September+2017

The VDOE Office of Technology & Virtual Learning is currently in the process of working on the following: • The draft 2017-2022 Technology Plan for Virginia has been completed and posted for public comment. It is almost ready to be presented to the Board of Education (BOE) but has been delayed until October (due to a full September agenda). This means that they plan will not receive final review and adoption until January 2018 at the earliest. School divisions will have one year after the plan is adopted to develop their own plans. The new plan is meant to be used online (see []). The second draft will be posted for public comment again during November. • Computer Science Standards of Learning are currently open for public comment and hopefully will be adopted by the BOE by November 2017. After that, we will be creating support systems and professional development as the Standards are implemented. • GoOpenVA oversaw the development of 3 curriculum resources (for Algebra 1, World History I and Virginia Studies), which will be tested this coming year by the teachers involved in development. • The revision of Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel (TSIPs) has not been completed but is well on the way. • A report to the General Assembly on the “wholistic review of educational technology” is being completed (it is due November 1) based in large part on the surveys conducted this past winter.

[]
 * A few highlights from recent technology director updates (sent monthly):**
 * IMPORTANT: **The L eading Edge Forum, designed as a time and place for Tech Directors and IT Personnel to meet with each other and with various leaders about areas of common interest, is October 19-20, in Culpeper. You can register for one or both days—the first day includes a mixture of topics while the second day focuses on infrastructure/e-Rate.

Public Hearings on the Proposed Computer Science Standards of Learning []
 * Supt’s Memos you should know about: **

STEM Competition Team Grant Initiative []

Public Comment on the Proposed Computer Science Standards of Learning []

2019 Commemoration Educational Resources from AMERICAN EVOLUTION™, a Sub-Agency of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. []

Post-Charlottesville Resources []

Virginia License Plate Design Contest: Take Action Against Distraction []

NOVA EdTechTeam Conference, November 18, 2017, Falls Church []
 * Professional Development: **

VASCD 2017, November 29- December 1, 2017, Williamsburg []

VSTE 2017, December 3-5, 2017, Hotel Roanoke []

Elementary Science with iPad (stand-alone “course” for teachers who want to integrate iPad into Science) []

Twitter Thursday: 17 Educators to Follow in 2017 []

Three Things to Look for in 21st-Century Classrooms []

Low Incomes Families Gain Greater Broadband Access under Comcast Program [] Comcast’s Internet Essentials Program Has Been Updated []
 * Planning: **

Eight Lessons Learned From Piloting the Rapid Cycle Evaluation Coach []

4 Tips for Preparing Your Network for VR []

K–12 School Districts Must Stay on Guard against Ransomware Threats []
 * Security, Safety and Privacy: **

Student Privacy: A Back-to-School Refresh []

Chief Technology Officers Emerging as Collaborative Leaders of Modern District. []
 * Management and Leadership: **

The AI Hierarchy of Needs (regarding data and businesses, but applicable to school management) []

Teachers Struggle with Personalized Learning Initiatives, Study Finds []

NRF: 60% of Back-to-School Shopping Money Spent on Electronics []
 * Trends: **

Smart City Data Helps Solve Education Challenges []

Esports and Competitive Gaming: Trends in Game-Based Education []

The Google Drive App for PC and Mac Is Being Shut Down in March []
 * Technology: **

Cat Videos Have Brought the Posthuman Era upon Us All []
 * Thought to Ponder: **

The ‘Internet Of Things’ Is Sending Us Back To The Middle Ages []

Free BrainPop Digital Citizenship site (must create free account if don’t have one) []
 * Digital Citizenship: **

Digital Tools and Distraction in School (blog) []

How To Create A Custom Google Search Engine For Your Students []
 * How-to’s and Lists: **

Five Easy Ways to Make Your Digital Content Accessible to Everyone []

How to Share a Portion of a YouTube Video []

Instagram for Teachers []

Favorite Sites for Free Clipart and Photos []

USGS’s free photos []

What Do We Mean When We Say ‘Social And Emotional Skills’? []
 * Pedagogy: **

Staying Ahead of the Robots: What Grads Should Know and Be Able To Do []

Want to Foster Creativity in Children? Science Says, “Nurture Curiosity!” []

How Can We Teach Kids To Question? [] The Right Question Institute []

Student-Leaders Sharing Success (blog post by Justin Birckbichler, Stafford County) []

The Tyranny of Being on Task []

Don’t Lecture Me! (about college but applicable to K-12) []

The Google Drive App for PC and Mac Is Being Shut Down in March []
 * Tools: **

Google Maps Cheat Sheet for Teachers []

Classroomscreen: A Useful Tool You Can Use Tomorrow! []

EasyBlog (free for class/premium for school) []

Print Dozens of NASA Infographics or Make Your Own [|http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2017/09/print-dozens-of-nasa-infographics-or.html#.WbKYj7KGPIU]

Watch/Know/Learn: Free educational videos (General) []
 * Curriculum Resources: **

Students create tech tutorials to teach each other (General) []= CLICK (student-created technology tutorials) []

Bringing Authors into Your Classroom (English) []

Nonfiction Minute (English) [] []

Molecularium (Science) []

Smithsonian Tween Tribune (science news for kids—also a Teen Tribune and a TT Junior) (Science) []

Salads in a Jar (HyperDoc activity) (Family Life) []

American Evolution (History/Social Studies) []

Guest Post | Ideas for Student Civic Action in a Time of Social Uncertainty (History/Social Studies) []

Teaching Activities for: ‘Man Charged After White Nationalist Rally in Charlottesville Ends in Deadly Violence‘(History/Social Studies) []

Constitution Day – September 17: The Best Sites for Learning About the Constitution of the United States (History/Social Studies) []

101 Videos from National Geographic (very short) (History/Social Studies) []

This Is What Math Looks Like (Mathematics) []

Teachers Struggle with Personalized Learning Initiatives, Study Finds []
 * Personalized Learning **

15 Dimensions of Personalized Learning []

When Schools Forgo Grades: An Experiment in Internal Motivation []

5 Projects You Can Do in the First Month of School []
 * Project-Based Learning **

Get a Taste of PBL Before Your Students Do []

Reminder - Real World Problems = Problems That Matter to Students [|http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2017/08/reminder-real-world-problems-problems.html#.WbKYk7KGPIV]

Story-Based PBL (Infograph) []

Buck Institute of Education PBL Resources []

Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know Your Makerspace Needs []
 * Maker Movement: **

Moving Beyond Lego Walls []

The Economist Explains: What Are Algorithms? []
 * Computer Science: **

'Schoolifying' Minecraft without Ruining It []

TJ Students Focus On A Paralysis Solution With New Mark II Exoskeleton []
 * What the Kids Are Up To: **

Ready To Launch: Fieldale-Collinsville Students Test Scientific Method []