VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

Equity

Webinar: Incorporating Diversity and Equity Principles

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Tomorrow, February 24, at 12:30 pm the VSTE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee will host a webinar on incorporating Diversity and Equity principles in your learning content. One of our mentors, Charolette Morris, will facilitate this webinar.

In this webinar, you’ll learn about:

  • The importance of incorporating D&I in learning content.
  • Examples of how to apply D&I in your learning content.
  • Common D&I Terms

Charlotte Morris is an Instructional Designer with the College of Professional Studies at The George Washington University. Join us at 12:30 tomorrow as she shares insight into how to incorporate Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) principles in your learning content.

If you would like to attend this webinar, email vstedei@vste.org to receive a link to the Zoom room.

Apply for VSTE Diversity and Inclusion Mentoring Program

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VSTE values human differences and welcomes diverse voices that help us serve our membership, students, and teachers across the Commonwealth better. For over a year, the Ad Hoc Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, co-chaired by Nicci Dowd and Amy Stewart, has been meeting and working on projects to further the participation of underrepresented groups in educational technology leadership across Virginia. Through the establishment of a mentoring program and planning targeted professional development activities, the members of the task force are giving their time and making a concerted effort to level the playing field and welcome new voices.

The task force is soliciting applicant for the Mentorship Program. This program, begun in 2019, is targeted towards minority educators so that the educational technology field in Virginia becomes diversified and inclusive for all people. This mentorship opportunity will pair non-minority/minority mentors with minority mentees. Learn more about the program here.

Mentors will help build the mentee's professional learning networks and connections, while also helping to increase the mentee's knowledge of educational technology. This mentorship program is for classroom teachers, instructional technology teachers, technology teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals who are committed to gain educational technology experience through a year-long mentorship program.

The interest survey is open now. Please consider applying to be a mentor or mentee.

The definition of minority educator for the purposes of this program are as follows:

Individuals that identify their race as African American/Black, Hispanic, Latinx, Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiians, Multi-racial, Arab, etc.
Individuals that identify gender as Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, or Asexual+
Individuals that identify as non-able bodied

Diversity and Equity Taskforce: Mentoring Program

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In 2019, the VSTE Board of Directors agreed to create an Ad Hoc Inclusion Task Force focused on issues related to diversity in education and educational technology in Virginia. This group had two initial goals: learn more about the challenges related to workforce diversity and identify ways VSTE could increase diversity. In an effort to meet these goals, the Task Force established a pilot mentorship program.

The program ran from October 2019 to March 2020. With monthly virtual meetings, participants were invited to engage in courageous conversations related to diversity, education and technology. The program consisted of 4 African American female teachers (mentees) who were paired with instructional technology leaders (mentors) from Arlington County and Petersburg.

This pilot program was designed to allow mentees to receive ongoing support so that they were aware of professional opportunities in the field. As a result of networking with others in the program, one of the mentees was able to secure a position as an Instructional Technology Coach.

Participants were asked to provide a brief statement about what attracted them to Instructional Technology. Charles Randolph, one of the program mentors and Senior Instructional Technology Coordinator for Arlington County Public Schools created the video below which captured some of the participants statements on what attracted them to Instructional Technology.

Written by Nicci Dowd. Nicci is a special education teaching in Prince William County and the co-chair of the VSTE Diversity and Equity Taskforce.

Video by Charles Randolph. Charles is a Senior Instructional Technology Coordinator in Arlington County, co-chair of the ISTE STEM Special Interest Group, and a Certified Apple Learning Specialist. You can follow him on Twitter @CharlesRandolp3.

Help All Students Access The Internet

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With nearly all schools in the U.S. closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, many districts are transitioning to distance learning. This shift to technology-mediated teaching and learning puts a spotlight on the homework gap -- the divide between students who have home broadband access and those who do not.

Getting all students online will take some elbow grease. Fortunately, a number of organizations offer resources to help with this challenge. Here are five things you can do to ensure your students get the access they need:common sense education logo

1. Get students, and their families, online.

Effective distance learning starts with connectivity. Students in households that don't have Wi-Fi won't be able to download work, view online materials, or attend virtual classes. For a list of free and low-cost internet offers, check out the National Digital Inclusion Alliance. Families can also find out about service offerings in their areas with the ZIP code search tool from EveryoneOn.

2. Secure devices for every student.

Most households have mobile devices, but it’s hard to get work done on a phone. PCs for People and Human IT are programs that can link students up with free or low-cost computers, tablets, and laptops. These programs also provide resources on how to navigate new digital tools.

3. Leverage educational TV.

Ninety-six percent of homes in the U.S. have televisions. To support student learning at home, PBS and other local public television stations and some larger broadcasters are airing educational programming throughout the day. Check your local PBS schedule for standards-aligned programs such as Nova and History Detectives. In addition, Amazon pulled down its paywall for educational content on Prime Video, making it free for families with a device and an Amazon account. Amazon Prime Video includes educational programming from various outlets including PBS, plus Amazon originals like Creative Galaxy and Tumble Leaf.

4. Check your local library.

Libraries across the nation are leaving their Wi-Fi open to the public for use from the library parking lots. If students already have access to a device, this option allows them to download materials and access free broadband when they're within range of the signal.

5. Demand action now.

Common Sense is calling on Congress to fund devices and broadband service so all students can connect to distance learning this school year. Are your students connected? Share your story to #ConnectAllStudents and we'll make sure lawmakers hear your call. Send us a video or tweet at us @CommonSenseEd on Twitter and Instagram.

Written by Amina Fazlulla. Amina is Equity Counsel in Common Sense's D.C. office, with a focus on expanding access to technology and digital well-being advocacy.

Data-Informed Equity Workshop, September 26, 2019

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You are invited to join American Institutes for Research, BrightBytes, ISTE and your local peers and colleagues for lunch and discussion on taking a data-informed approach to equity and student success initiatives. The day will feature presentations, panel conversations and interactive sessions focused on equity in early warning systems, approaches to digital initiatives, and understanding the data necessary to support educators and district leaders in this work.

Thursday, September 26
10:00am - 2:00pm
American Institutes for Research Offices in Crystal City
1400 Crystal Drive, 10th Floor
Arlington, Virginia 22202

Register now at: http://pages.brightbytes.net/2019-09-26AIRLunchandLearn_01RegistrationPage.html

*This event is free to attend and lunch will be provided.