2024VSTE Annual Conference: Full Schedule

Note: In-person attendees will receive login access starting Monday, November 4, 2024, allowing each to create personalized schedules. Until then, you’re welcome to explore the available sessions without logging in.

11:00am EST

Rolling in the Sheet with AI: Top 10 formulas to organize your data and using AI all the way

Sunday December 8, 2024 11:00am - 12:00pm EST

You have done the work. Did it work? Did your plan yield results? If you are a person that enjoys data or thinks that Spreadsheets are the best tool ever, then this session is for you! I will provide data you can use, but please come with data also.

Speakers

Timothy Brown

Sunday December 8, 2024 11:00am - 12:00pm EST
4B

General Session

2:15pm EST

Charting New Waters: Integrating Computer Science Standards into your Social Studies Curriculum

Sunday December 8, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm EST

Drop your anchor and explore creative and engaging ways to integrate the new computer science standards into your social studies lessons. Come and learn how you can seamlessly integrate robots, coding, and technology tools such as AI and Genially to create dynamic lessons for K-8 that not only grab students? attention and engross them in history and social studies, but also effortlessly integrate the new CS standards. There will be time for hands-on learning and experimenting with technology tools such as Bee-Bots, Sphero Indis, Ozobots, digital escape rooms, and MagicSchool.ai. You will disembark with ideas and resources that you can use immediately with students.

Speakers

Jennifer Miller

Katie Plum

Sunday December 8, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm EST
4B

General Session

3:30pm EST

Designing Custom Multilingual Coding Environments for Language Learners using Makecode and Microbit

Sunday December 8, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm EST

Many programming environments only offer English as an option for coding. What if you could design your own custom blocks for Makecode in a language that meets your students' needs and have them setup with their device in their target language? In this session we share resources on developing custom multilingual coding environments and operationalizing them in a dual language immersion program. We will share strategies and templates to develop your own blocks in Makecode and quickly set them up to use in the classroom, natively. We will share the process and what has worked and what hasn't!

Speakers

Eric Bredder

Rebecca Gratz

Sunday December 8, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm EST
4B

General Session

4:45pm EST

Intro to AI Lesson in Scratch with Boolean Girl

Sunday December 8, 2024 4:45pm - 5:45pm EST

Throughout this session attendees will briefly learn about Boolean Girl?s mission before participating in an intro lesson to AI in Scratch. First we will explore the AI travel chatbot, OCTA, before brainstorming our own chatbot ideas and beginning to build it in Scratch. Participants will walk away with a lesson idea, along with other coding instructional resources.

Speakers

Molly Fisher

Brian Moran

Sunday December 8, 2024 4:45pm - 5:45pm EST
4B

General Session

9:45am EST

Ready Player One: Coding text based adventure games to get students creating

Monday December 9, 2024 9:45am - 10:45am EST

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.

Speakers

Preston Ailor

Monday December 9, 2024 9:45am - 10:45am EST
4B

General Session

11:00am EST

Looking for a Strong Anchor? Supporting Innovation with TPACK

Monday December 9, 2024 11:00am - 12:00pm EST

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.

Speakers

Karen Richardson

Monday December 9, 2024 11:00am - 12:00pm EST
4B

General Session

1:00pm EST

Crafting Creativity with Minecraft Education

Monday December 9, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST

Join us at the Minecraft Education Innovation Station! Anchored in the spirit of exploration, this session invites educators to dive into the world of Minecraft Education, a dynamic platform for students to create, demonstrate understanding, and develop critical skills. Participants will immerse themselves in an interactive learning adventure, building their own structure while learning practical strategies, and resources for integrating Minecraft into teaching. *Participants attending this session should bring their own device with Minecraft Education installed and have access to a Minecraft Education account.

Speakers

Sean Ward

James Sample

Monday December 9, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST
4B

General Session

2:15pm EST

Girls Who Code Make Waves

Monday December 9, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm EST

Learn about how a Title I elementary school encourages women in STEM. We build a community of girls in third and fourth grade. The program encourages sisterhood and beginner computer science and coding skills. Girls Who Code has a free curriculum that you can use in your school, too. Work on leadership, building relationships, and computer skills all year long! Learn how you can bring this program to your school.

Speakers

Chelsie Grant

Kelsey Stiles

Monday December 9, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm EST
4B

General Session

3:30pm EST

Anchored Learning: Innovative Approaches to Computer Science in Elementary Science Education

Monday December 9, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm EST

Our division embarked on a voyage with the Advancing Computer Science Education grant, setting our course to build teacher capacity, develop instructional resources, and craft science-integrated lesson plans that align with the VDOE computer science standards. We anchored our curriculum with robotics and coding, navigating these elements into the elementary science classroom. Join our session to discover the charted course we followed to explore the vast sea of computer science integration. We'll share how we mapped out and created these lessons and resources, how we docked robotics and coding into our curriculum, and where you can dive in to access these valuable resources. Come aboard and sail with us on this educational journey!

Speakers

Tobin Traxler

Monday December 9, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm EST
4B

General Session

8:30am EST

Casting Computer Science Anchors

Tuesday December 10, 2024 8:30am - 9:30am EST

Anchors down, gangway open. Step aboard and join the Unplugged Coding Club, where the seas of learning meet the winds of innovation. In this hands-on session, you'll embark on a voyage, navigating through a variety of activities that seamlessly integrate computer science standards with core content standards. These activities will hoist the sails of engagement in your classroom. Prepare to take the helm as both coder and coded, charting a course through the boundless ocean of knowledge. Secure your lines and join us on this exhilarating journey!"

Speakers

Susie Frischkorn

Katie Bookwalter

Instructional Technology Specialist

I am an ITTS (Instructional Technology Training Specialist) at Haydon Elementary School in Manassas, VA. I enjoy working with teachers on using technology effectively with their students. I am a self-proclaimed Ed Tech nerd and love creating, working with and exploring new digital... Read More →

Tuesday December 10, 2024 8:30am - 9:30am EST
4B

General Session

11:00am EST

Integrating Computer Science Across All Subject Areas: A Pathway to 21st Century Skills

Tuesday December 10, 2024 11:00am - 12:00pm EST

In today's digital age, proficiency in computer science (CS) is no longer confined to IT departments but has become essential across all disciplines. We advocate for the integration of CS principles and practices into every subject area of the curriculum. By embedding computational thinking into all core subjects, educators can foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity in students, preparing them for the ever changing digital world. We are looking forward to exploring the newly adopted computer science standards.

Speakers

Yvonne Richard

Casey Holbrook

Tuesday December 10, 2024 11:00am - 12:00pm EST
4B

General Session

1:00pm EST

Computer Science for Middle School (CS4MS) 2.0

Tuesday December 10, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST

This session will discuss findings from the second year of the VDOE funded, CS4MS project. The project provides computer science Professional Development opportunities for Region II teachers instructing students in middle school grades 6- 8. Participating teachers learn to integrate CS standards into core and elective content through online, asynchronous microcredentials and an in-person Summer Workshop. Project findings and next steps will be included in the presentation.

Speakers

Melani Loney

Lisa Steffian

Tuesday December 10, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST
4B

General Session