A three-part School Library Journal webcast series, developed in partnership with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), starts up Tuesday, September 13 at 3 p.m. EDT with “Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality: What’s Next?” That will be followed by “STEAM, with an Emphasis on A” on November 1, and “Pop Literacy” on December 6. The series, sponsored by littleBits, explores the education technology topics educators are talking about this school year, from virtual reality and STEAM to popular culture and digital literacy. Led by top practitioners in each field, these one-hour free programs will provide practical takeaways, ready to be implemented in classrooms and libraries. SLJ’s executive editor, Kathy Ishizuka, will moderate the series.

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The skill-building kicks off on September 13 with “Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality: What’s Next?” Participants will learn where this fascinating technology is headed, as well as applications that can be used in classrooms and libraries now. “As we saw with Chromebooks, tablets, digital curriculum, and game-based learning, emerging technologies can have a profound impact on student success and virtual reality has the potential do the same and more,” says Ted Brodheim, VP, Samsung Education, who is a panelist. The full panel for the VR/AR session: Ted Brodheim, vice president of Samsung Electronics America’s Vertical Business team. Previous roles include president of ePals, a global education media company, and chief information officer for the New York City Department of Education. Christopher Carnahan, PhD, the doctoral program coordinator and assistant professor in the educational technology department at New Jersey City University. His research centers on virtual learning environments to improve student engagement and achievement. Guido Kovalskys, CEO of Nearpod, maker of an interactive presentation and assessment platform for classrooms. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Buenos Aires and an MBA from UC Berkeley. “When it comes to virtual reality, we’re focused on creating a platform that reasserts the role of the teacher in the learning process,” says Kovalskys. “We want VR to empower the teacher, so we made Nearpod VR work with whatever is in the classroom. No special hardware is necessary. Furthermore, the research is still out on how VR as an immersive technology affects kids; accordingly, we use VR as part of a larger lesson, where it is simply one of a series of tools for a teacher to harness.” Laura Zieger, Ed.D., the chairperson and a professor in the educational technology department at New Jersey City University. Her research focuses on emerging technologies including robotics, drones, online teaching, and social computing applications in education. In case any of the three time slots are inconvenient, registered participants get access to the webcast archives, which can be viewed at any time. Details on SLJ’s webcasts can be found on SLJ.com and via Twitter: @sljournal  The event hashtag is #SLJISTE.