2024VSTE Annual Conference

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.

This questions plagues those who support and coach teachers all the time. Join the Instructional Techology Team of Newport News Public Schools to learn about their journey to answer this question over the last fifteen months. Check out the tools they have built to collect data and help quantify their impact, and walk away with copies! Explore the iterative process they have used to craft the tools, and learn about their next steps on the journey.

Collaborative learning technologies have the potential to transform traditional educational practices by fostering a more interactive and engaging learning environment. This presentation will explore the impact of collaborative tools such as online discussion forums, collaborative documents, and social media platforms on student engagement and learning outcomes. Through a combination of theoretical insights and practical examples, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to effectively integrate these technologies into their teaching practices to enhance student collaboration and achievement.

Want to know how you can be a VSTE presenter? Attendees will get to learn about the submission process, suggestions of what to include in your presentation proposal, and tips for making the proposal the best it can be. Everyone has something they could share at a future VSTE. Come and learn how to create that successful write up for the proposal process.

Have you ever wondered how to navigate the digital waters with your elementary students? Being a digital citizen is a necessary academic, professional, and life skill, especially for digital natives. In this session, we break down how to teach elementary students to be good digital citizens using the gradual release method. We anchor it in teaching the Virginia SOLs, ISTE standards, PBL Gold Standards, and the Digital Learning Integration Standards. This session focuses on projects (group and independent) that span a whole school year to show the full scope of gradual release in support of digital citizenship for all learners.