VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

Conference

Upcoming Events of Interest 2020

Lots of events of interest to VSTE members...

 

Learnerpalooza South
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
New College Institute, Martinsville, Virginia
Learn More: https://vste.org/learnrpalooza-south-2020/

TechSplash 2020
Monday, July 13, 2020
SWVA Higher Education Center, Abingdon, Virginia
https://www.uvawise.edu/cte/techsplash/

Tech Splash 2020 will showcase exemplary examples of technology integration in the K12 classroom as well as focus attention on new and emerging technologies. This is a fun and interactive day filled with great hands-on learning opportunities, collaboration, and FUN! The Keynote for this event is author and creator of Hello Ruby, Linda Liukas.  Get those flip-flops ready and register today! 

Presentation proposal deadline: April 15, 2020
(Free registration and the coveted TechSplash T-shirt for presenters!)

Techstravaganza 2020
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
https://sites.google.com/lcsedu.net/techstravaganza20/home

Free for educators
Call for proposals open now through May

Clarke Innovation Conference
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Clarke County, Virginia
https://bit.ly/clarkeinnovation

A regional conference with a keynote speaker, 45 concurrent sessions, and more! Session proposals due May 1, 2020. 

ISTE 2020
Anaheim, California
November 30 - December 1, 2020
 

VSTE2020: Annual Technology in Education Conference December 6 - 8, 2020
Virginia Beach Convention Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia 
This premier education conference features keynotes, spotlights and breakouts as well as a full exhibit hall of the latest technology innovations. http://www.vsteconference.org

Share Your Expertise: Conference Call for Proposals Open Now

conference logoThe VSTE Express is on its way to Roanoke, Virginia, for the Annual Technology in Education Conference. The Call for Proposals is open now until mid-September. Share your knowledge and expertise of using technology for teaching and learning by submitting your breakout session proposal.

Our keynote speaker for the Monday opening session is Michael Bonner, inspirational teacher and leader. Our own Tamara Letter, the queen of kindness, will be part of Sunday's opening. There will be over 325 sessions, a full exhibit hall and lots of opportunities to learn, share and grow with other passionate educators.

The conference is December 8 - 10, 2019, at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center in Roanoke, Virginia.

Early bird registration is open now.

Learn more

 

VSTE 18 Keynote with Sarah Thomas

At the 2018 Conference, VSTE was proud to welcome Sarah Thomas as our Keynote speaker. Sarah is a Regional Technology Coordinator in Prince George’s (Maryland) County Public Schools and a long-time VSTE member. She is the founder of the #EduMatch movement, a grassroots project that empowers educators to make global connections across common areas of interest.

Sarah regularly presents at events around the world and was a 2017 recipient of the ISTE Making IT Happen award. She is also is also a Google Certified Innovator, Google Education Trainer, and a national advisor for the Future Ready Instructional Coaches Strand.

In her keynote presentation, Sarah challenged us to look backwards as a way to look ahead.

The present is a gift, the past has passed, and the future is what is to come.  Let's time travel and reminisce on our first days of teaching.  What has changed?  What lessons might we learn from our past, and how might this inform our future?  Take a trip with Sarah Thomas on this magical journey that discusses the power of reflection and community, edtech trends over the years, and...fanny packs?

Sarah is active on Twitter as @sarahdateechur, and is the co-host of the Tweet & Talk podcast.

VSTE 18: Assistive Technology – My Early Christmas Gift

With telescopic precision, Matt Newton used his VSTE 2018 session as a platform to spotlight one of many Assistive Technology Resources: Read and Write.  As a matter of fact, it was the only presentation which specifically focused on accommodations and modifications for the special education population.

Matt prefaced that he is not a representative for Google Read & Write.  He is a T/TAC coordinator who has witnessed the powerful benefits of the Read & Write extension.  In a matter of 60 minutes,  Matt expressed how the awesomeness of this tool could have lasting effects for students who struggle with reading comprehension.  This app is designed to help struggling readers grasp the content.  This is not to say that Read & Write is the “That’s It. That’s All Folks” app for struggling students.

As educators, we know we have to find what works best for our students.  I remember one student who was given an iPad as an accommodation.  The thing is…he didn’t like the iPad!  Regardless of its function or the number of apps which were downloaded on his iPad, he just refused to use it.

As Matt alluded to in his session, the best Assistive Technology in the world is the one that the student is comfortable with and enjoys using it.

Success is gained when teaching and learning become enjoyable and not dreadful.  So, if you have not done so already, check out Read & Write.  Your students just might thank you for it.  And if they don’t, it’s all good. There’s a galaxy of Assistive Technology just waiting to be discovered.

Matt Newton is a Technology Coordinator in the Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC) at Virginia Tech. His VSTE presentation is here and more resources are linked from his conference presentation page.

This post was written by Nicci Doud, a Special Education Teacher for Prince William County.

VSTE2018: Pre-Conference Workshops Announced

The Annual Technology in Education Conference will be held December 2 - 4, 2018, at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Whether you are a first-time attendee or a seasoned veteran you will find the conference full of information ready to take back to your school or workplace.

This year, VSTE will be adding a pre-conference day on Saturday, December 1, 2018, from 9 AM to 3 PM. This pre-conference will include a variety of longer, hands-on workshops led by certified and seasoned instructors. Check out the schedule here and registration will open on Monday, September 17, 2018. The pre-conference will be held at W.T. Cooke Elementary School in Virginia Beach.

Check out the conference website for more information.