Which Conference is Which?

[VSTE World Headquarters]

Dear Technology Advice Maven

I’m confused about Technology in Education Conferences in Virginia. First there was the Virginia Department of Education’s ETLC in December and the VSTE Annual Technology in Education Conference in February. Now there is one conference in October and another in December. Which one is which and where should I go?

OS Confused in Virginia



Dear OS

It IS a challenge to figure out. The Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) has long wanted to move to the fall to better serve its constituency needs, and to take advantage of professional development funds earlier in the school year.

The conference, formerly known as ETLC, has undergone changes. The Office of Educational Research and Outreach (OERO) at Virginia Tech will again sponsor the event (now scheduled in October), with the two strands being leadership and instructional innovation.

The VSTE Conference has moved their event to November 30th – December 2nd in Roanoke, and is organizing its program into the following focus areas:

21st Century Teaching and Learning
Adult Education and Literacy
Career and Technical Education
Cutting Edge
Distance Learning
Early Childhood Education
Elementary School Instruction
English
ESL (English as a Second Language)
Fine Arts
Foreign Language
Gifted Education
Health, Physical Education, & Driver Education
High School Instruction
History and the Social Sciences
Infrastructure (Networking, Security, Etc.)
Internet Safety
Library Media for the 21st Century
Mathematics
Middle School Instruction
Online Learning
Professional Learning
School Counseling and Guidance
Science
Student Information Systems
Special Education

I say go with an experienced organization’s event, serving teachers, integrators, leaders, technical support, in a cross curriculum offering. The VSTE Technology in Education Conference (combined with the Educational Technology Leadership Institute and the ITRT Mini-Conference) continues to provide a wealth of knowledge and excitement in a great venue at a great time.

Maven