COMMONWEALTH of VIRGINIA
Department of Education

September 4, 2015

TO:  Division Superintendents

FROM:  Steven R. Staples, Superintendent of Public Instruction

SUBJECT: Announcing the 2016 Children’s Engineering Convention

The Virginia Department of Education, in collaboration with the Virginia Children’s Engineering Council and the Virginia Technology and Engineering Education Association, is co-sponsoring the Children’s Engineering Convention for grades K-5 teachers and administrators.  The convention will be held at the Hotel Roanoke, 110 Shenandoah Avenue, Roanoke, Virginia, February 11-12, 2016.

The Children’s Engineering Convention special interest sessions will highlight best practices and classroom strategies that support instruction in grades K-5 through hands-on design, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.  These instructional experiences will assist participants in preparing children to:

• explore how people create, use, and control technology;
• apply knowledge in mathematics, science, English, and history and social sciences in solving problems associated with technology; and
• use tools and materials to develop technological literacy and self-confidence.

You may access the convention overview here and register today.

If you have questions regarding the convention, please contact the Convention Registrars, Tammy Stevers, at tames@vt.edu or by telephone (540) 231-1779; or Jeneen Preston, at pjeneen7@vt.edu or by telephone (540) 231-6002.

If you have questions regarding children’s engineering, please contact Dr. Lynn Basham, specialist for technology education, Office of Career and Technical Education, at lynn.basham@doe.virginia.gov or by telephone (804) 225-3119.

SRS/LBH/LB/aab

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Links:

• Virginia Children’s Engineering Council
• Career and Technical Education (CTE)
• CTE – Technology Education