VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

VSTE Voices

Past is Prologue: A Message from the Chairperson

Keith David Reeves

The call to serve children is clarion, resonating through time and across countless divides. Transcending culture and community, geography and space, we who teach feel our hearts swell and sing with the vibrations of that call, even when things are hard… and I daresay especially when they are.

Teaching in 2018 is not easy. Working in a field that lives at the state of the art, intersecting pedagogy and technology, is a profound challenge, but nearly each one of you that I’ve met - thousands now, in this sixth year of my service on the VSTE Board - shares the ethical mandate that we must use our skills and talents to teach, to make the world better for children, and to serve. It has been humbling to be a part of this extended network that is in so many ways an extended family, and to know that even on the hard days, we are not alone.

September is a hard time of year for we educational technologists. From people wondering what we did all summer despite spending weeks in back rooms with stacks of iPads to the inevitable bombardment of those who seek assistance with that which we’ve assisted them a dozen times, it is precisely because we dwell at the nexus of critical practices that we are so important to our school communities. Our students and teachers rely on our expertise as well as our compassion. The grace with which so many of you labor to ensure that everything is as right as it can be, is as ready as it must be, is a source of great inspiration for me and for my fellow VSTE leaders.

Inevitably, programs will expand, new tools will continue to arrive, and we will continue to have to expand our skill sets and knowledge bases, network with those in ever-more-diverse fields and related services… and we will inhale, and exhale, and strive for grace and empathy for those who rely upon our unique blend of futurist and practitioner, of superhero and grunt.

In the evolving landscape of the internet of things, with artificial intelligence and virtual environments steadily on the rise, and exponentially-increasing breadth and density of information available to children and adults around the world, our jobs get harder and harder, year after year. It takes special passion, work ethic, professionalism, and knowledge - and admittedly maybe just a little bit of cray-cray - to be an educational technology leader in 2018. I know that I do it because I am absolutely convinced that the ITRT role in Virginia represents the most bang for any buck anywhere in the Commonwealth, and many of the wonderful classroom teachers that have strong ed tech backgrounds bring those same skills to bear even if they are not in the ITRT role itself.

We meaningful integrators of technology into learning wear more hats than most, and so many of us fluidly move between roles as needs arise: teacher, mentor, coach, assistant, administrator, technician, principal, analyst, graphic designer, communications expert, media consultant, pedagogue, curriculum designer… We know few people understand that there is no single-sentence answer to the question “what does an ed tech person do?”

There’s no much we don’t do in the service of education in Virginia. I am proud of us, and I am proud of you.

I appreciate you, and your work, and hope you will remember in this unique (and admittedly tiring) season that we do what we do for all the right reasons, and even if you don’t get the smile or thanks that you deserve, you have it nonetheless: You have it from me, if no one else has said so today.

Serving as your Chairperson for for the past three years has been one of the great privileges of my professional life, and I’m humbled that you’ve chosen me to be your voice for advocacy in Virginia so many times. This will be my final year as your Chairperson as I conclude my second and final term of office on the Board of Directors in 2019. As I look back over the past six years, I am struck by the profound number of wonderful people I’ve met, and how much stronger my network is now than it was when I began. I count myself fortunate to represent you, and to have helped shape this most recent chapter of our organization, strengthening our finances and our infrastructure, fostering powerful collaboration and our national-class conference… What will the next years hold for you, and for VSTE? I hope those two destinies are intertwined, and that you will continue to lend your voice and your talents to your students, your colleagues, and to this organization we so love.

Welcome back to school, my friends. VSTE stands ready to support you all year, and I pledge my full efforts in the months to come, for one more phenomenal year.

With affection and in service,

Keith David Reeves, M.Ed., CETL
Chairperson
Virginia Society for Technology in Education

Transforming Learning is All About Mindset

Smiling man with red tie and beard
David French
Principal, Glenwood Elementary School, Virginia Beach
Director

This blog post is part of the VSTE Voice series. VSTE directors, members, and friends share ideas and insights of interest to the VSTE community. 

Carol Dweck, the author of Mindset, describes mindset as either fixed or growth. The fixed mindset is one that is carved in stone, with no chance of change, while the growth mindset is one that is based on the belief that your basic qualities are ones that you can cultivate through your efforts. Everyone can change and grow through application and experience.

Schools haven’t changed a lot over the last century. In that time, teachers have passed down ideas and observed practices from other teachers, creating an academic culture similar to what our parents and grandparents experienced.

Attitude and mindset are huge determining factors in our success and the success of our students. A few changes can mean the difference between a hostile, cold classroom atmosphere and a warm, welcoming one. If educators would open their minds to new approaches to how we are teaching our students, big changes in schools could drastically accelerate. Those educators could also learn to love teaching even more.

But this doesn’t come easy to our teachers. It is easier to learn new habits than to let go of the old ones. Most of the time people agree that change is needed, but still hesitate to step up and make the changes. Henry Ford said, “If I had asked people what they wanted they would have said faster horses." Teachers need support and encouragement, along with guidance as they begin transforming their classrooms from the traditional paper-and-pencil learning environments to the more student centered classroom.

Dave Burgess in Teach Like a Pirate writes, “If you provide your students with an uncommon learning experience they will reward you with an uncommon effort." Today’s kids are born digital--born into a media rich, networked world of infinite possibilities. But their digital lifestyle is about more than just cool gadgets; it’s about engagement, self-directed learning, creativity and empowerment. This is challenging to most of our teachers, but with the right attitude and mindset, teachers will find how rewarding it will be to meet their students where they are.

I often ask my teachers to reflect on their classrooms. Would you want your own child to be in your classroom? Are you willing to do what it takes to meet the needs of your students? If they didn’t have to be there, would they show up anyway? Technology will never replace teachers. However, those teachers that embrace the use of innovative teaching tools will be make those connections with their students, and provide engaging and relevant learning experiences.

The right mindset and the willingness to grow and learn new ways, will transform your classroom into a learning environment based on student agency.

Teacher Confidence & Effectiveness: 5 Key Factors to Success

Confident and effective teachers make a difference in the lives of students.

At the heart of teacher confidence and effectiveness is the ability to understand and support the individual profiles—the strengths and weaknesses—of every student in their classroom.

Included in this white paper are keys for professional development, resources, and processes that schools can put in place to unlock the ability of teachers to know why specific students require certain instructional resources and when those resources are needed.

Read this white paper to learn about five key factors for empowering Virginia's teachers and positively impacting outcomes for Virginia's students.

Lexia Learning is a member of VSTE's Corporate Council and supports our work throughout the year. 

4T’s of Technology

The following post was written by VSTE Board Member Janet Copenhaver.

In our world today we are overwhelmed by acronyms that are used in government and education and especially social media. However, today I am taking the liberty of creating a new one called the 4 T’s of Technology-Training-Thinking-Teacher.

First T: Technology-try-try-try

As technology changes rapidly every few months, we have to investigate ways to keep up the pace. When school divisions are implementing 1:1 mobile technology, many factors should be considered. Among these are relevance to curriculum, adaptability, and sustainability. Letting your curriculum drive technology purchases will result in a successful implementation if the device is relevant to your curriculum in an every day setting.

Devices should be adaptable to a current lesson plan and not be subject to an individual lesson plan created for technology. Teachers should be able to adapt and integrate any new technology into their current curricular lesson plan without having to create new plans.

A four-year sustainability plan should be in place before the first device is adopted. Although a device is so awesome and exciting the first when a student receives a device, does the excitement last the next year and so on? Will these same devices continue to be exciting for students? Plans should be in place to integrate new activities each school year so that technology will continue to be engaging.

Sustainability should be a part of the technology budget each year and a four-year refresh program should be developed into the long-range plan. If technology does not work, enjoyment and engagement begin to fade.

To keep up with the latest in technology try to attend conferences to collaborate and observe best new practices. Remember you do not have to reinvent the wheel-ask for help from someone who has been there.

Second T: Training-train-train-train

“As more and more devices and technological applications are added to our schools, it becomes necessary to provide professional development to keep up with the pace.” Janet Copenhaver

This statement by Sam Carlson and Cheick Gadio probably sums up my thinking of why teachers should be involved in Educational Technology training…

Experience around the world in developing, industrialized, and information-based countries has shown that teacher training in the use and application of technology is the key determining factor for improved student performance (in terms of both knowledge acquisition and skills development enabled by technology). Educational technology is not, and never will be, transformative on its own—it requires teachers who can integrate technology into the curriculum and use it to improve student learning. In other words, computers cannot replace teachers—teachers are the key to whether technology is used appropriately and effectively.

From TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY, Carlson and Gadio.

I believe that teachers need a beginning foundation of technology knowledge that is relevant and easily adaptable into their lesson plans. The one-time technology training is certainly not enough as technology changes so rapidly every year. Technology Professional Development should be on going and at a pace to keep up with new technologies. No longer should we just provide a workshop on PowerPoint, Keynote, or other presentation tools without providing the skills for teachers to adapt the applications into a lesson plan that will benefit their students.

I have been an educator for many years and I have observed that most staff members have an expectation of training when their school division adapts new things. Should we not do the same thing for our staff when we add new technologies and mobile devices? Adding these technologies without training will result in the devices and technologies not being used to their full potential. As portable learning becomes our norm and we are not confined by walls but can educate at anytime or anyplace, lets move forward with our students.

I urge all Tech Directors to ensure that your staff has Educational Technology training in your division. I also urge all teachers to request this training when new technology ordevices are added to your classroom.

Third T: Thinking-think-think-think

Perhaps the greatest compliment I received in my years of being a Technology Director was, “Janet you are a radical thinker ”. I realize it takes all kinds of thinkers in this world to succeed but I also believe if you are going to be successful in technology you must take risks and begin to think differently. Years ago as 1:1 mobile devices were beginning to be the buzzword; many technologists were caught up in the device war of which one to choose. My philosophy when I talked to school divisions was just “pick one”. If you wait until the “perfect” device comes along, your division will lag far behind. Take a risk, choose a device, implement with training, and if you have to regroup in another direction it is o.k. Remember, there are no mistakes in technology; they just become challenges to us all.

Collaborative thinking becomes important when new technologies are introduced. What better way to check with your peer about something they implemented than attending a conference? Again, conferences are important to challenge and guide participants to think, communicate and create. A good quote from Mark Twain “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

Fourth T: Teachers teacher-teacher-teacher

The greatest champion of any implementation is a teacher. If teachers have a comfort level of knowledge with technology, integration becomes a second nature to them. Be transparent with on-going training and support with your teaching staff. One of my favorite times of training was a technology camp at night. We introduced many new techniques at our Teaching and Learning Conference at the end of the school year. At the beginning of the new school year, we held technology camps beginning at 7 p.m. at night. During these camps we introduced new technological concepts and how they would benefit a classroom. We also covered many new social medias and how to use them in instruction. All classes were filled and we had to close the sessions at a certain time because the teachers wanted to stay longer. Support staff was available to teachers during the school day and after hours to help with projects or integration activities.

So let’s remember the importance of the 4 T’s of Technology working together as a unit. Guidelines that are best practices and research based practices are available to establish a training program that best fits your division. I have listed some of these for you to investigate.

The SAMR model is used to help teachers infuse technology into teaching and learning. I like Kathy Schrock’s guide to SAMR.

ISTE standards for teachers is a guide for Educational Technology Training.

VSTE offers the new enhanced foundational standards for teachers and found on VSTE’s web page.

Whatever training you choose; make it transparent, on going and rewarding.

Janet is an Educational Consultant and is a retired educator from Henry County Public Schools where she served as Director of Technology.

She is a graduate of Radford University with a B. S. in Library Science and  M. S. Degree in Educational Leadership. 

Janet currently serves on the Patrick Henry Community College Board of Directors and on VSTE Board of Directors.

Technology for Non-Verbal Students

The following post was written by VSTE member Chelsea VanKerkhove, a special education teacher at Alvey Elementary School in Prince William County.

The exceptional students in my classroom are all non-verbal and rely on technology everyday. Technology is not only fundamental for student learning, but necessary for students to communicate. Whether it is an electronic tablet, such as an iPad, or a device which tracks eye-gaze, the students depend on technology to have a voice in our class. We also use technology to engage students in learning content material by presenting information in more dynamic ways.

The students are working on learning “core vocabulary” with their devices. Core vocabulary, including yes, no, more, want, stop, off and help, make up most of our daily vocabulary. By teaching these words it allows my students to use their technology to express themselves. We offer choices for the child involving food, toys, favorite activities and music by asking simple questions such as, “Do you want this?” It is very important to honor their wants, even if it is not the choice we as teachers hoped for. When students can communicate their basic wants, we will see them laugh, smile and sometimes even vocalize happy sounds.

Along with using the devices to communicate, we use various other forms of technology in our classroom as part of our daily routine. We use the Smartboard for our morning meeting, brain breaks, learning activities, experiments, and song choices. We also have a weekly computer lesson in the computer lab with our technology teacher. In addition, we use various switches to practice cause and effect. Using a Power Link switch, we are able to use a hand mixer, blender, food processor, and popcorn popper during cooking lessons. We are also able to use the switches during our scientific experiments, such as using the switch to activate a blow dryer when determining the effect wind has on various items.

While technology is important for all students, my classroom uses technology to enable them to communicate and perform tasks that they would otherwise be unable to do. My students are very accustomed to technology as an everyday part of their lives and their learning experience. This has made technology not just an augmentation, but a necessity.

This short video will give you a view into my classroom.