Education

Purpose

The Education committee advocates for and advances best practices and effective methods in teaching with technology

Members

Chair: Emily Heller

Members: Heather Askea, Jennifer Blais, Rod Carnill, Ryan Champney, Tina Coffey, Jason Covey, Calypso Gilstrap, Dani Hall, Sue Thotz, Patrice Jackson, Tim Mays, Joy McDonald, Karen Miller, Lucy Spencer, Jessica Staples, Daniel Vanover, Monica VanHusen, William Waller

Goals

• Create, curate, and publish relevant and timely content and professional learning opportunities around educational technology topics for teachers, EdTech coaches, and leaders.
• Develop an ISTE aligned EdTech Coaching Certification that promotes the role of ITRT/ITC and fosters a network of certified EdTech coaches across the Commonwealth.
• Encourage VSTE membership to share how they successfully integrate technology into their schools, classrooms, and professional lives in order to promote effective use of EdTech.

Current Work

• Creating and curating EdTech Reels, a collection of short videos featuring EdTech instructional tips and strategies for teachers, instructional coaches, and leaders that is housed in GoOpenVA.
• Contributing to the VSTE blog and webinar series, through partnership with the VSTE Coaching Crew, with relevant and timely educational technology topics and instructional strategies.
• Launching and promoting the VSTE Coach Certification (#VCC) Program in partnership with Forward Edge.  The initial pilot cohort began in September 2022, and the first two full cohorts of VCC launched in January 2023.  The education committee will be promoting seasonal application windows for coaches across the state to register for future VCC cohorts.
• Planning the establishment of a VSTE Coaching Network to provide a professional learning network in Virginia for VCC certified EdTech coaches.
• Promoting the #VSTEinAction hashtag for VSTE members to share how they took their learning from the VSTE conference back to their classrooms.  Monthly giftcards are awarded to names drawn from members who shared online using #VSTEinAction.
• Collaborating with VDOE and Blue Ridge PBS to explore opportunities for creating teacher-centered education technology resources and professional learning opportunities.
• Partnering with UVA Doctoral student in research on "Teaching Tech to Adults" to address the need to support ITRTs with relationship building skills as they transition from teacher to coach.