VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

#GoOpenVA

Featured #GoOpenVA Resources, January 19, 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.

 

We’re starting the new year off with some great lessons contributed by Virginia educators!

“The Moth” Pod Activity lesson plan, from Virginia Beach educator Macy Pniewski, uses a storytelling podcast called “The Moth” to address several 9th grade English SOL.  Listening, of course, is a skill that needs to be practiced at all ages, as is the self-reflection built into the activity.

Domain and Range: To Infinity and Beyond is an Algebra 1 Desmos activity provided by Javier Cabezas of Henrico County.  The lesson link takes you to the Desmos teaching website so you can use this with your own Desmos tool. It is an exploratory lesson that leads students to understand how to describe domain and range with set notation and interval notation.

Regions of Virginia and Art was developed by a team of Chesapeake teachers: Jamie Marquitz, Jessica Brown, Candice Anthony-Cazenave, and Amy Erb.  This cross-curricular lesson addresses the study of the various regions of Virginia while introducing students to an intriguing art technique using colored pencils.

If you reuse or remix one of the lessons, please let us know. If your remix or other resources are featured, you will earn the #GoOpenVA badge!

GoOpenVA Badge

 

Featured #GoOpenVA Resources, January 11, 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.

 

Our Collections are growing!  We have lots of new lessons added to the VDOE Science and VDOE Fine Arts Collections.  And many new lessons for all grade levels have also been added to the Virginia K12 Computer Science Pipeline.

Here’s a sampling of lessons added.

Ways to Bond: How Elements Become Compounds is one of the lessons created by the VDOE Science team to help teachers integrate the 2018 Science SOL. This particular lesson is focused on HS Chemistry, and includes comprehensive instructional support for the teacher.

Instructional Plan: Music Career Exploration comes from the VDOE Fine Arts team, and is a very timely activity for students in middle school. Students pursue their own paths, with guidance and feedback from the teacher. The plan can be easily implemented during remote learning.

Do You Want to Build a Snowman CS Digital Slides Activity was created through the GO Virginia grant in partnership with Chesapeake Public Schools, Loudoun County Public Schools, and the Loudoun Education Foundation. This is a fun elementary student activity to help students learn about algorithms, and can be used by students in or out of the classroom.

If you reuse or remix one of the lessons, please let us know. If your remix or other resources are featured, you will earn the #GoOpenVA badge!

GoOpenVA Badge

 

Featured #GoOpenVA Resources, December 14, 2020

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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.

Featured Resources

One of the best things about OER is that you can take an lesson created for one content area and edit it to address additional activities to address another content area.  Here are some lessons that can easily be edited to include English SOL, making them cross-curricular.

Comparing the Layers of the Atmosphere is a short science activity from Tanna Mezacapa of Virginia Beach.  This lesson involves having students make comparisons between the layers of the atmosphere and any other layered thing with which they are familiar. Can’t you see a great way to extend this lesson to English studies on similes and metaphors for a cross-curriculum lesson?

Boston Massacre: Propaganda is a primary source lesson from Michelle Carr of Hanover. Focusing on the use of propaganda during a historical time period can also be a great lesson for English regarding writing persuasively or studying media literacy.  Can you write a cross-curricular remix to incorporate English SOL with the History and Social Science SOL?

Map Symbols Unplugged is a lesson created by the Virginia K-12 Computer Science Pipeline project.  Why not add an extra dimension by including writing directions, or creating a story to go with the map(s)?  Such a cross-curricular lesson would give you extra value for the time the students spend on the lesson!

Featured Resources from #GoOpenVA, November 30, 2020

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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.

 

Our earliest learners, PreK to 2, need lots of support and #GoOpenVA has quite a few resources that can be used with these beginning students.  However, we are in need of more lessons, especially those created with Virginia students in mind.  Please share your Pre-K lessons with your fellow educators, using the tools on #GoOpenVA to add resources (see the Users Hub for directions on how to do this!)

Henrico EdFlix from Henrico County Public Schools provides lots of resources for remote learning and some really wonderful Choice Boards for preschool students.  Click on the many examples to choose one, or two, or three that suit your students’ needs!

Pattern Play (Kindergarten) is a new resource produced by WHRO just for Virginia students.  It is a recorded lesson taught by Dr. Karen Drosinos and can be used as is or edited into shorter segments as needed.

Call and Response Songs from Carnegie Hall is a great way to get your students warmed up for learning.  This activity can be done in person or online.  Although the lesson suggests a couple of fun songs for your students to sing, you can use call and response songs you remember from your own childhood.  Add your suggestions in the COMMENT box on the resource landing page (that’s where the above link will take you).

Featured #GoOpenVA Resources, November 16, 2020

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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.

 

 

Focus on Collaboration

More heads are better than one!  Collaboration is a great way to develop an engaging, flexible, and innovative educational resource. Remember that you can collaborate using #GoOpenVA tools, like Groups and the Open Author editor which allows for co-authors, while social distancing with colleagues near (or far).  Here are some cool lesson plans created by teams of Virginia educators.

 

Designing a Martian Pod to Minimize Heat Transfer is one of the Science Instructional Plans created by teachers under VDOE’s guidance.  In it, students are challenged to learn about energy and energy transformations through practical applications.

 

Pharmacy Technician FlexBook is the very first textbook created as an OER to be shared on #GoOpenVA.  The work was a dedicated effort by Kim McTyre and Kathleen Vuono of Virginia Beach Public Schools, to support the new CTE course for Pharmacy Technicians.

 

VT PEERS: Mountain Road Repair was developed by groups of teachers funded through an NSF grant, focusing on engineering in the K-12 classroom.  This collaboratively created lesson focuses on student collaboration as a tool for learning how to solve problems.