ActiVAtED Learning

The Future of High School Network is a Carnegie Foundation initiative that embraces a new educational architecture built on a competency-based model that prioritizes meaningful learning over seat time. Two school divisions in Virginia, Henrico and Roanoke Counties, are full participants, and host Tom Landon sat down with Dr. Tinkhani White of the Foundation and two representatives from Roanoke Cou...

Virginia Cyber Range is an incredible free resource for Virginia schools who want students to learn how to defend against cyber attacks without putting their school's network in danger from hacking, phishing, and ransomware. Dr. Shannon Beck shares how the program, based at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, offers a secure, web-based space that provides state of the art instruction, lesson plans,...

Holly Sawyer at Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake loves her job teaching English Language Learners, and she works hard to make sure that her students get the chance to learn the language of computer science while also learning English. For a video version of this podcast, please visit link below. ttps://youtu.be/iqZFo2R2F2I

In this episode we meet Dr. Deborah Crawford, the Virginia Department of Education's Computer Science Educator of the Year for 2025. Her work, with many other partners, has brought world class Data Science instruction to both teachers and students in grades K-12. For a video version of this podcast, please visit link below. https://youtu.be/RHA2-mWKRwI

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. htt...

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 th...

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...

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 s...

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...

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...

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...

Kathleen Fugle of Fairfax County Public Schools didn't know how much she loved instructional technology until she attended a workshop with her own children, and didn't know that it would one day lead to her being named the Virginia Computer Science Educator of the Year. Tom Landon sat down with Kathleen at Sleepy Hollow Elementary School to talk about her journey as an educator and what...

Victor Spadaro went to school to be a PE teacher and thought he'd return home to NY State to take over from his high school cross country coach when he retired, but instead relocated to Arlington, Virginia where Mr. Spadaro was recently named the Southern District Elementary PE Teacher of the Year. Through drumming, dance, and innovative games, he encourages movement in a way that includes al...

Michael Carter grew up the son of a successful plumber and never considered that he might one day be not only a teacher, but the National Plumbing Teacher of the Year. But after 7 years of teaching at Gar-Field High in Prince William County, he wouldn't want it any other way. We spoke to him in his active classroom. On this episode of ActiVAtED Learning we'll also meet Morgan Nooney, who...

Go Tec is a middle school technology program housed at the Institute for Advanced Learning in Danville, Virginia, but it's reach goes well beyond Southside. Julie Brown and Jake Taylor join Tom Landon to talk about this innovative approach to ensuring a ready supply of workers for Virginia's new economy. For a video version of this podcast, please visit link below. https://youtu.be/C9-a7...

Whether they're called coaches, ITRTs or STEM teachers, Virginia is blessed with technology leaders in schools who help teachers implement tech in classrooms. On this episode of ActiVAtED Learning, we visit educators who are teaming up to give kids meaningful, technology rich experiences. Guests include Liz Lynch of Patrick Henry Elementary in Martinsville, a finalist for the Presidential Awa...

Jeanne Dodd is an instructional technology specialist with Virginia Beach Schools, and she and one of her students joined us during the VSTE conference to talk about a podcast they created for families of veterans. Next we traveled to Hanover County to meet Avanti Yamamoto, the 2025 Virginia Teacher of the Year, to learn how her love for teaching shines through to her students. For a video version...

Launching any new technology like AI in a school division can be difficult, but it's a lot easier when you first build a culture of collaboration and innovation. 2024 Virginia Superintendent of the Year Doug Straley and 2 time VDOE CTE Excellence Award winner Kenny Bouwens share how Louisa County's "Team LCPS" approach is resulting in widespread adoption of Artificial Intellige...

Rachelle Dene' Poth is a teacher, instructional technologist, and attorney who was an early adopter of Artificial Intelligence in the classroom. She joins host Tom Landon to talk about how teachers can dip their toes in the water when using AI, and about her own journey as an educational leader. The episode was recorded at the 2024 VSTE Tech Splash event in Abingdon, VA. For a video version o...

In this episode of the ActiVAtED Learning podcast we travel to Norfolk to speak to Delrose Adkinson, an assistant principal who's on the "20 to Watch" list put out by ISTE and was a keynote speaker at the 2024 VSTE Conference. For a video version of this podcast, please visit link below. https://youtu.be/c-UaITPz9tE

Betsy McAllister is the STEM Teacher Specialist with Hampton City Schools, and she's also the Teacher in Residence with the National Institute of Aerospace. In that role she helps connect scientists at NIA and NASA with classroom teachers and students. One initiative involves data collected by students and shared with the scientific community. She joins host Tom Landon to talk about the ways...

Goochland County Director of Instructional Innovation joins host Tom Landon for a discussion about how this small school division is using Virtual Reality applications to provide students a rich educational experience. For a video version of this podcast, please visit link below. https://youtu.be/h1t9SwtM_qo  

The Anatomage table is an advanced real-human-based education system that utilizes scans of actual cadavers to help students understand the systems of our bodies through 3D modeling. ActiVAtED Learning host Tom Landon visited Prince Edward County to talk to Michelle Kress, Instructional Technology Innovation Specialist to learn more about how students in this rural community are benefitting from t...

In this episode we chat with instructional technologists at the 2023 VSTE conference and visit Ware Elementary in Staunton City, Virginia to meet a prospective teacher who started his career as a school custodian before being encouraged to become a teacher by his principal. For a video version of this podcast, please visit link below. https://youtu.be/BORlh53iAXQ