia Society for Technology in Education Board of Directors
Karen Work Richardson, Ph.D., Executive Director, karen_richardson@vste.org
Heather B. Blanton, Advocacy Chair, VSTE Board of Directors, hlb6t@uvawise.edu
