Virginia Teachers and Para-professionals: Are you looking for affordable, engaging professional development/licensure renewal that works with your busy schedule and your budget?

ASSET has 100 FREE seats remaining for enrollment by MARCH 1, 2021.

Free seats are filling quickly on a first come, first served basis.

ASSET is 100% online and self-paced with no assignments or deadlines. Research-based K-12 content to help you meet the needs of all your students in today’s challenging environment…anytime, anywhere. You will have access to all micro-credentials and our online coaching staff support for a full year upon enrollment – all at no cost!

ASSET currently has (15) micro-credentials available in Elementary/Middle Mathematics, Literacy and Classroom Management, with additional content in Culturally Responsive Teaching and K-12 Cybersecurity in development. This is 150 hours/points of free PD/licensure renewal available at no cost to teachers or schools in Virginia.

Contact Lisa Thompson today at lthompson74@radford.edu or call (540) 353-0004 for more information or to schedule a short ASSET presentation for your teachers and para-professionals.

Enrollment is easy and takes just a few minutes. Just follow the steps below:

• Enroll no later than March 1, 2021 at 5pm to secure one year of free accessat www.radford.edu/asset
• Click the “Apply Now” button on the main page
• “Create an account” on the next page using your school email address. You will receive an email containing a verification code and a link to activate your account.
• The next page will prompt you to “Start New Application”, “2021 Application IMPACT” and click “Create Application”
• Continue setting up account and entering your information. Select Program Type* “K12 Education” and Program* “ASSET (Education)”
• Select the first month available (“March or April 2021”). This reserves your free seat. You may start the micros at your convenience.
• Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an automated email from Radford University with the subject “Thank you for submitting your application”

If you have questions or need assistance with enrollment, please free to call or text me at (540) 353-0004 or email lthompson74@radford.edu and I will be happy to help.

Take a look at our VA equity Summit:

Wednesday, March 10, 2021 

12–2:00 p.m. EST 

Join us for this engaging event where we will discuss the  important role of equity in education as well as creating an  instruction system that supports and develops all students.  The event will feature a keynote address from Dr. Sharroky  Hollie on the importance of continuing your culturally  responsive journey and overviews of instructional  

resources that reflect this journey, as well as breakout  sessions on equity practices and anti-racism in assessment,  mathematics, literacy, digital instruction, and pedagogy will be offered.  Register Here!   https://cvent.me/NxQwqM

Featured Keynote Speaker: 

Dr. Sharroky Hollie 

Author, Educator, and Executive Director 

Register Here!   https://cvent.me/NxQwqM

VMFA 2021 Winter and Spring Virtual Teacher Programs
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts will host their virtual 2021 Winter/Spring programs. Professional development sessions begin at 4:30 p.m. on:
March 4: Virginia’s Natural Bridge: Art Reveals History, Geography, and Ecology
March 18: African American History: From the Harlem Renaissance
April 16: VMFA and Language Arts: Look, Write, Read, and Envision
April 22: Native American Narratives: Art, Culture, and Memory
See VMFA for registration, details, and fees. For questions, contact Twyla Kitts.

VCU Online Mathematics Specialist Program 
VCU is now recruiting to form a cohort of teachers to begin mathematics specialist training. Courses will begin in June 2021 and will take two academic years and three summers to complete, all online. Successful candidates will graduate August 2023 and be eligible for the mathematics specialist endorsement for a Virginia teaching license. Register to join the virtual interest meeting February 25 at 6:30 p.m. for more information and to ask questions.

The Fast and the Curious

30 minutes to power up your practice!

Virtual Virginia, in partnership with the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) and Canvas, will host a series of 30-minute webinars highlighting best practices in synchronous, asynchronous, and hybrid/concurrent instruction.  

Virginia public school division educators in Outreach and non-Outreach programs are invited to join us to learn how to leverage technology to increase student engagement and achievement.

Register now for the following webinars!

Synchronous Instruction: Differentiating Instruction for Small Groups

Monday, March 1, at 4 p.m.

This session will focus on differentiating instruction and supporting students through small-group instruction in distance learning. We will explore ways to plan small-group instruction to maximize learning.Register for “Synchronous Instruction: Differentiating Instruction for Small Groups”

Asynchronous Instruction: Research and Explore Learning Menus

Wednesday, March 10, at 4 p.m.

Learning menus are another great tool for expanding student choice. This session will explore how to create and implement different learning menu options, including choice boards and playlists.  Register for “Asynchronous Instruction: Research and Explore Learning Menus”

Hybrid/Concurrent Instruction: Improving Student Engagement

Friday, March 19, at 10 a.m.

In this session, we will explore learner success through interactions by facilitating meaningful engagement in learning activities in the hybrid/concurrent environment.Register for “Hybrid/Concurrent Instruction: Improving Student Engagement”

Synchronous Instruction: Real-Time Feedback

Monday, March 29, at 4 p.m.

Providing effective, sustained real-time feedback is one of the best ways to help students make real academic progress. This session will provide some practical tips, including document annotation and video/audio feedback.Register for “Synchronous Instruction: Real-Time Feedback”

Asynchronous Instruction: Reflect and Document Learning

Wednesday, April 14, at 4 p.m.

Student motivation and content retention can increase significantly when students reflect on and document their learning. This session will demonstrate some practical ways teachers can incorporate reflection and documentation strategies into their daily practice.  Register for “Asynchronous Instruction: Reflect and Document Learning”

Hybrid/Concurrent Instruction: Effective Individual and Small-Group Instruction

Friday, April 23, at 10 a.m.

This session will cover practical techniques for designing and delivering effective individual and small-group instruction when teaching online and face-to-face students concurrently.Register for “Hybrid/Concurrent Instruction: Effective Individual and Small-Group Instruction”

Please encourage fellow educators in your division to register for these free webinars.

For more information about “The Fast and the Curious” webinar series, contact Stephanie Shea, School Support Coordinator, at stephanie.shea@virtualva.org, or Steven Sproles, Outreach Professional Learning Coordinator, at steven.sproles@virtualva.org.

Norfolk State University

GenCyber Summer Professional Development Workshop for High School Teachers

The purpose of this one-week professional development workshop is to introduce a curriculum that teachers in the STEM area and other interested teachers can use to introduce the GenCyber concepts in their classrooms in a fun and engaging approach. High school teachers will receive instruction in designing lesson plans associated with GenCyber principles. These concepts
include various topics in cybersecurity, cyber education, and career opportunities.

At the end of this one-week professional development workshop, participants will have an increased knowledge in cybersecurity to assist their students in making career choices about the ways professionals in cybersecurity contribute to the USA’s workforce.

The professional development dates are as follows: Monday, June 28, 2021 – Friday, July 2, 2021 from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.
The application can be obtained from http://www.nsu.edu/gencyber.

Monday, June 28, 2021 – Friday, July 2, 2021 from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.
The application can be obtained from http://www.nsu.edu/gencyber.

For additional information contact Dr. Andrews Graham, Project Director at GenCyber4Teachers@nsu.edu.

Schools as Racial Justice Engines: 

A Panel Discussion on Trauma Informed Care for Racial Trauma and Strategies to Support the Unique Needs of Black Students in Schools  

February 23, 2021

3:00-4:30 PM

Register here!

Culturally Relevant Teaching (CRT) Part 1:

An Overview

March 9, 2021

3:00-4:30 PM

Register here!

Digital Learning Day: Joint North Carolina and Virginia RISE OER Unconference 

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Digital Learning Day, on February 25, 2021

#GoOpenNC and #GoOpenVA will be hosting a free unconference around how openly-licensed resources (OER) support educators to “rise” to the challenges of the pandemic and post-pandemic learning environment. 

The RISE OER Unconference is free to all educators and will be held virtually from 2:30-5:00 pm (EST) on February 25.

Registration  by February 24 is required. 

REGISTRATION

The unconference format will promote sharing among educators of our two states, organized around essential questions regarding materials, strategies and tools. 

Educators may self select into groups of people with the same role as themselves, or they may choose to join a group made up of a variety of educators. 

We invite all educators to come, share, and learn as we celebrate how Digital Learning and openly-licensed resources can truly help educators not just reinvent, but rise above challenges we all face.

Dr. KC Testerman will be hosting five FREE workshops next week for teachers on Using Google with Canvas. (Click on the links below to register and for a reminder email).