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VSTE Partners

A Forward-Thinking Approach: How Virginia Beach City Public Schools Empower Students to Thrive Amidst Cell Phone Bans and Responsible Tech Use

November 15, 2024 by Patrick Hausammann

On November 13, VSTE partnered with Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) and The Social Institute for a dynamic webinar, "A Forward-Thinking Approach: How Virginia Beach City Public Schools Empower Students to Thrive Amidst Cell Phone Bans and Responsible Tech Use" that covered important topics about cell phones in schools and Virginia's new "bell-to-bell" cell phone ban. Jennifer Clements and Charlie Hinsch, who are Instructional Technology Coordinators at VBCPS, joined Laura Tierney,  Founder and CEO of The Social Institute, to talk about some big challenges schools were facing related to cell phones and social media, like overwhelming notifications, TikTok challenges, and even behaviors like vaping in school bathrooms.

To address these challenges, VBCPS, implemented stricter cell phone rules, even before the state-wide ban, that require students to keep their devices in their backpacks during class. While these rules have been helpful, Clements and Hinsch pointed out that it can be hard for teachers, who often feel torn between enforcing phone restrictions and teaching students how to use technology responsibly. Instead of just banning phones, VBCPS teamed up with The Social Institute to take a positive and proactive approach to empowering students to make high-character decisions as they navigate technology, like cell phones. Through #WinAtSocial, The Social Institute's gamified, peer-to-peer learning platform, VBCPS students learn from each other about making positive choices online, helping them build healthy tech habits without feeling restricted.

A big part of this strategy is involving students directly. Through #WinAtSocial, students can share their experiences anonymously, giving teachers a better understanding of what students face online. With this approach, VBCPS hopes to not only tackle tech challenges but also to empower students with the skills to make positive decisions online. Their goal is to build a school culture where students feel encouraged to use technology thoughtfully and responsibly.

Webinar Recording

Free Resources:
  • The Educator’s Guide to Cell Phone Policies and Student Buy-in
  • Creating a Classroom Technology Policy to Avoid Digital Distractions
  • Post webinar survey: Complete for a chance to win a Yeti Tumbler or Apple AirPods!

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Filed Under: Blog, Digital Health, Online Events, VSTE Partners Tagged With: Cell Phone Ban, Social Institute, social media, VBCPS

February 2025 Power of Coaching Conference

November 2, 2024 by Patrick Hausammann

 Register - February 4-5, Williamsburg

 

Click HERE for the room block rateat The Williamsburg Lodge!

 

Our Call for Proposals to Present is still OPEN! Click HERE to submit yours today.

VASCD and VSTE are teaming up to bring Virginia educators a coaching conference to unpack the power of coaching!

In this two-day conference, participants will gain knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to effectively serve in the role of instructional coach. As more and more schools bring coaches as part of their staff and as the role of ITRT shifts from resource teacher to coach, this is a much-needed conference for building capacity and for developing strong networks of coaches, instructional leaders, and coach supervisors across the Commonwealth.

Join us for an amazing chance to learn, teach, lead, and connect!

  • Instruction: Teaching and learning are the core business of schools, and the coach’s chief role is to improve and support instruction in the classroom. Sessions in the INSTRUCTION strand provide coaches, instructional leaders, and coach supervisors with practical applications to support the role of improving instruction.
  • Relationships: The relationship between the coach and school leaders is a critical one for improving student learning outcomes. Sessions in the RELATIONSHIPS strand focus on strengthening the partnership between coach and school leader, data literacy, strategic planning, and roles and responsibilities of coaches and administrative teams.
  • Leadership: Working with teachers and leaders is another key function of instructional coaches, and this is a different skillset when compared to working with students. Sessions in the LEADERSHIP strand will build participants’ capacity for differentiated support when working with individuals, teams, and/or large groups with a heavy emphasis on research-based development, effective professional learning strategies, and adult learning theory.

Day 1:

  • General Session Keynote (Jody Carrington)
  • One concurrent choice session
  • Lunch and Networking
  • Two concurrent choice sessions
  • General Session Keynote (Panel Discussion)

Day 2:

  • Two concurrent choice sessions
  • General Session Keynote (Kim Richardson)

COST: $325

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Filed Under: Events, Live Events, VSTE Coaching, VSTE News, VSTE Partners Tagged With: Coaching, PoC, Power of Coaching

Common Sense Education Resource Share – July 2024

July 2, 2024 by Patrick Hausammann

An image of students working on laptops in a classroom. A Common Sense Education text overlay appears in the top right of the graphic."Common Sense is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to helping all kids thrive in a world of media and technology. They support pre-K–12 schools with lesson plans, edtech reviews, family resources, and everything else students need to thrive in a connected world." Below is a custom set of resources pulled from this month's newest updates! Check them out via the links and explore even more at www.commonsense.org/education. VSTE is proud to partner with Common Sense Education.


For Teachers:

  • Supporting LGBTQ+ Students in the Classroom and Online
  • Should Your School Have a Cellphone Ban?
  • An Authentic Approach to Discussions About Digital Well-Being
  • Best Summer Learning Games
  • Professional Development Opportunities!
    • Navigating the AI Policy Landscape in Schools

For Parents & Caregivers:

  • Real-Life Heroes on YouTube for Tweens and Teens (en espanol)
  • Parents' Ultimate Guide to Fortnite (en espanol)

 


All Resources via Common Sense Education

All VSTE Posts of Common Sense Education Resources

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Filed Under: Blog, Common Sense Education, VSTE News, VSTE Partners Tagged With: Common Sense Education

Activating the ActiVAtED Learning Podcast

April 30, 2024 by Patrick Hausammann

Written by Tom Landon, the Director of Educational Innovation at Blue Ridge PBS

Facebook, Instagram, YouTube


When I was a kid I thought one day I’d like to be a disk jockey at a radio station, but after graduating with a degree in telecommunications and getting my first job working the console from midnight to six a.m. at KFMU, an album rock station in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, I soon realized that the job was a lot less glamorous than I’d envisioned. It was a lot less like being Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati than I hoped (If you know, you know, and if you don’t, find an old episode of the show and watch it!) For one, it was pretty lonely sitting in a small soundproof room every night playing songs for the folks stocking shelves overnight at the Safeway, so I pivoted to video production, moving to Roanoke to work for a TV station and then an independent production company where I got to travel regularly, mostly producing ads and marketing videos for industrial clients, car dealers, and even cosmetic surgeons.

When that  company failed, and with the encouragement of my smart wife, I settled on teaching and went back to school to become a social studies teacher. It was the dawn of the computer age in education, and I quickly realized that my technical background was a huge benefit in the classroom. Since then I’ve had a varied career, working in education and media production. In 2021 I left Virtual Virginia where I’d been the Director of Instruction and returned to Blue Ridge PBS, where I’d had a summer internship in 1985 and been a K-12 Specialist from 2000-2007. My current job is a blend of production and education work, which is a perfect fit.

Last year I was part of a team from VSTE and VDOE that was tasked with creating a new podcast designed to put a spotlight on innovative uses of instructional technology while also elevating the profession of teaching. We spent several months deciding what we wanted the podcast to be, and in early December we recorded the first episode at the annual VSTE conference in Roanoke where we interviewed Blended Learning guru Dr. Catlin Tucker in front of more than a hundred attendees, and spent time recording short interviews with other folks in attendance. I can honestly say it’s been some of the most rewarding work of my career, and I’ve come to love the simplicity and intimacy that podcasts provide versus the complex nature of video production.

I had a lot of fun assembling a mobile podcast kit that holds an audio recorder, 4 microphones, mic stands, cables, and power cords. Because I work for a television station, I was able to source a lot of it from equipment at hand. It’s a little heavier than I’d like, and I’ll be making some modifications before we start on our second season, but overall it worked well.

This morning I edited the last episode of our 12 episode season. To record it I visited Suffolk Public Schools, where they host the SEAL Challenge, a collaboration with Penn State that allows kids to choose between submersible and land based robots and aerial drones to complete a highly complex task. The episode is emblematic of the series, which has featured award winning teachers, librarians who delivered books to students during the COVID summer using drones, a trailer converted to high tech lab in Washington County, and an ITRT who set up two Virtual Reality Labs in Bristol. Each episode is available by video on ECHO, a streaming channel of Blue ridge PBS focused on Education, Community, Health and Opportunity, as well as on the major podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Spotify.

So what did I learn this year? For one, that I missed the camaraderie and collaboration that comes with production work. The ActiVAtED Learning team provided great topics and guests and also gave me valuable feedback. I learned a ton of new technical skills. The podcast is recorded using a video camera synchronized to a 6 channel digital audio recorder. I edited the first season using Apple’s Final Cut Pro, but a coworker has convinced me to switch to a new application called Adobe Podcast for next year, so that’ll be another chance to build my technical skills. But probably the most important thing I learned was that I still love getting out of the office and meeting great educators. Now more than ever, teaching is hard, so I hope that ActiVAtED Learning accomplishes our goal of encouraging teachers not to give up - to look for new ways to stretch their brains and build their skillsets.


If you haven’t yet listened to ActiVAtED Learning,  give it a listen and if you like it, please follow and review at least one episode. You can find all of the shows by going on our website at https://www.blueridgepbs.org/educational-resources/activated-learning/

If you’ve got an idea for an episode for season 2 or questions about the production process, drop me a line at activatedlearning@blueridgepbs.org. Happy listening!

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Filed Under: Blog, VDOE, VSTE Partners Tagged With: Activated Learning, Blue Ridge PBS, podcast, VDOE

Common Sense Education Resource Share – February 2024

February 28, 2024 by Patrick Hausammann

An image of students working on laptops in a classroom. A Common Sense Education text overlay appears in the top right of the graphic."Common Sense is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to helping all kids thrive in a world of media and technology. They support pre-K–12 schools with lesson plans, edtech reviews, family resources, and everything else students need to thrive in a connected world." Below is a custom set of resources pulled from this month's newest updates! Check them out via the links and explore even more at www.commonsense.org/education. VSTE is proud to partner with Common Sense Education.


For Teachers:

  • Top Tools That Build Mindfulness in the Classroom
  • Offline Digital Citizenship: Soft Skills to Support Strong Online Habits
  • Free Learning Resources for Black History Month (and Beyond)
  • Professional Development Opportunities!
    • AI Unleashed: Vetting the Tools

For Parents & Caregivers:

  • Free Online Tools for Getting Started with Tech (en espanol)
  • Celebrate Black Voices (en espanol)
  • Kids & Family Podcasts with Black Hosts and Black Lead Characters
  • Internet Assistance

 


All Resources via Common Sense Education

All VSTE Posts of Common Sense Education Resources

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Filed Under: Blog, Common Sense Education, VSTE Partners Tagged With: Common Sense, Common Sense Education, common sense media

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