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LearnerPalooza 2018 has ended
Welcome to our Fifth Annual Gathering!

PLEASE NOTE:  Using this tool to mark your personal scheduling preferences does not reserve a seat for marked sessions, nor does it register you for the conference.  

Please use this link to register for the conference: https://events.vstereg.org/events/learnerpalooza2018/

LearnerPalooza 2018 will be held June 19, 2018, at the Corron Community Development Center on the Middletown Campus of Lord Fairfax Community College. Check this link for directions.

Public wireless is available and you are encouraged to bring a device.

Lunch will be provided. We make an effort to meet everyone’s needs but if you have special dietary restrictions or allergies please contact Karen Richardson (karen_richardson@vste.org) at least THREE days prior to the event to provide us adequate time to make arrangements.

We do not plan to have paper programs available on site. If you would like a printed program, select the printer icon to the right to print a personal copy.  

LearnerPalooza 2018 is held in a public space, therefore we do not prohibit participants, exhibitors, sponsors, or news organizations from photographing conference activities. Lord Fairfax Community College and VSTE reserve the right to use images taken at the Conference with your photograph and/or likeness on social media and/or in future marketing materials. We are NOT responsible for individual attendee’s use of your image or likeness.

Join the conversation in the VSTE Google+ Community.

When it’s all over, please provide some feedback here.
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Tuesday, June 19
 

9:00am EDT

Opening Session: Mindset Matters: Disrupting Your Routine And Finding Your Greatness
Through story and images Evan will share his thinking on the impact of mindset on personal and professional growth. Disrupting your routine, letting go of what’s holding you back, and how you view change all impact your decisions, choices, and success.  
Speakers
avatar for Evan Robb

Evan Robb

Principal, Clarke County Public Schools
Evan is Principal of Johnson-Williams Middle School in Berryville, Virginia.  Prior to this, he was an English teacher, department chair, assistant principal and a junior high school principal.  Evan has been recognized as a recipient of the Horace Mann Educator of the Year Award... Read More →

Tuesday June 19, 2018 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Conference Center
  General Session

10:15am EDT

Creating Self-Paced Learning through Online Modules
Wanting to flip professional development or a classroom unit? This session is for you! Attendees will learn how to create an anywhere, anyplace, learning module. In this session, you will view learning modules and begin thinking about building your own.
Speakers
JR

Tuesday June 19, 2018 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Fairfax Hall Room 310
  Breakout

10:15am EDT

Diving into Desmos: More than a Calculator for ALL Contents!
Check out the features of Desmos from a teacher and a student perspective highlighting active engagement, timely feedback, vocabulary application, deeper level questioning with opportunities for student discourse.  Students will take their learning to the next level by engaging in the Transformation stages of the SAMR model to create, revise, and reflect!  You will leave with a product to use in the classroom and tons of resources to expand your teacher toolbox.
Speakers
avatar for Tara Baker

Tara Baker

Math Coach, Frederick County Public Schools
avatar for Larry Burner

Larry Burner

Math Specialist, Frederick County Public Schools

Tuesday June 19, 2018 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Conference Center B
  Breakout

10:15am EDT

Google Tips and Tricks
Participants will learn various tips and tricks in using Google and some of the various apps. Learning new ways of using Google for the classroom will enhance the student's classroom experience. Teachers will also have the opportunity to provide their own Google tips and tricks to share with others.
Speakers
avatar for Chad Fisher

Chad Fisher

Instructional Technology Coach, Frederick County Public Schools
I'm currently an Instructional Technology Coach (ITC) at the high school level in Frederick County Public Schools. Not only have I been an ITC for years, but I'm also a certified Art teacher. In that capacity, I've taught PreK-12 at five different schools. I've also been a TechEd... Read More →

Tuesday June 19, 2018 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Conference Center C
  Breakout

10:15am EDT

Keynote Follow Up: Panel Discussion
Regional instructional leaders discuss how growth mindset informs their work from how they use social media to developing trusting relationships to modeling purposeful risk taking. 
Tuesday June 19, 2018 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Conference Center A
  Breakout

10:15am EDT

Microsoft Teams in the Classroom
Teams is a digital hub that brings conversations, content, and apps together in one place. Educators can create collaborative classrooms, connect in professional learning communities, and communicate with school staff – all from a single experience in Office 365 for Education.
 
Speakers
M

Microsoft

Microsoft

Tuesday June 19, 2018 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Fairfax Hall Room 307
  Breakout

10:15am EDT

Sink or Surf; Your PLN Can Help
There is no limit to what you can learn, if you can find the right people to help you. Don’t be stuck on the beach, when you can be surfing the big wave. Join Scott Lewis as he explores ways to build a Twitter based professional learning network and how to capitalize its potential for collaboration.
Speakers
avatar for Scott Lewis

Scott Lewis

Instructional Technology Coach, Frederick County Public Schools

Tuesday June 19, 2018 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Fairfax Hall Room 303
  Breakout

10:15am EDT

Student Driven Performance Based Assessments
This session will take attendees on a trip through performance based assessments that have been successfully used in class. Ever wanted to know how to run a Twitter Chat in Google Classroom? Use Instagram for to teach Geometry? Use video to learn and teach all about cells? Or maybe package an entire lesson or unit in one Google Doc complete with information, lessons, and activities? If any of these sound like engaging ways to let students drive their learning, this session is for you! These are not the collages and power points you grew up with! #StrunkHaus #FunPBA
Speakers
avatar for Patrick Hausammann

Patrick Hausammann

Clarke County Public Schools
Patrick Hausammann is a perpetual optimist and believer in the power of a #growthmindset to #failforward en route to creativity and innovation. He leads with empathy and believes in empowering others to accomplish their goals along the path to their individual greatness. Patrick is... Read More →
avatar for Phil Strunk

Phil Strunk

Teacher, Loudoun County Public Schools
Phil Strunk is a middle school history teacher in Loudoun County, VA since 2021 and has been teaching since 2015, teaching as a long term sub in Pennsylvania before receiving his first full time teaching position in Virginia in 2016. Phil received his undergraduate degree from Messiah... Read More →

Tuesday June 19, 2018 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Fairfax Hall Room 304
  Breakout

10:15am EDT

Vive L'Afrique! An Exploration of African Live-Cams and Embedding Chromebook Use at the Primary Level
Come visit African wildlife through the use of a live-cam and learn how to use a live-cam in a primary education setting (K-2). We will explore how to engage students in conversations to improve their oral language, targeting early elementary language development of all kinds, with emphasis on how to support students of other languages. We will also provide an example of a first grade animal unit and how the use of Chrome books helped first graders develop their own animal research. Come see how it is possible to create an animal unit intertwined with Writer's Workshop, where students can stretch their learning through the development of their own non-fiction animal book. Learn how to provide engaging opportunities for peer support and feedback through the use of Google docs. Have you ever felt like you don't have the time to teach technology? Or do you think that kindergartners or first graders are not capable of using Google docs? Come stretch your understanding of technology and how to embed Google skills at the lower primary grades easily and effortlessly.
Learning Targets:
ISTE Educator 5 b: Design authentic learning activities that align with content area standards and use digital tools and resources to maximize active, deep learning.
ISTE Student 1c: Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.
Speakers
avatar for Michelle Jenkins

Michelle Jenkins

Teacher, Frederick County Public Schools
My name is Michelle Jenkins and I teach first grade in Winchester, Virginia, USA. My degrees are in International Relations and Elementary Education from Michigan State University, James Madison College. I also have a Masters of Science in Teaching English to Students of Other Languages... Read More →

Vive L'Afrique! pdf
Tuesday June 19, 2018 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Fairfax Hall Room 308
  Breakout

11:30am EDT

Breakout EDU: Creating your own through ThingLink
Have you wanted to spice up your instruction where students can have a self-paced game experience? This Breakout EDU session will suggest how you can create your own using ThingLink and Google Drive. Come to this session to find an example of how you can create your own!
Speakers
avatar for Pam Hoyle

Pam Hoyle

Math Specialist, Frederick County Public Schools
JR

Tuesday June 19, 2018 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Fairfax Hall Room 310
  Breakout

11:30am EDT

Catch the Wind! Engineering wind turbines in your classroom
In this session, participants will learn about the educational resources available to design, build, and test wind turbines to teach students about STEM concepts. From free kit loans to engineering challenges and professional development, the existing pool of resources is full and broad. The Center for Wind Energy at JMU can help you wade through it all to create a custom renewable energy module for your classroom and facilitate collaborative, student-centered education.
Speakers
avatar for Remy Pangle

Remy Pangle

Managing Director, Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Energy at JMU
Remy Pangle is the Managing Director of the Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Energy (CASE) and also the Education Manager for the Center.  She is responsible for staff and project management as well as developing courses, curricula, and maintaining the classroom kit lending... Read More →

Tuesday June 19, 2018 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Conference Center B
  Breakout

11:30am EDT

Digital Tools to Help Build Capacity
Where can students and teachers go to find great digital resources for instruction, presentations, research, and projects?  The answer is eMediaVA.

eMediaVA is a web-based collection of over 129,000 free video, audio, graphic, and text based learning objects that teachers can use to build lessons.  It is also a powerful tool for students as they explore, curate, and construct knowledge.

With its responsive design and options for download, eMediaVA’s resources can be used online or offline with any device.

See how eMediaVA’s free resources can be used to engage students and build their capacity as learners.

Speakers
avatar for Jane James

Tuesday June 19, 2018 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Conference Center C
  Breakout

11:30am EDT

Get WRITE to it!
Get WRITE into the Day….
The only thing wrong you can do is not write.
Create stronger more confident writers while allowing your students to make connections with the content. Replace bell ringers, and warm ups with journaling writing. Use Google docs to create a digital journal. This journal will document growth in writing, problem solving, and critical thinking. It is simple to establishing a free flowing, no rules writing routine. Write Into The Day activities allow you to tap into your students ‘creative juices’. Writing everyday builds endurance and ‘muscle memory’. Journaling allows students to experience writing as a joyful practice rather than academic drudgery. Journaling has benefits for all classes, for all students.
Speakers
avatar for Donna Michael

Donna Michael

Teacher and Department Chair, Clark Public Schools
I'm a teacher of middle school. I teach 6th, 7th, and 8th grades with 20 years of experience. 

Tuesday June 19, 2018 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Fairfax Hall Room 308
  Breakout

11:30am EDT

Get Your "Apps" in Gear!
Join us for a fast paced discussion on the various apps and extensions that both teachers and students are using in today's digital classroom. You will leave with a bank of some of the most popular ones being utilized today!
Speakers
avatar for Larry Burner

Larry Burner

Math Specialist, Frederick County Public Schools
avatar for David Campbell

David Campbell

Elementary ITC, Frederick County Public Schools
Googled certified ITC working in a 1:1 chromebook environment.

Tuesday June 19, 2018 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Fairfax Hall Room 303
  Breakout

11:30am EDT

Google Slides: So Much More Than a Presentation
The goal of the session is show how easily Google Slides can be adapted to engage students and provide multiple opportunities for formative assessment and feedback. In addition, we also hope to provide attendees with research based ways to increase engagement. The activities we will have attendees do will provide a template of slide types that attendees can use to modify for their content and lessons.

Speakers
JB

Jason Brown

Social Studies, Frederick County Schools
avatar for Bret Clovis

Bret Clovis

Assistant Principal, Frederick County Public Schools

Tuesday June 19, 2018 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Fairfax Hall Room 307
  Breakout

11:30am EDT

Hands On: Makey Makey Circuits and Game Play
Get beyond the banana piano with this hands on dive into the Makey Makey keyboard controller. You'll make a simple switch to control a game. We'll also play with Scratch to see how it can be used with the Makey Makey to do coding.

Bring a laptop or Chromebook to play along!

Website for Resources: https://tinyurl.com/vstemakeymakey
Speakers
avatar for Karen Richardson

Karen Richardson

VSTE/Nonprofit, VSTE
I am the executive director of VSTE, the premier professional development and advocacy organization for educators in Virginia. The Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) was founded in 1986 as the Virginia Educational Computing Association and is Virginia’s affiliate... Read More →

Tuesday June 19, 2018 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Conference Center A
  Breakout

12:30pm EDT

Lunch
Tuesday June 19, 2018 12:30pm - 1:15pm EDT
Conference Center
  General Session

1:15pm EDT

"Seesawing" at the Primary Level
Join us to see how this online digital journal resource can be implemented at the primary level. The session will include examples of various ideas that we utilized throughout the 2017-2018 year and the results from said ideas.
Speakers
BB

Beth Ballard

Kindergarten Teacher, Frederick County Public Schools
avatar for David Campbell

David Campbell

Elementary ITC, Frederick County Public Schools
Googled certified ITC working in a 1:1 chromebook environment.

Tuesday June 19, 2018 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT
Conference Center C
  Breakout

1:15pm EDT

Accessibility, Extensions, and More Oh My
After being a part of our county's assistive committee I have put together a variety of resources on Chromebooks to help students be more successful in the classroom. This session will demonstrate these resources that you can use with your students, especially special education students. We will look at everything from built in accessibility in Chromebooks, Google Extensions, Google Docs, and more.
Speakers
avatar for Denise Henry-Orndorff

Denise Henry-Orndorff

Instructional Technology Resource Coach, Strasburg HS, Signal Knob MS, Sandy Hook ES
I am married and have two children. Our days are busy with baseball, Relay for Life, and church. I am currently finishing my 23rd year of teaching in Shenandoah County where I went as a child. I have a Bachelor Degree in Early Childhood Education (K-3 certification) from James Madison... Read More →

Accessibility, Extensions, and More Oh My! LearnerPalooza 2018 gslides
Tuesday June 19, 2018 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT
Fairfax Hall Room 304
  Breakout

1:15pm EDT

Developing A Virtual Personal Learning Network
Gone are the days of teaching in silos. No teacher should ever feel isolated in their classroom or lack connections to collaborate on new ideas. Technology allows for teachers all over the globe to collaborate and find innovative ideas to prepare our students for their futures. In this session, we will share our own stories and examples of the power of a #VirtualPLN. We will then dive into the ins and outs of getting started with developing & growing your own #VirtualPLN through utilizing different platforms (Twitter, blogging, podcasting, and more). Join in the fun as you celebrate the great things you do and be challenged to always find new ways to engage your students and grow. #Sweet #bettertogether
Speakers
avatar for Patrick Hausammann

Patrick Hausammann

Clarke County Public Schools
Patrick Hausammann is a perpetual optimist and believer in the power of a #growthmindset to #failforward en route to creativity and innovation. He leads with empathy and believes in empowering others to accomplish their goals along the path to their individual greatness. Patrick is... Read More →
avatar for Phil Strunk

Phil Strunk

Teacher, Loudoun County Public Schools
Phil Strunk is a middle school history teacher in Loudoun County, VA since 2021 and has been teaching since 2015, teaching as a long term sub in Pennsylvania before receiving his first full time teaching position in Virginia in 2016. Phil received his undergraduate degree from Messiah... Read More →

Tuesday June 19, 2018 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT
Conference Center B
  Breakout

1:15pm EDT

From Whole Group Instruction to Small Group Collaboration: provide access to learning like never before
You will have hands on experience using the New Activate system to listen and
assess where to best invest your time in the collaborative classroom, gain insights and observations without interfering. Use the Activate mobile app to collaborate and share ideas by capturing high quality video and audio recordings of authentic classroom interactions.
Speakers
avatar for Elaine Freedman

Elaine Freedman

Territory Manager, Lightspeed Technologies
I have been helping to create better listening environments in classrooms in Delaware, Maryland, DC and Norther Virginia since 2007 for Lightspeed Technologies. Talk to me about your classroom - your students and teaching methods.

Tuesday June 19, 2018 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT
Fairfax Hall Room 307
  Breakout

1:15pm EDT

Hands On: Hexbugs Drawbots
A simple hands on activity that uses hexbugs to create drawbots, fun drawing tools that can support discussions about experimenting and engineering.
Speakers
avatar for Karen Richardson

Karen Richardson

VSTE/Nonprofit, VSTE
I am the executive director of VSTE, the premier professional development and advocacy organization for educators in Virginia. The Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) was founded in 1986 as the Virginia Educational Computing Association and is Virginia’s affiliate... Read More →

Tuesday June 19, 2018 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT
Conference Center A
  Breakout

1:15pm EDT

Oh the Places You'll Go! Social Learning in the Classroom
This session will focus on the importance of the social learning theory through developing the skill of personification. Examples of three web-based, open educational resources available for educators will be presented. Critical thinking, formative assessment, blogging, and digital citizenship will be underlying areas of focus.
Speakers
avatar for Katy Garvey

Katy Garvey

Teachers First

Tuesday June 19, 2018 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT
Fairfax Hall Room 308
  Breakout

1:15pm EDT

Spark Student Creativity While They Show What They Know!
Using Adobe Spark for evidence of student learning through project-based assessments that can show learning/growth while allowing students to have creative expression and design within the framework of Spark.
Speakers
TS

Tracey Shiley

World Languages, Frederick County Public Schools

Tuesday June 19, 2018 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT
Fairfax Hall Room 310
  Breakout

2:30pm EDT

Code a Robot, Code a Mouse, Code-a-Pillar and more
Botley the Coding Robot - 
  • Botley helps your child learn early STEM skills while playing and having fun. He teaches kids to code with active, screen-free play that's perfect for promoting critical thinking and problem solving skills
2.  Code and Go Robot Mouse - 
  • This coding set for kids turns coding into a hands-on analog activity for tactile and visual learners
  • As kids learn to program they build key skills that include critical thinking, problem solving, sequencing, and programming fundamentals
3.  Code-A-Pillar - 
  • Kids connect the segments to make Code-a-pillar go forward, left, right or wherever they choose
Speakers
DJ

Denise Jonhston

Frederick County Public Schools

Tuesday June 19, 2018 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Conference Center A

2:30pm EDT

An Insider's Guide to GoFormative
The GoFormative site is an excellent resource to use in the classroom to get live results about what your students are thinking. Use the site to create warm ups, mid lesson checks, exit tickets, homework assignments, or assessments. The site also makes grouping students based on results of an assignment a quick process. Send messages through the site to individual students in real time. This site is easy to use and flexible enough to accommodate the differences between content areas and grade levels.

This session on GoFormative will focus on learning about the program and creating basic questions (multiple choice, true/false, and open ended questions) to use in the classroom. We will also discuss ways to use this tool instructionally for grouping students and using pre and post lesson checks.
Speakers
avatar for Bret Clovis

Bret Clovis

Assistant Principal, Frederick County Public Schools
avatar for Mandy Peterson

Mandy Peterson

Math Coach, Frederick County Public Schools

Tuesday June 19, 2018 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Fairfax Hall Room 304
  Breakout

2:30pm EDT

DESMOS: The Binding Agent of Mathematics
Are you a math teacher looking to enhance your instruction? Do your students struggle to make real-world connections with your content? Most students like to listen to us for only so long. They get used to hearing us talk everyday, reading similarly formatted questions, and lose touch with notetaking. DESMOS is a great FREE online tool to bring some life back into your classroom. It works well for discovery, reinforcement, review, and assessment. Take advantage of pre-made classroom bundles, including but not limited to: Conics, Systems of Linear Equations, Quadratics, Inequalities, and Transformations. DESMOS is student-paced. In our session, you'll play the role of student in my classroom. Then, I'll flip it over to you to discover the teacher side of DESMOS. You also will learn how to monitor LIVE student work to make formative assessments and interventions. BYOD
Speakers
avatar for Nick Rhoades

Nick Rhoades

Math Teacher, Shenandoah County Public Schools

Tuesday June 19, 2018 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Conference Center B
  Breakout

2:30pm EDT

Seesaw: A Digital Playground for Learning!
Interested in using Seesaw for a bigger purpose in your classroom? Find out new ways to use the activity feature for formative assessments, spiral review, and student independence.
Speakers
avatar for Jenn Arey

Jenn Arey

Elementary ITRT, Frederick County Public Schools
avatar for Laura Beth Strunk

Laura Beth Strunk

1st Grade Teacher, Frederick County Public Schools
I have taught first grade with Frederick County Public Schools for four years. I recently became a Seesaw Ambassador and earned my Masters Degree as a Reading Specialist from Regent University.

Learner Palooza Seesaw PD, Strunk & Arey (1) pdf
Tuesday June 19, 2018 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Conference Center C
  Breakout

2:30pm EDT

Teacher Toolbox: Online Tools That Teachers and Students Will Actually Use
Online tools that will allow teachers to provide various was for students to show and create assignments and projects that will empower the learner to be creative and think critically.
Speakers
avatar for Izzi Alger
JN

Jennifer Nichols

Teacher, Winchester Public Schools

Learner Palooza 2018 gslides
Tuesday June 19, 2018 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Fairfax Hall Room 307
  Breakout

2:30pm EDT

Why Wipeout When You Can Shred
Join Phil Strunk and Scott Lewis as they explore apps that allow students the chance to show their skills as they surf the digital wave.

Wave choice is crucial for surfers. Choose wrong and risk wiping out. Choose right and prepare to dazzle. Similar choices are made every day in classrooms around the world. Let’s explore apps like padlet, google drawing, screencastify, sketchnoting and others, that can help our students showcase their knowledge, on a daily basis, and shred the digital wave.


Speakers
avatar for Scott Lewis

Scott Lewis

Instructional Technology Coach, Frederick County Public Schools
avatar for Phil Strunk

Phil Strunk

Teacher, Loudoun County Public Schools
Phil Strunk is a middle school history teacher in Loudoun County, VA since 2021 and has been teaching since 2015, teaching as a long term sub in Pennsylvania before receiving his first full time teaching position in Virginia in 2016. Phil received his undergraduate degree from Messiah... Read More →

Tuesday June 19, 2018 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Fairfax Hall Room 308
  Breakout
 
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Tuesday, June 19
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Fairfax Hall Room 303
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  • Breakout
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  • 360 imagery
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  • GooglePalooza (G Suite or related apps)
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  • virtual field trips)
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