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Thursday, November 7
 

7:00am EST

Exhibitor Setup
Thursday November 7, 2024 7:00am - 8:00am EST
Exhibit Hall Available for Setup
Thursday November 7, 2024 7:00am - 8:00am EST
Oscar Wilde Ballroom

7:00am EST

Registration Desk Open
Thursday November 7, 2024 7:00am - 4:00pm EST
Registration for attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors.
Thursday November 7, 2024 7:00am - 4:00pm EST
The Lower Lobby

8:00am EST

Breakfast
Thursday November 7, 2024 8:00am - 8:45am EST
Breakfast in the Oscar Wilde Ballroom
Thursday November 7, 2024 8:00am - 8:45am EST
Oscar Wilde Ballroom

8:00am EST

Expo Opens
Thursday November 7, 2024 8:00am - 5:45pm EST
Come visit the expo and see what's new from our sponsors and exhibitors! Coffee available all day!
Thursday November 7, 2024 8:00am - 5:45pm EST
Oscar Wilde Ballroom

8:45am EST

Opening & Keynote: Richard Culatta: Harnessing AI for Digital Good in Education
Thursday November 7, 2024 8:45am - 9:55am EST
Opening remarks and Opening Keynote with Richard Culatta, CEO, ISTE

Harnessing AI for Digital Good in Education
Join Richard Culatta, CEO of ISTE+ASCD and author of Digital for Good, for his keynote address at this year's Vermont Fest. As we stand at the intersection of artificial intelligence and education, Culatta will explore how we can leverage AI to enhance learning experiences and what we need to do to prepare students to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital world. Culatta will also discuss strategies for creating conditions for healthy tech use at home and school.
Speakers
avatar for Richard Culatta

Richard Culatta

CEO, ASCD+ISTE
As the CEO of ASCD+ISTE, Richard Culatta is focused on creating the next generation of innovative learning leaders. Richard has also served as the Chief Innovation Officer of the state of Rhode Island and was appointed by President Barack Obama to lead the US Department of Education’s... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 8:45am - 9:55am EST
Oscar Wilde Ballroom

10:00am EST

Bringing Authentic Representation to EdTech and Literature
Thursday November 7, 2024 10:00am - 10:55am EST
Charlotte Cheng will share how she brings authentic representation to children's books, video games, and EdTech learning experiences. We'll then explore ways you can foster authentic representation in your students' day to day environment through strategies that include identity maps, design thinking, focus groups, and so much more!
Speakers
avatar for Charlotte Cheng

Charlotte Cheng

Author, CodeCombat
Charlotte Cheng has written and illustrated a variety of books including Roar-Choo!, Night Market Rescue, BoBo Loves Dumplings, and I Miss You Most. Charlotte has spoken at a wide variety of events and taught interactive workshops for both children and adults. These events have included... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 10:00am - 10:55am EST
Gateway I

10:00am EST

CS in Your Library or Elementary Classroom
Thursday November 7, 2024 10:00am - 10:55am EST
Join us for a hands on demo of how librarians and elementary classroom teachers can integrate AASL standards, computer science standards and computational thinking in their elementary classroom or library. Bring your laptop and come play with Scratch, or interact with some of our favorite robots This session will also include a time for you to network and share your favorite ideas with other elementary teachers and librarians.
Bring and idea to share!
https://csteachers.org/k12standards/interactive/
AASL Standards now crosswalked to Code with Google’s CS First Curriculum | ALA
This session is part of the Computer Science Strand brought to you by Vermont CSTA and VSLA presented by

Find our Slides and sign up CSTA Vermont ​​​







Speakers
avatar for Lucie deLaBruere

Lucie deLaBruere

STEAM/Maker Educator, Create Make Learn
Lucie deLaBruere brings 40 years of K12 experience as a classroom teacher, technology integration specialist, and Career and Technical Education educator. She currently works with several school districts as a maker educator, STEAM & PBL coach and faculty for higher ed institutions.She... Read More →
avatar for Christina Smith

Christina Smith

STEAM - TECH consultant, Tech Guide VT LLC
Christina Smith has 35 years experience in Vermont Education as a Classroom teacher, VISMT Science TA, Tech Integration Resource Educator, and STEAM coach. She finds that helping teachers and their students figure out the Tech work flow is challenging but rewarding!  She recently... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 10:00am - 10:55am EST
Northstar II

10:00am EST

Developing a Consortia Solution on Back-up/Cyber Safety/Disaster Recovery
Thursday November 7, 2024 10:00am - 10:55am EST
This round table will engage with Tech Directors, Network Administrators, and other district personnel on the technical “side of the house” about ensuring back-up strategies, building in best practice cybersecurity methods, and equipment, and considering how a consortia model might serve needs of many of the smaller districts struggling with these issues. This session is seeking a robust conversation on what needs there are in this realm and what a model might look like that could leverage the back-end, back-up, infrastructure to ensure some cyber safe and redundant systems. Come and bring your ideas and needs to this round table discussion.
Speakers
PD

Peter Drescher

Director of Technology and Innovation, Essex Westford School District
Peter is currently serving as the Director of Technology and Innovation at Essex Westford School District.  He is passionate about working with educators to support teaching and learning with technology and in his past role, as State Director of Education Technology in Vermont, was... Read More →
Sponsors
avatar for Ken Goldberg

Ken Goldberg

MCG Managed Resources
MCG Managed Resources is a Managed Services Provider currently providing backup and disaster recovery services to the Essex Westford School District and the Addison Northwest School District. In addition, our company can provide remote help desk services, EDR/MDR solutions for security... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 10:00am - 10:55am EST
Gateway II

10:00am EST

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod
Thursday November 7, 2024 10:00am - 10:55am EST
As we gear up for another exciting school year, Nearpod is thrilled to introduce a suite of new updates designed to enhance the teaching and learning experience. With our continued commitment to keeping teachers at the center of everything we do, these updates aim to provide active learning experiences, data-driven insights, and high-quality instruction with trusted, standards-aligned content. Join us to see what’s new this year and how you can foster the love of learning in your classroom!  
Speakers
avatar for Kara Baker

Kara Baker

Account Executive, Renaissance
Nearpod’s products are built for the most important job in the world: teaching. Nearpod is an interactive instructional platform that merges real-time formative assessment and dynamic media for live and self-paced learning experiences inside and outside of the classroom. Nearpod... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 10:00am - 10:55am EST
Escapade I

10:00am EST

Librarians Lead on GenAI and Intellectual Property
Thursday November 7, 2024 10:00am - 10:55am EST
School librarians are at the forefront of important conversations about the complicated relationship between generative Artificial Intelligence (genAI) and intellectual property. As we see genAI tools showing up in more classrooms, libraries and computer labs, school librarians have the opportunity to be a critical partner in helping students and educators understand the opportunities and implications of our use of these emerging tools.

In this session, we will explore real-world scenarios that dig into the complexity of content creation, ownership and intellectual property rights in a world where genAI is helping people to create art, compose music and write essays. We will discuss specific cases and their potential impact on educational spaces. Through practical strategies and conversation starters, we will work together to prepare ourselves, our colleagues and our students to consider the ethics and the boundaries of what it means to be a writer, a painter, a creator who shares their work with the world.

Link to published slidedeck with some additional resources that you all may find useful.
Speakers
avatar for Suzanne Judson-Whitehouse

Suzanne Judson-Whitehouse

Online Learning Manager, Collaborative for Educational Services
Suzanne Judson-Whitehouse is the Online Learning Manager and ISTE Certification Trainer for the Collaborative for Educational Services (CES), where she has worked for the past 15 years supporting educators to innovate and explore new ideas around technology, curriculum and design... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 10:00am - 10:55am EST
Northstar I

10:00am EST

Twenty-five for ‘25: Inspiring and Promising Trends, Technologies, and Tools
Thursday November 7, 2024 10:00am - 10:55am EST
Experience a lightning fast session that will highlight twenty-five timely trends, innovative technologies, and useful tools.  Completely updated from last year’s Vermontfest session, it will cover technologies for all grade levels and subject areas.  General and specific use artificial intelligence tools will be described. Strategies for addressing the challenges and benefits of teaching with them will be included, along with multiple ways of using AI to save time planning lessons and creating teaching materials. You will see free tools you can master quickly, an update on virtual and augmented reality apps, the largest collections of free authentic artifacts, outstanding video and audio archives, new ways of reaching special needs students, and inexpensive little drones and robots.  Hear about technologies and innovative ideas that do not yet exist at the time this session was proposed.  The term “Electronic Constructivism” was coined by this presenter who will link these technologies to what it is all about: Good Teaching.  No experience necessary - just your curiosity and your enthusiasm about teaching.  The agenda is packed, but you’ll receive links to all resources to explore later.  The session will end with a raffle for techy door prizes.
Speakers
avatar for Maureen Yoder

Maureen Yoder

Professor, Lesley University
Dr. Maureen Brown Yoder is an Educational Technology Professor Emerita at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachuses. Dr. Yoder began her career when the field of educational technology was in its infancy, when the Apple 2 was state of the art, and a 300 baud modem was impressive... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 10:00am - 10:55am EST
Escapade II

10:00am EST

You can't protect what you cannot see! Increasing Cyber Security and posture on a K12 budget!
Thursday November 7, 2024 10:00am - 10:55am EST
Protecting your user and student data from cyber threats. How Ransomware has evolved to crimewave, ransom and extortion. A discussion on the "Dark Web" and who's behind the "bad actor" activity. What's in your incident response plan?Achieving a higher level of security posture through prevention and monitoring with enterprise grade solutions on a K12 Budget.
Sponsors
avatar for David Wren

David Wren

NTP Cyber Security
Cyber Security Firm specializing in Security Operations Center (SOC) as a service.  Includeing managed EDR, MDR, XDR, secure Email, SASE, SSE and awareness training
Thursday November 7, 2024 10:00am - 10:55am EST
Roundabout

11:00am EST

Book Signing & Break with the Sponsors
Thursday November 7, 2024 11:00am - 11:30am EST
Meet keynote speaker, Richard Culatta and bring your copy of Digital for Good: Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World to be signed. Additionally, meet children's book author, Charlotte Cheng. She will have copies of her books available for sale and signature as well.

Coffee break in the Oscar Wilde Ballroom with the sponsors!
Speakers
avatar for Richard Culatta

Richard Culatta

CEO, ASCD+ISTE
As the CEO of ASCD+ISTE, Richard Culatta is focused on creating the next generation of innovative learning leaders. Richard has also served as the Chief Innovation Officer of the state of Rhode Island and was appointed by President Barack Obama to lead the US Department of Education’s... Read More →
avatar for Charlotte Cheng

Charlotte Cheng

Author, CodeCombat
Charlotte Cheng has written and illustrated a variety of books including Roar-Choo!, Night Market Rescue, BoBo Loves Dumplings, and I Miss You Most. Charlotte has spoken at a wide variety of events and taught interactive workshops for both children and adults. These events have included... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 11:00am - 11:30am EST
Oscar Wilde Ballroom

11:30am EST

AI - It's Not Magic, It's Computer Science !!
Thursday November 7, 2024 11:30am - 12:25pm EST
​​​Join us to experience the computer science behind what appears to be the Magic of AI. In this his hands on session, we will look behind the curtain using the Machine Learning for Kids project that allows students and educators to create, train and test a machine learning model. We will also make a game or app with machine learning models using Scratch meeting several CSTA computer science standards.
https://csteachers.org/k12standards/interactive/
This session is part of the Computer Science Strand offered by Vermont CSTA presented by Lucie deLaBruere

Find Slides and Join Vermont CSTA​​​

Speakers
avatar for Lucie deLaBruere

Lucie deLaBruere

STEAM/Maker Educator, Create Make Learn
Lucie deLaBruere brings 40 years of K12 experience as a classroom teacher, technology integration specialist, and Career and Technical Education educator. She currently works with several school districts as a maker educator, STEAM & PBL coach and faculty for higher ed institutions.She... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 11:30am - 12:25pm EST
Northstar II

11:30am EST

Disrupting for Justice: FHTMS Students Organized Against Racism (S. O. A. R.) - A
Thursday November 7, 2024 11:30am - 12:25pm EST
FHTMS SOAR Students plan an interactive session geared for participants who are in various parts of their journey toward active antiracism work. S. O. A. R. students will briefly describe their work before launching into practical "hands-on" activities designed to allow participants to
• reflect on their identities and the need for this work
• improve on “Speak up” strategies guided by the work of Teaching Tolerance
• explore both individual and collective aspects of antiracism work
• create tools that can immediately be taken back to your school setting to unapologetically interrupt and disrupt racism within our school systems.
Speakers
avatar for Gary Russell

Gary Russell

Educator/Coach, South Burlington School District
Our S.O.A.R. Program demonstrates innovative, disarming, and nonthreatening strategies and tactics to combat racism and racist acts in schools. Students are at the forefront of these exceptional and nontraditional efforts.  Please feel free to discuss ways in which a program like... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 11:30am - 12:25pm EST
Northstar I

11:30am EST

Esports Facility Building: Hardware for Gaming and Streaming
Thursday November 7, 2024 11:30am - 12:25pm EST
Building an esports facility can seem like a daunting task. There are lots of questions and unknowns that new programs need to figure out in order to set their teams up for success. In this session, Gravity Gaming by ByteSpeed’s Brycen will run through the important steps in selecting a space in your school, what equipment you will need, and other considerations that go beyond just playing games; like what to look for in streaming accessories, how other schools have set up network and permissions for their machines, and how to fund purchases of the equipment they might need.
Speakers
Thursday November 7, 2024 11:30am - 12:25pm EST
Roundabout

11:30am EST

Kami's Latest and Greatest Features
Thursday November 7, 2024 11:30am - 12:25pm EST
Join us for an in-depth look at the latest and greatest tools and features in Kami, the leading online document collaboration platform. In this presentation, we will showcase the newest additions to Kami's powerful suite of features, including real-time collaboration, advanced annotation tools, improved PDF editing capabilities Questions AI, and much more. Whether you're a seasoned Kami user or just getting started, you won't want to miss this opportunity to learn about the cutting-edge tools and features that can help take your productivity to the next level. Join us and discover how Kami is revolutionizing the way we work and collaborate online.
Speakers
avatar for Oliver Tingling

Oliver Tingling

Teacher Success Champion, Kami
Kami is an online document annotation and markup tool. You can highlight, underline, and strikethrough text in PDF and other document formats. You can also add text boxes, shapes, and images. Kami works with Google Drive and Google Classroom. With Kami, you can easily collaborate... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 11:30am - 12:25pm EST
Escapade II

11:30am EST

Library Advocacy 101
Thursday November 7, 2024 11:30am - 12:25pm EST
Join Liz von Nagy for an engaging presentation on library advocacy. Discover how you can share the power of what's happening in your library with all stakeholders; students, teachers, administrators, parents, and school board members, and how your advocacy can affect your library. Participants will learn tips and tricks for creating infographics, how to pull information from Destiny Library Manager, and how to center student voice in your advocacy efforts.
Speakers
avatar for Liz von Nagy

Liz von Nagy

School Librarian, Essex Westford School District
Librarian. Self-Proclaimed Nerd. She/Her
Thursday November 7, 2024 11:30am - 12:25pm EST
Gateway II

11:30am EST

Literacy Comes Alive! Grant Opportunities with CLiF
Thursday November 7, 2024 11:30am - 12:25pm EST
The Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) offers many different grants to schools and libraries that help increase literacy skills by inspiring a love of reading and writing for children in under-resourced communities across VT and NH. Join Cassie Willner and Jana Brown, program managers from CLiF, to learn about these free grant programs and how CLiF can support your innovative efforts to inspire your students! We’ll talk about our grants for elementary schools, eligibility requirements, how to apply, and what we’re looking for with funding priorities. We’ll also share some recent examples of funded projects with creative librarians and educators who utilized technology to enhance their libraries and literacy instruction.
Thursday November 7, 2024 11:30am - 12:25pm EST
Gateway I

11:30am EST

Tech Talk on Rostering/Onboarding/App Management
Thursday November 7, 2024 11:30am - 12:25pm EST
Join us to explore how Essex Westford (Peter Drescher), Harwood Unified Union (Nate Gingras) , and Mount Mansfield Unified Union (Jeff Wallis), are leveraging ClassLink in their districts.
-Challenges they faced before using ClassLink
-From SSO to Rostering and Account Provisioning
-Implementation process
-See what’s new
While this is focused on a particular solution, all will talk about various ways all have explored this topic over the years. Consider how this solution might provide a streamlined means to roster and on/offboard employees.
Speakers
avatar for Jeff Wallis

Jeff Wallis

Director of Technology, Mount Mansfield Unified Union School District
avatar for Nate Gingras

Nate Gingras

Assistant Director of Education Technology, Harwood Unified Union School District
PD

Peter Drescher

Director of Technology and Innovation, Essex Westford School District
Peter is currently serving as the Director of Technology and Innovation at Essex Westford School District.  He is passionate about working with educators to support teaching and learning with technology and in his past role, as State Director of Education Technology in Vermont, was... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 11:30am - 12:25pm EST
Escapade I

12:30pm EST

Lunch followed by Vita-Learn Awards and Annual Meeting
Thursday November 7, 2024 12:30pm - 1:40pm EST
Lunch in the Oscar Wilde Ballroom.
Thursday November 7, 2024 12:30pm - 1:40pm EST
Oscar Wilde Ballroom

1:45pm EST

Create VR Experiences with CoSpaces and Tinkercad
Thursday November 7, 2024 1:45pm - 2:40pm EST
Students and educators can create immersive 3D VR and AR experiences using CoSpaces. I will show you how younger students with little coding experience and older students with text-based coding experience can all create dynamic 3D environments that show off their learning while developing transferrable STEAM skills. Teachers can create classes and create/access assignments within the platform (which is browser-based on computers and an app on iPads). CoSpaces projects can incorporate 360 degree images and can be viewed in CoSpaces, online, or even through VR headsets for a truly immersive experience. Come see how students can create projects that allows them to connect to their community by creating an interactive virtual tour or creating a virtual world to tell a story, all while using cutting edge technology that is easily accessible. Participants will get and share lesson and project ideas and be able to jump into the CoSpaces environment to start building their own 3D experiences during this workshop. 1 month trial codes will also be available to further try it out on your own and with your students.

Google Slides Presentation for CoSpaces Session​​​
Speakers
avatar for Sean Theoret

Sean Theoret

7-12 Technology Integrationist, Franklin West Supervisory Union
I have been a technology integrationist in the middle and high school for the last 6 years at BFA Fairfax where I run the 7-12 makerspace, teach courses in html, css, game design, and starting in the fall of 2024, a series of courses in cybersecurity. Prior to working as a technology... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 1:45pm - 2:40pm EST
Escapade I

1:45pm EST

CS in Upper Elementary/ Middle School with CoSpaces
Thursday November 7, 2024 1:45pm - 2:40pm EST
Don't forget your laptop! Join us for a hands on experience with CoSpaces - a web-based interactive 3D environment that fosters creativity, collaboration, and computational literacy. Learn how, through project-based play, your elementary and middle school students can meet ISTE and CSTA computer science standards while creating and sharing projects from any subject matter!

Information on the ISTE and CSTA standards can be found below.
https://iste.org/standards
https://csteachers.org/k12standards/interactive/

This session is part of the computer science strand from Vermont-CSTA
Presented by CSTA Kristen Wilson & Ben McVety

Speakers
avatar for Ben McVety

Ben McVety

Director of STEAM Programming, Black River Innovation Campus
Ben has a Masters of Science in Music Education from Indiana University, and has been working at the Black River Innovation Campus (BRIC) since February 2024. BRIC's goal is to teach and promote STEAM learning through use of technology, and to provide tools and professional development... Read More →
avatar for Kristen Wilson

Kristen Wilson

Information Technology Instructor, River Valley Technical Center
I run my own design business, creating websites and branding. I teach information technology at River Valley Technical Center in Springfield, VT, where I teach Adobe Illustrator, Website Development, CompTIA A+, and Cybersecurity Fundamentals. Game Design with Endless Network, VR... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 1:45pm - 2:40pm EST
Northstar II

1:45pm EST

Disrupting for Justice: FHTMS Students Organized Against Racism (S. O. A. R.) - B
Thursday November 7, 2024 1:45pm - 2:40pm EST
FHTMS SOAR Students plan an interactive session geared for participants who are in various parts of their journey toward active antiracism work. S. O. A. R. students will briefly describe their work before launching into practical "hands-on" activities designed to allow participants to
• reflect on their identities and the need for this work
• improve on “Speak up” strategies guided by the work of Teaching Tolerance
• explore both individual and collective aspects of antiracism work
• create tools that can immediately be taken back to your school setting to unapologetically interrupt and disrupt racism within our school systems.
Speakers
avatar for Gary Russell

Gary Russell

Educator/Coach, South Burlington School District
Our S.O.A.R. Program demonstrates innovative, disarming, and nonthreatening strategies and tactics to combat racism and racist acts in schools. Students are at the forefront of these exceptional and nontraditional efforts.  Please feel free to discuss ways in which a program like... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 1:45pm - 2:40pm EST
Northstar I

1:45pm EST

Engaging Students and the Community with Biographies
Thursday November 7, 2024 1:45pm - 2:40pm EST
This presentation will give you all the resources to create this program in your community. For our biography unit last year, instead of students researching a famous person online; we connected with our local seniors citizens. Though digital storytelling, Students used countless skills in this process including creating questions, conducting interviews, embedding technology skills, and developing research skills. Students expand their writing, executive functions, and interpersonal relationships.
Speakers
avatar for Katrina Antonovich

Katrina Antonovich

Teacher, Milton Middle School
Katrina Antonovich is a 5/6 ELA/SS teacher at Milton Middle School. For the last three years, Katrina has worked to implement Act 77 at MMS. An innovative educator for 15+ years, mom, wife, and out-of-the-box thinker with students. ISTE certified educator, with a passion for travel... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 1:45pm - 2:40pm EST
Gateway II

1:45pm EST

Law for Librarians
Thursday November 7, 2024 1:45pm - 2:40pm EST
Is your library prepared for a book challenge? Is your district reviewing library or school board policies? How do you handle student privacy and the freedom to read? Where are the boundaries of the First Amendment in a school library?

This session can help you prepare against censorship and implement vital intellectual freedom best practices within your library.

Meg is was trained through Law for Librarians, a program of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). It is designed to provide librarians with information about the legal fundamentals of the First Amendment, intellectual freedom, and privacy in order to help ensure legal, consistent library policies and practices.
Speakers
avatar for Meg Boisseau Allison

Meg Boisseau Allison

School Librarian, U-32 Middle & High School
Thursday November 7, 2024 1:45pm - 2:40pm EST
Escapade II

1:45pm EST

Leveraging AI to Manage & Protect your Network
Thursday November 7, 2024 1:45pm - 2:40pm EST
This session will look at how AI is starting to impact your network from a management and security perspective. We will look at what tools are available today and what we should expect in the future and how you can prepare. Part of the session will be dedicated to a round table forum to hear from the group regarding what schools are doing today and how you would like to leverage AI to improve how you are able to protect and manage your network.
Speakers
avatar for Jeff Mann

Jeff Mann

Territory Manager – ME/NH/VT, HPE Aruba Networking
HPE Aruba Networks provides Edge to Core network switching, wireless, and network security solutions supporting both on-premise and cloud deployments. Aruba’s solutions are built on a security-first, AI-Powered network leveraging Aruba Central as your network management tool delivering... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 1:45pm - 2:40pm EST
Roundabout

1:45pm EST

STEAM/Makerspace Projects Connected to Digital Citizenship Topics.
Thursday November 7, 2024 1:45pm - 2:40pm EST
This presentation features hands-on projects that compliment good digital citizenship practices.

My projects were inspired by the 6 core topics addressed in the educator’s section of Common Sense Media. During my presentation, I will show projects related to: Balance, Privacy, Digital Footprint, and Kindness. I use the Common Sense Media lessons, and then extend the main ideas into a makerspace project.

These projects are for students in grades K-6. Some projects can be adapted for different grade levels.

You will come away from the presentation with many ideas that you can use right away in your classroom. I will include a few paper templates to take with you. They can be copied and used for a lesson right away.
Speakers
avatar for Eileen Vaughn

Eileen Vaughn

Librarian / STEAM Teacher, Mountain Views SU
Thursday November 7, 2024 1:45pm - 2:40pm EST
Gateway I

2:45pm EST

AI Policy Starter Kit: Concrete Tools for District Leaders
Thursday November 7, 2024 2:45pm - 3:40pm EST
While policy and guidelines are only one part of a district's response to the advent of genAI, they are a critical foundation for your district’s approach. A well-crafted policy and resources to guide classroom practice help teachers and students navigate the shifting landscape of technology that surrounds us. In this hands-on session, we will explore the free AI Policy Starter Kit as a starting point for districts and schools to craft thoughtful and proactive generative AI guidance and policy aligned with their district needs and priorities. We will explore resources in the kit that spark conversations about the range of factors and conditions that go into creating genAI policy, and concrete steps that lead to draft policy and guidance language. Using case studies to guide our thinking, we will create a thoughtful and custom approach to district policy and resources that help our teachers and students feel confident in their ability to navigate complexity with a critical lens.

Link to my slidedeck for this session is here.
Speakers
avatar for Suzanne Judson-Whitehouse

Suzanne Judson-Whitehouse

Online Learning Manager, Collaborative for Educational Services
Suzanne Judson-Whitehouse is the Online Learning Manager and ISTE Certification Trainer for the Collaborative for Educational Services (CES), where she has worked for the past 15 years supporting educators to innovate and explore new ideas around technology, curriculum and design... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 2:45pm - 3:40pm EST
Escapade II

2:45pm EST

AI tools as "Thought Partners" for Teachers and Students
Thursday November 7, 2024 2:45pm - 3:40pm EST
Reframe your thinking of AI as a thought partner and you open a whole new world of possibilities! Join me and explore a few different tools that teachers AND students (yes, students UNDER 13) can use. Tools like Schoolai, MagicSchool, and MirrorTalk. Use SchoolAI to help you brainstorm ideas, work through writer's block, or help a student narrow down a research topic. With MirrorTalk, students can reflect on their work and get spot on feedback to help them think about next steps. All tools have Student Privacy Agreements in Vermont and are ready to use!

Presentation Link 
Speakers
avatar for Jennifer Mitchell

Jennifer Mitchell

Education Technology Integrationist, Missisquoi Valley School District
Jen is a wife and mother of two college age kids. She has been in education for over 20 years and has taught everything from PreK & Kindergarten through 6th Grade. Jen is now in her 4th year as the Education Technology Integrationist at Swanton Elementary School. She has a BS in Early... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 2:45pm - 3:40pm EST
Gateway II

2:45pm EST

CS for High School students using CoSpaces
Thursday November 7, 2024 2:45pm - 3:40pm EST
Don't forget your laptop! Join us for a hands on experience with CoSpaces - a web-based interactive 3D environment that fosters creativity, collaboration, and computational literacy. Learn how, through project-based play, your elementary and middle school students can meet ISTE and CSTA computer science standards while creating and sharing projects from any subject matter!

Information on the ISTE and CSTA standards can be found below.
https://iste.org/standards
https://csteachers.org/k12standards/interactive/

This session is part of the computer science strand from Vermont-CSTA
Presented by CSTA Kristen Wilson & Ben McVety

Speakers
avatar for Ben McVety

Ben McVety

Director of STEAM Programming, Black River Innovation Campus
Ben has a Masters of Science in Music Education from Indiana University, and has been working at the Black River Innovation Campus (BRIC) since February 2024. BRIC's goal is to teach and promote STEAM learning through use of technology, and to provide tools and professional development... Read More →
avatar for Kristen Wilson

Kristen Wilson

Information Technology Instructor, River Valley Technical Center
I run my own design business, creating websites and branding. I teach information technology at River Valley Technical Center in Springfield, VT, where I teach Adobe Illustrator, Website Development, CompTIA A+, and Cybersecurity Fundamentals. Game Design with Endless Network, VR... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 2:45pm - 3:40pm EST
Northstar II

2:45pm EST

SWANK- Showing and sharing movies in your school and classroom
Thursday November 7, 2024 2:45pm - 3:40pm EST
A conversation on SWANK, the streaming service brought to you at a discount through the help of VITA-Learn. Previously provided through the VT Department of Libraries for free to libraries, SWANK is a streaming service that provides easy access to videos. Learn how to increase the use of SWANK at your school. Learn about SWANK resources such as SWANK AI! There will be time for a discussion of audience usage and ideas.

Link to Presentation
Speakers
avatar for Jill Abair

Jill Abair

Teacher Librarian, U-32 Middle High School
Jill Abair is a Teacher Librarian at U-32 Middle & High School. She has been working in libraries for many years serving the students of Vermont. Jill is an avid reader, a technology lover and has passion for helping people.
Thursday November 7, 2024 2:45pm - 3:40pm EST
Escapade I

2:45pm EST

The Future Is Now! AI Is Alive!
Thursday November 7, 2024 2:45pm - 3:40pm EST
Josh, Chris, and Mark have real conversations, real arguments, and real banter on IT issues and trends in K12 Schools. In this session, the guys will discuss AI and other hot items in K12 and how tech depts should prepare.
Speakers
avatar for Chris Warden

Chris Warden

K12 Tech Talk Podcast, K12 Tech Talk Podcast
A K12TechPro Podcast. This podcast is about trending K12 technology topics and issues. Josh, Chris, and Mark have real conversations, real arguments, and real banter on IT issues and trends in K12 Schools.
Thursday November 7, 2024 2:45pm - 3:40pm EST
Gateway I

2:45pm EST

Updating Your District’s Legacy Apple Environment: Spotlight on Activation Lock and Managed Apple IDs
Thursday November 7, 2024 2:45pm - 3:40pm EST
Apple’s foray into enterprise device management has been a series of incremental changes that has resulted in current best practices standing in conflict with traditional fleet deployment. Fortunately, Apple has also introduced new tools to deal with these legacy challenges so that now is the prime time to prepare for the future of Apple devices using your organization’s Apple School Manager instance.

In this session, we will set the stage by surveying the history of Apple device deployment in education environments, one which was characterized by user-created Apple IDs that were barely a step away from personal ownership. We will then focus on the two primary challenges this has produced, namely, devices being rendered unusable by Activation Lock when transferring users and the existence of user identities that appear to be organization-based but exist without oversight. We will then do a deep dive in understanding the cause of these issues and establish clear processes for avoiding and ameliorating these situations using tools made available by Apple, including the newly announced process for directly converting Personal Apple Accounts to Managed Apple Accounts.
Speakers
avatar for Philip Bauchan

Philip Bauchan

IT Help Desk Technician, Missisquoi Valley School District
Philip Bauchan is an IT Help Desk Technician at Missisquoi Valley School District where he provides frontline support for faculty and staff as well as being responsible for Apple device management for the district. Previously a high school teacher with over a decade of experience... Read More →
Thursday November 7, 2024 2:45pm - 3:40pm EST
Roundabout

2:45pm EST

What the Heck is Copyright (+ Fair Use) in Schools
Thursday November 7, 2024 2:45pm - 3:40pm EST
This workshop aims to equip educators and school staff with a better understanding of copyright law and fair use principles as they apply to educational settings. Participants will explore key concepts of copyright, the importance of respecting intellectual property, and practical applications of fair use in the classroom/library. Through interactive discussions and real-world scenarios, attendees will gain insights into how to navigate copyright issues when using multimedia resources, creating educational materials, and incorporating student work. By the end of the workshop, participants will feel more confident in making informed decisions about copyright and fair use, fostering a respectful and legally sound learning environment.
Speakers
avatar for Shannon Walters

Shannon Walters

K-12 Educator, Burlington School District
Teacher Librarian/Tech Integration. Tinkerer. Lifelong learner.
Thursday November 7, 2024 2:45pm - 3:40pm EST
Northstar I

3:45pm EST

Happy Hour Networking and Social with Sponsors, Door Prizes
Thursday November 7, 2024 3:45pm - 5:45pm EST
Happy Hour Networking and Social with Sponsors. Food and Drinks! Door prizes! Make sure you register to win Classroom grants at each sponsor and exhibitor table! Multiple opportunities to win a grant!
Thursday November 7, 2024 3:45pm - 5:45pm EST
Oscar Wilde Ballroom

5:45pm EST

VSLA Social
Thursday November 7, 2024 5:45pm - 6:30pm EST
VSLA Members will gather for time to connect with colleagues and have some fun!
Thursday November 7, 2024 5:45pm - 6:30pm EST
Northstar I

5:45pm EST

Exhibit Hall Closes & Dinner on your own
Thursday November 7, 2024 5:45pm - 6:30pm EST
Vendors Tear-Down Come back and participate on Friday to network & attend sessions!
Thursday November 7, 2024 5:45pm - 6:30pm EST
Oscar Wilde Ballroom
 
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