The 2009 Virginia Educational Technology Conference will be held October 28-30, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The conference organizers are soliciting proposals for sessions that demonstrate successful and innovative projects and initiatives that use technology to improve and enhance Student Academic Achievement or 21st Century Skills and Knowledge.

Preference will be given to sessions addressing one or more major components of Virginia's new long-range educational technology plan:

• Environment
• What are you doing with technology to make the learning environment flexible, equitable, learner centered, social, contextual, dynamic, and safe?
• Engagement
  • How are you using techology to address universal design issues and/or to make engagement personal, interactive, adaptive, and collaborative?
• Application
  • How are you using technology applications for content acquisition, scaffolding, communication, ICT literacy, innovation, creativity, and problem solving?
• Tools
  • Are your technology tools customizable, do they extend capabilities, and are they authentic?
• Results
  • Are you using technology to produce data-driven decisions, personalized learning, or intelligent assessment?

The proposals must be formatted as one of the following:

• Lecture: 45-minute session led by one or more presenters, each addressing the audience independently
• Panel discussion: 90-minute session with main presenter serving as a moderator interacting with copresenter panelists
• Poster: 90-minute sessions in open environments, with presenters interacting informally with attendees who visit their stations
• Demonstration: 45-minute formal presentation with a seated audience
• Hands-on workshop: 105-minute focused hands-on session limited to a maximum of 25 participants

The greatly expanded 2009 Virginia Educational Technology Conference (VETC 2009) has something for everyone. If you are a teacher, join us as presenters and exhibitors demonstrate the latest instructional innovations in teaching. If you are responsible for the planning, coordination, and implementation of educational media and technology programs or if you are a coordinator of instructional technology, library media, distance learning, instructional television, and instructional computing applications, VETC 2009 provides valuable information and innovative ideas in a single location. Division superintendents, curriculum coordinators, staff development specialists, administrative computing specialists, university teacher education professionals, telecommunication professionals, and instructional technology resource teachers benefit from the program and contact with colleagues from across the Commonwealth.

VETC 2009 has 25 large meeting rooms and 5 computer labs to accommodate all your conference needs. With so much space and a convenient location, this is the perfect opportunity to share your educational technology knowledge and experience with over 2,000 participants interested in shaping tomorrow's learning environment.