Elections

Scott Kiser
Director of Technology
Wise County Public Schools

Educational Leadership

I have served in administrative capacities for the last 14 years of my career. This experience includes being the Director of Technology with two different school divisions and also serving as the principal of a combined PK-7 school for four years. I currently serve on the VSTE Board and have recently been asked to represent Region 7 on the KLIP (VA's K-12 Learning Infrastructure Program) work group that is being established by the VDOE.

Vision for VSTE

A current VSTE Board Member, I am proud of the direction that the organization is taking. While I would never want us to lose sight of the amazing things this organization has accomplished in the past, I am excited about us becoming more active in advocacy. We are a board that represents educators across the state and we are in a position to ensure those voices are heard. I also would like to see VSTE continue its work with the DOE in providing high quality professional development opportunities across the state that lead to our teachers and administrators obtaining meaningful credentialing that recognizes everyone's effort.

Biographical Sketch

I began my career at Norton Elementary School, a combined (PK-7) school, as the keyboarding/technology teacher. After a two year stint there, I was afforded the opportunity to teach business education at John I. Burton High School while also serving as the division's technology coordinator. After two years in this position, I was promoted to the Director of Technology for Norton City Schools which was a position I held for 9 years. The last four years of that tenure, I also returned to Norton Elementary as their principal while continuing to lead the technology department. I was then hired by Wise County Schools and have led their technology department for the last four years. With experience in primary, middle, and high school grades as well as my administrative experience, I believe I fully understand what we ask of our educators in Virginia and I hope to continue having the opportunity to represent them as a VSTE Board member.

Barbara Huth
Education Outreach Manager
Common Sense Media

Educational Leadership

Currently, my primary role with Common Sense Education is to collaborate with education leaders, community stakeholders and classroom educators across DC, Maryland and Virginia to build a culture of digital citizenship and learning, where technology is utilized to engage and empower students. My primary goal is to build relationships with districts across the DC Metro area, where I manage projects, curate resources, and deliver professional development aligned to district goals. In addition to supporting school communities directly, I have presented at numerous conferences, including the following annual conferences: NAIS, NCSS, NCTIES, NSTA, VSTE, and will be presenting on Universal Design for Learning at ISTE 2018. Prior to joining Common Sense I was a National Board Certified High School Science Teacher and have experience as a teacher mentor, department chair, student teacher advisor and PD lead for my district.

Vision for VSTE

VSTE can be the leader in innovative ideas in education in Virginia and beyond by building educator confidence in leveraging education technology tools for learning and setting up a foundation for digital citizenship skills within the state. With a higher teacher confidence and a student foundation of digital citizenship, VSTE can encourage educators to develop more projects that incorporate civic engagement and problem solving, so students can see that their voice matters and they can make a difference. VSTE can establish more connected learning spaces to elevate the voices of students, teachers and administrators in Virginia, where they can share how technology can open the door for many opportunities that were not possible before. VSTE can share these ideas and impacts with district leaders and state legislators to encourage more equitable access to technology for students across Virginia.

Biographical Sketch

As the Education Outreach Manager for Common Sense Education, a national nonprofit, I have the opportunity to be a liaison between many unique districts and organizations. I have a passion for being on the forefront of innovation in education. I am always researching, learning and sharing the best teaching strategies available for educators, so that students have the top resources and tools available to them to build their communication, critical thinking and collaboration skills. Also, as a veteran teacher with over a decade of experience in the classroom, I have a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges that teachers and schools experience.

Rod Carnill
Supervisor of Instructional Technology Coaches
Frederick County Public Schools

Educational Leadership Experience

Twenty seven years ago I began my career as a classroom teacher with Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) and spent time as a language arts and technology lead teacher. I then moved into the ITRT position in 2001 serving teachers and students at five schools then subsequently became an Instructional Technology Specialist in 2004 where I began designing and delivering the district technology training for all teachers.

As Coordinator for Instructional Technology, I helped guide FCPS into a full adoption of Google Apps for Education and am currently serving in my fifth year as the Supervisor of Instructional Technology Coaches for FCPS which has achieved a 1 to 1 Chromebook program K-12.

This year I am finishing my first three-year term on the VSTE Board of Directors acting as the Vice Chair of the Board and also as the Advocacy Committee Chair which has provided me the opportunity to advocate for edtech funding at the state house in Richmond, on the Hill in Washington D.C. and also represent VSTE as a presenter at recent ISTE and CoSN conferences. I also have the pleasure of teaching educational technology application courses for the past year as an adjunct professor with Shenandoah University.

Vision for VSTE

VSTE as an organization draws its power from its membership. When the membership is engaged with one another and grows to be collaborative in nature, the organization finds itself better positioned to inform best practices, highlight innovation and influence what is occurring in classrooms across the Commonwealth and beyond.

VSTE is building on its strong history of bringing together some of the best and brightest educators, administrators and technicians, while continuing to create opportunities to share ideas and resources at the local, state and national levels.

During my tenure on the Board, VSTE has strived to help educators overcome the challenges of keeping pace with the demands and changes faced in today’s digital learning environments. Using the regional events and regular webinars to feature the creative and innovative happenings in local classrooms will better position VSTE to bring those grassroots efforts to the stage of the annual conference and perhaps on the national stage as well. I believe it is more important than ever to create that growth mindset and sense of possibility for Virginia’s teachers and students.

Biographical Sketch

My parents and teachers helped instill in me a sense of giving back and paying forward each and every opportunity and blessing. I enjoy learning and equally enjoy sharing my knowledge with others and it is that learn/teach cycle which has helped me grow as a husband, as a father and as an educator. Those same principles overflow into other aspects of my life and work. My undergraduate work at Shenandoah University led me to a classroom, my masters' degree led me into technology leadership, the edtech leadership certificate program led ne to this Board. Serving on the VSTE Board of Directors has allowed me to contribute to the opportunities for other educators in the Shenandoah Valley, across the Commonwealth and in professional learning networks across the world wide web.