2024VSTE Virtual Conference

I have spent more than a year of exploring Artificial Intelligence in a variety of ways, from reading the news to trying out apps to working with colleagues and students. I share the lessons learned both present and past (hint: we have confronted disruptive technologies before and survived) that can help all educators find an anchor in the sometimes stormy AI seas.

Join us for a session where we will delve into the integration of technology in local elementary schools. This research-driven presentation focuses on identifying the technological resources currently utilized by teachers and assessing their effectiveness through the lens of the Triple-E Framework: Engagement, Enhancement, and Extension. We will present findings from a comprehensive study that explores how various digital tools and resources are being employed to support instructional practices. We will analyze their impact on student engagement, the enhancement of learning goals, and the extension of learning beyond the classroom.

In this age of teacher shortages, administrators, leads, and coaches must find ways to retain new teachers in our schools and districts. We are sharing our intentional, differentiated approach to coaching new teachers with a wide array of experience and knowledge.

Insert your quarter, grab a Tab, and press start for this session on how coding text-based adventure games like Zork can get your students creating, writing, and reading. In this session we will crowd source our own VSTE Adventure game so that you'll see the step-by-step process on how to EASILY write a playable text based adventure game. You'll get the writing template, coding template, and lesson plan/procedure/timeline to make this a ready to go lesson that you can do today! You and your students will love writing their own games and playing each other's games in their own classroom arcade. Although this session will be concentrating on writing and reading, we will talk about ideas on how to get this into history, science, math and beyond.

This session designed specifically for new instructional technology resource teachers and coaches who are new to instructional coaching. This session provides an overview to the skills and strategies needed to excel in this position. Participants will explore effective ways to build relationships with teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders in order to promote meaningful integration of technology in instruction. The session will also delve into best practices for conducting technology-focused professional development workshops and facilitating one-on-one coaching sessions. Throughout the session, new ITRTs will gain practical tips and tricks for managing their time, resources, and projects to ensure their success as instructional coaches in their respective educational settings.

This will be an in-person presentation that will have educators, coaches, and administrators understand the Model Policy concerning Internet Safety and the integration of the Digital Learning Integration Standards of Learning especially in the strand of Digital Citizenship including explanation, resources, and performance indicators. This is an important step towards adding in new and emerging technologies, which includes AI, Virtual Reality, and other rising educational technologies.

In this interactive session, we'll take a deep dive into the latest additions to eMediaVA, focusing on resources that spark curiosity, ignite critical thinking, and empower student learning. We'll explore what's new for the 2024/25 school year, including new collections for social studies, environmental science, STEM, and more. Attendees will gain practical insights into integrating eMediaVA into their curriculum, making learning more dynamic and accessible. Additionally, participants will learn how to create and manage custom collections, enabling them to organize and personalize content for their specific classroom needs.

In today's digital age, teaching digital citizenship is essential for students to navigate the online world responsibly and safely. This proposal outlines a comprehensive, engaging, and practical approach to teaching K-5 students digital citizenship through real-world scenarios. The session will focus on fostering positive online behavior, understanding digital footprints, maintaining authenticity, balancing screen time, and protecting privacy. We will equip educators (coaches, admin, ITS) with practical strategies to teach digital citizenship. The proposed activities and lessons enable students to reflect on their online actions and their consequences. Our goal is to cultivate a positive online presence for young students, ensuring that their digital footprints remain positive as they continue their journey in life.

Who is truly using the technology in your classrooms the teachers or the students? Is a worksheet on Canvas or Schoology more effective than one on paper? Are teachers getting the most out of the interactive board at the front of their classrooms? The PIC-RAT model for Technology Integration provides educators with a framework to assess the impact of technology on student learning. This model not only evaluates whether new tools are transforming instructional practices but also examines whether students are interacting with the technology in active or passive ways. In this interactive session, you will practice using the matrix and discuss how the tool can be used for self-reflection or coaching teachers to improve their practice.

Executive skills develop until age 25, with rapid growth in the middle years. We must be cautious and intentional in saying, "They already know how to do this!" Using the UDL guidelines, we explore how to scaffold Strategic, Goal-Directed, Purposeful, and Motivated Learners. We provide classroom-level and schoolwide evidence-based strategies for teachers, coaches, and administrators to put in place to develop students? executive skills -- and scaffold the ones that won?t develop until age 25! Understand the range of executive skills Understand critical characteristics of executive skills Identify opportunities to scaffold and build executive skills during the middle school day Identify activities and strategies to scaffold and build executive skills during the middle school day Participants will have a QR code for access to materials, explore a handout and examples, and discuss with the presenters to personalize to their own setting and network for the future.

Anchoring a vision of innovation in the fundamental understanding of how technology supports content and pedagogy can lead to powerful change in the classroom. In this interactive session, we will consider what innovation looks like, learn about and practice using the Technological Pedagogical Content model for lesson planning and explore opportunities to use TPACK as an anchor for more student-centered, engaging instruction. Come prepared to play as we explore and create new ways of approaching instructional design.