Host Tom Landon sits down with two stand up comedians and educators who use humor to help teachers improve their practice AND get through the day smiling. Esteban Gast and Devin Siebold were both keynote speakers at the 2025 VSTE Conference and they willingly shared how "keeping it light" can improve classroom connections.

For a video version of this podcast, please visit link below.

https://youtu.be/1FsrqGhgV_8

On this episode of ActiVAtED Learning we meet the winners of the 2025 VSTE Awards for Coach of the Year, Leader of the Year, and VSTE Honors. Chad Huff is theInstructional Technology Specialist at Corporate Landing Elementary School, Virginia Beach City Public Schools. Jennifer Thomas is the Coordinator of Instructional Technology and Library Media Services for Portsmouth Public Schools, and is the 2025 VSTE Leader of the Year. Terry Lowry was awarded the VSTE Honors of the Society. She's been a beacon in Virginia’s educational technology landscape for decades. Beginning her career as a teacher and later serving as Director of Technology at Wakefield School, she has consistently demonstrated the vision and courage to transform teaching and learning through technology.

For a video version of this podcast, please visit link below.

https://youtu.be/nUYMITsPMA8

Dr. Kim Richardson has had a long career in Hampton Roads, VA as a teacher, coach and administrator, and host Tom Landon caught up with her at the Virginia Society of Technology in Education's annual conference in Virginia Beach where they spoke before a live audience about coaching, continuous learning, and what she's learned about leadership.

For a video version of this podcast, please visit link below.

https://youtu.be/mkYmmGWy9JY

It's not always obvious when a student has a learning disability like dyslexia, especially when it's a smart and well-behaved child like Micah Vanover. His dad, Daniel is an ITRT in Wise County, and mom Katie is a reading specialist in nearby Lee County, but neither really noticed that Micah struggled with reading until they witnessed it themselves during the remote learning era at the start of COVID. They came up with an innovative solution by turning to audio books to help Micah follow the printed words as he read and listened. You won't want to miss this inspiring episode!

For a video version of this podcast, please click the link below.

https://youtu.be/DaIS_9rWrYY

One highlight of the annual VSTE Conference held each December is a chance to meet students as they model best practices for technology integration. This year we caught up with several girls using coding to learn about habitats, kids studying wind power, and podcast producers to talk to them about what they've learned through technology. Next we traveled to Galax in Southwest Virginia to meet an eSports team that's exceeding expectations as they compete against other teams from around the state.

For a video version of this podcast, please visit link below.

https://youtu.be/Y1Kmyh-b4OQ

Patrick Hausammann from Clarke County prides himself on keeping up with leading edge instructional technology, which is what led him to become an expert on best practices when it comes to Artificial Intelligence in the classroom and how to use it to streamline lesson planning and reduce the time and effort it takes to differentiate instruction for all learners. Host Tom Landon sat down with him at the 2025 Tech Splash event in Abingdon to learn more.

For a video version of this podcast, please visit link below.

https://youtu.be/rVE04Yxd8RY

Meet Matt Neale from Hidden Valley High School in Roanoke County. In May of 2025, Mr. Neale was named the 2026 Virginia Teacher of the Year.

To learn more about the Teacher of the Year program, visit WWW.DOE.VIRGINIA.GOV

For a video version of this podcast, please click the link below.

https://youtu.be/otf6eA4oWSY

As the Virginia Society for Technology in Education turns 40, we thought it would be great to talk to two folks who have seen the organization grow from their positions as some of the original Instructional Technology Resource Teachers, or ITRTs. Meg Swecker from Roanoke County and Jude Raffeinner from Carroll County join host Tom Landon for the Season 3 premiere of ActiVAtED Learning.

For a video version of this podcast, please visit link below. https://youtu.be/P1QKiBmeH4U