Vermont Fest 2024

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!

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 ​​​

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.

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!  

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.

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.

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.