Hey @vbschools educators! We are planning another great #DTALcon Aug 6 @ Kellam. Please save the date! Interested in sharing your knowledge and skills? See your ITS or LMS if you need assistance with submitting a proposal, due by May 13th. Spread the word! #vbits #vblms

Patiently waiting for #SoraSweetReads like... 📚⏳Check out more Sora Sweet Reads info in our resource center: bit.ly/3wePEFH #SoraApp #Reading #Books

Check out this awesome book display idea (and all of her others on her blog) She even gives you the templates. Thank you @jzimnycricket! #vblms

It's School Library Month and it's time to celebrate the essential role that strong school libraries play in transforming learning! What do you have planned in celebration? ala.org/aasl/slm #AASLslm

Hey @vbschools LMSs and ITSs - check out this collection of resources to support media literacy, especially in the age of AI!

👀Looking for inspiring micro:bit & coding ideas💡 in one place? 👉Thanks to @MrMorrison_ for putting this collection together 🙏 #microbit #teacher #CodeClub

✨ Oh, snap! 🌈 Our #SchoolStars contest is BACK for 2024, and we're throwin' it back to the 90s! 🕹️🎉 Get ready to showcase your #SoraApp spirit from Feb. 5 - March 29. 🚀📚👩‍🏫 Check out the details on the rad prizes coming your way: bit.ly/3UgUvQi #SchoolStars2024

We hosted an AI Demo Slam this week showcasing high impact AI tools for teachers and staff. Check out our demo videos: docs.google.com/spreadsheets… Big shoutout to all of our demo slammers and congrats to our champion, #vbits @sheabeteachin @vblms

👩‍🏫Want to use the micro:bit this school term? 👉Take this short professional development course in just 35 minutes ⏰ ✨Get practical suggestions & top tips for getting the most from your lesson time. 🆓 Enrol for free! 👇 microbit.thinkific.com/cours… #microbit #coding #freeresources

Everyone @RosemontEagles is all-in for their Day of Code!

Congratulations to @MrsHoldcraft for being awarded @vste 2023 Coach of the Year! Such an amazing moment and highlight of the conference! Everyone at @vbschools is beyond proud of you! Way to go!! #vbits @DrShewbridge @vblms @TechTeachVB @JennClementsVB @matthewcolohan

Are you celebrating Computer Science Education Week from December 4- December 10?! 💻 🧬 From PK-5th grade...we've got you covered! Explore our CS Ed Week Collection in the Seesaw Library ➡️ app.seesaw.me/#/activities/l… #csedweek #computerscienceeducation #seesaw #seesawlearning

🎶"It's the most wonderful time of the year..." to make some festive related projects! 🎄We've got 4 fun projects to get you and your students in the festive spirit🎅. 👉Follow this thread to see them all and tag us in your creations! #microbit #coding #TEACHers 1/5

🛡️ Battle of the Books is coming and middle school team registration ends Dec. 9! Gather your team and register here for an awesome book trivia competition, fun and prizes with friends: VirginiaBeach.gov.BoB

What do you do when the book you want (recommended by a teacher) is already checked out? You check @Sorareadingapp of course! Found it! 💻 #SoraForthewin! 📚❤️👏🏻 @TechTeachVB

Lately, I've been using generative AI to come up with ideas -- but not in the way that I expected. When I first saw the power of generative AI, I assumed I would use it as a brainstorming tool and then turn those ideas into creative work. But I'm convinced we need to become really good at what AI can't do and really different at what it can do. So, if I want to create something distinct, I can use AI to get past the initial set of ideas and move toward more divergent thinking. Here are two ways I'm doing this. #1 - Avoiding the cliché I start with a prompt and ask the AI to come up with ideas. Then, I look at the ideas and ask: 1. Which of these seem cliché and overdone? 2. Which of these ideas can I modify to make something interesting? 3. Whose perspectives aren't represented? What approach or organizational perspective might be missing? 4. What is something totally original that the AI didn't generate? I'm challenging myself to come up with something truly different than what the AI generates. I've been creating a series of visual writing prompts and I often take the initial set of images and make it a challenge to draw something entirely different from what it generated. For example, when I created a prompt related to superheroes, it generated an image of a muscular white male with a cape. So, I chose to draw a girl who was African-American and had a steam punk outfit. Similarly, I've taken some of the initial writing prompt ideas and said, "Let's turn this into something a little more quirky." Thus the prompt, "Create a new sport" becomes "Redesign fantasy football with actual elements of fantasy." I took the prompt, "Tell the story of an alien ship that lands in your school" and modified it to be, "Use this line: To our surprise, the aliens weren't angry or scared so much as bored. And that made them all the more dangerous." This process is forcing me to think more divergently about my writing prompts. #2 - Use it as a thought partner I start with brainstorming a series of ideas on my own. Then, when I've exhausted all ideas, I go to a tool like ChatGPT and use the prompt, "What am I missing?" Often, seeing just a few new ideas pulls me away from my previous line of thinking and into a new domain, where I can brainstorm ideas again. Another option is to type, "Can you come up with a mash-up of multiple ideas?" AI can be a great tool for synthesizing multiple ideas and these mash-ups can spark new ideas as well. I then challenge myself to add my own element to this mash-up. I'm not sure if this helpful to anyone. However, I thought I would share my process of using AI as a tool to be more creative in my work.

So proud of Heather, Erin, Brianne, and Amy for their awesome presentation about computer science integration for littles at the #AASL23 conference! @AlantonLMS @enye001 @PMES_LMS @icetchr

In a world of misinformation, guiding students to discern fact from fiction goes beyond trusted sources. It's about nurturing critical thinking and media literacy skills in an era of skepticism. #DigitalLiteracy bit.ly/3FHeLBU