VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

VSTE Partners

Featured Resources #GoOpenVA, February 22, 2021

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logo for go open vaJean Weller, VSTE Board Member and VDOE Technology Integration Specialist, leads the #GoOpenVA initiative in Virginia. This collaborative initiative enables educators and others throughout Virginia to create, share, and access openly-licensed educational resources (OER, also known as open education resources). OER are free digital materials that can be used or modified to adjust to student needs; they are openly-licensed unhampered by many traditional copyright limitations.

The database is growing. Jean recently created a collection for resources specifically related to professional learning. Technology coaches from across the state have contributed and you can learn more here.

We asked Jean to periodically curate a few of the resources to give a sense of what is available. Start with these but stay for so much more! And be sure to follow Jean on Twitter.

This week, VSTE Board member Heather Hurley shares some of her favorite resources.

Heather says, "I wanted to share some resources to help teachers who are in a hybrid model or are about to begin Hybrid/Concurrent. Below are three resources to help teachers plan for virtual, concurrent or hybrid and the fourth resource is a lesson on conducting a research project virtually."

Teaching Digitally- A FREE Resource Guide for ANY K-12 teacher

Teacher Nadine Gilkison is a District Level Tech Integrator in Illinois and has put together a Google resource full of tips and links to tools for those trying to get a good handle on online/blended learning. It goes beyond just using the tools and considers pedagogical implications and challenges as well.

Planning for Success (Expectations part 1) and Planning for Success (Expectations Part 2)

Donovan O'Brien of Culpeper, VA provides these video recordings of a presentation on Blended and Remote Learning Models, which covers expectations. He offers very practical ideas that can be implemented easily.

Distance Learning & Personal Research Projects

Check out how a Science 6 CLT from Arlington, VA partnered with the school librarian, resource teacher for the gifted (RTG), SPED teacher, and English Learner (EL) teachers to engage and support all students in a personal research project...remotely!  They are sharing their project resources, experiences, and how this project personalizes distance learning.

Featured Resources from #GoOpenVA, February 8, 2021

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logo for go open vaJean Weller, VSTE Board Member and VDOE Technology Integration Specialist, leads the #GoOpenVA initiative in Virginia. This collaborative initiative enables educators and others throughout Virginia to create, share, and access openly-licensed educational resources (OER, also known as open education resources). OER are free digital materials that can be used or modified to adjust to student needs; they are openly-licensed unhampered by many traditional copyright limitations.

The database is growing. Jean recently created a collection for resources specifically related to professional learning. Technology coaches from across the state have contributed and you can learn more here.

We asked Jean and other VSTE leaders to periodically curate a few of the resources to give a sense of what is available. Start with these but stay for so much more! And be sure to follow Jean on Twitter.

The following resources are recommended by Tim Taylor, the Instructional Technology Supervisor for Shenandoah County Public Schools. They will help your students better understand the issues involved with the founding of the United States.

The Constitutional Convention: What the Founding Fathers Said lesson plan is very appropriate for our current political climate. Students learn how the Founding Fathers debated and resolved their differences during the Constitutional Convention. Learn how they created "a model of cooperative statesmanship and the art of compromise." A lesson we all can learn from!

Emanuel Leutze's Symbolic Scene of Washington Crossing the Delaware is a resource that makes students question and look through a critical lens when viewing historical art.  This iconic artwork is what the majority people envision when thinking of Washington crossing the Delaware.  Did it really look like this?  How does art such as Leutze's work here influence our perception of history?

The Federalist Defense of Diversity and "Extending the Sphere is a lesson plan for secondary students that allows them to analyze Hamilton's and Madison's arguments in favor of an extended republic in specific numbers of the Federalist Papers. (I finally watched Hamilton over the holidays and the relationship between these two founding fathers was very complex.)  This lesson will open the eyes of students to see just how challenging and difficult it is to establish a government that is inclusive and providing liberties for all citizens.

Resources for Teaching African American History

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Regardless of the makeup of your school community, teaching students about African American History is an incredibly important part of any history or social studies curriculum. EVERFI has a suite of digital resources for students focused on African American History, as well as opportunities for educators to engage with these topics in meaningful ways.laptop showing website with history resourcesWe recommend students start with 306, which takes students through key events and figures chronologically, starting with the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and concluding with Mae Jemison.
As a continuation, we recommend 306 - Continuing the Story, which looks closely at events in post-Civil Rights era US.

By completing both resources, students will be able to draw connections from past and present events to recognize and empathize with the ongoing challenges Black people continue to face in the United States.

several computers with history site showing on the screens

To access these digital resources, in addition to lesson plans, worksheets and anti-racism toolkits for educators head to EVERFI’s Black History Month Hub.

Written by Teagan Seeley. Teagan is a Senior Schools Manager with EVERFI, where she works with teachers across Virginia as they implement resources designed to teach students critical life skills. Before joining the EVERFI team she was a first-grade teacher in Baltimore City Public Schools.

If you have questions about registering your students, ideas for implementation, or need troublshooting help, email Teagan at tseeley@everfi.com.

Featured #GoOpenVA Resources, January 26, 2021

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logo for go open vaJean Weller, VSTE Board Member and VDOE Technology Integration Specialist, leads the #GoOpenVA initiative in Virginia. This collaborative initiative enables educators and others throughout Virginia to create, share, and access openly-licensed educational resources (OER, also known as open education resources). OER are free digital materials that can be used or modified to adjust to student needs; they are openly-licensed unhampered by many traditional copyright limitations.

The database is growing. Jean recently created a collection for resources specifically related to professional learning. Technology coaches from across the state have contributed and you can learn more here.

We asked Jean to periodically curate a few of the resources to give a sense of what is available. Start with these but stay for so much more! And be sure to follow Jean on Twitter.

Remixes, or adaptations of lesson plans, are one of the great strengths of OER.  Below are two remixes of plans from outside Virginia, but customized to our SOL by our own Virginia teachers. Then there is the learning object that is user-ready but which you can remix to make your own!

Viaduct on the Baltimore and Washington Railroad Lesson Plan, from Janet Page of Nelson, is a remix of an OER lesson plan which is not on #GoOpenVA currently. Her remix is excellent and includes all the information you need to implement a lesson in reading…using art!

Shopping Spree – Remix is an adaptation of an older lesson from our neighbors in North Carolina.  The lesson asks students to apply math to an everyday situation.  Laura Brown of Loudoun updated the lesson to use digital resources rather than print, and to adjust the activity for older students.

Parts of a Computer, developed by Dana Smith of Tazewell, is exactly what teachers need! Everyone will be working to address the new Computer Science standards and it’s nice to know you don’t have to create ALL of your own materials.  Dana put together a nice short presentation on the parts of a computer, along with clear illustrations.  Use it as is, or adapt it for your own students.

Google Educator Group NoVA (GEGNoVA)

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What is a Google Educator Group?

Google Educator Groups, GEGs, are communities of educators coming together to share ideas, build connections, and help each other grow. From the very start, GEG NoVA has been a community of lifelong learners - people so dedicated to their craft that they take time out of their personal lives to join us and learn even more. That dedication to students, families, and communities keeps us going. While GEGs are considered local groups, members are not required to live in that area. You can be a member of as many GEGs as you would like! Additionally, membership is not limited to teachers. Administrators, coaches, students, or anyone interested in using Google tools to facilitate learning is welcome to join. 

What inspired us to start GEG NoVA?

GEG NoVA was born out of our passion for both educational technology and community-oriented organizations. Theresa and I met through EdCamp NoVA, an unconference at which participants decide the topics of discussion on the day of the event. We both were passionate about how this learner-centric PD could engage others. We eventually both ended up joining the planning team for EdCamp NoVA, but soon realized that a semi-annual event wasn’t enough. It was from that motivation to find and create learner-centric, in-the-moment PD that GEG NoVA was created! 

Why are we community-focused?

We believe that it’s through open and honest collaboration that education can truly thrive. With this in mind, all of the work and content that GEG NoVA puts out to the world comes from our membership. By focusing on building up each other, we not only share our wealth of knowledge, but we build the leadership capacity of everyone involved. For some of our members, this might be the first professional development organization they’ve ever joined. As a community, we want members to build on that courage to put themselves out there and develop into well-rounded leaders, able to make real change in their schools. 

How can you connect with GEG NoVA?

As a community, we are active on multiple platforms including Twitter, Google Groups, and YouTube. Are you interested in getting involved in GEG NoVA’s leadership or presenting a topic to the community? Fill out our interest form!

Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates: @GEGNorthernVA

Join our Google Group!

Watch our previous webinars on Youtube!

Check out our website for more info!

Written by Tyler Witman. Tyler is an Instructional Technology Coordinator for Arlington Public Schools and co-founder of the Google Educator Group of Northern Virginia.