I would like to recommend Misty Higgins for Cue’s Outstanding Teacher. Misty is an enthusiastic, outgoing member of KernCue where she serves on the board of directors, attends meetings, contributes ideas and works to ensure local teachers are prepared to integrate technology into their classroom. She models integration with her own 6th grade classroom and presents at the local CUE and district events. You can always find Misty sharing what she has learned on Social Media sites to inspire other teachers. Her encouraging posts led to her hosting the “new teacher” Twitter Chat. Misty is also a lead teacher in her district helping to provide professional development and classroom examples to other emerging teachers. She presents sessions such as “How to be an Edtech Cliffdiver” where she shows teachers that it is ok to try something new. Teachers leave her sessions inspired and empowered!
Misty has incorporated many types of technology into her 6th grade classroom. Her students use Edmodo and Google Apps daily to collaborate and create projects. Misty continually teaches and reminds her students how to be digital citizens that respect others and cite sources when used. She also uses a plethora of websites that students can access from home or school to practice skills. Misty knows how to advance student achievement by maximizing technology as a formative assessment tool so she knows where each of her students are in their learning and what skills need to be retaught.
What distinguishes outstanding teachers from other teachers, is the immeasurable impact they make on their students. They understand that teaching is a group effort. Therefore, they create a mutual, respectful and honest relationship with students, parents and administration. Disruption rarely occurs in their classroom, because they create a positive classroom environment where students feel free to share ideas without ridicule. They use diverse instructional strategies by accommodating and modifying instructions as necessary to support the unique needs of their students. Furthermore, outstanding teachers are patient, courteous, punctual, unbiased and perceptive. They are effective, because, they support both the student’s emotional and academic
From my very first observation I could tell that technology played a huge role in Ms. Felder-Way’s classroom. She found ways to integrate technology into almost every lesson. All of the students were assigned Chromebooks which were purchased by the district. In the classroom there was a SMART Board, two desktop
I am pleased to provide this recommendation on behalf of Ms. Sarah Albanna. I believe she is an outstanding candidate for a teaching assistant position.
Since 2010, I have inspired, coached, and mentored fellow educators in the purposeful use of technology to engage students and improve student achievement beginning with the first 1:1 mobile technology program, iEngage, at Aliso Elementary in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District. What began as simply having students record themselves reading aloud into iPods to develop reading fluency expanded into a tool used across all content areas to not only engage students but to facilitate active participation from all students all the time. Due to the success of iEngage in improving student achievement, Saddleback Valley expanded the program K-12 with funds from the ETT grant. Consequently, I, along with Principal Crystal Turner, was awarded Apple Distinguished Educator and the following year iEngage was honored as an Apple Distinguished District program. As the Instructional Technology Coordinator for the OCDE, I would continue to support, inspire, and motivate districts to use technology to enhance student engagement and improve student learning. Ensuring schools receive access to information and technology resources to create the learning environments necessary for our students to graduate with the skills to be competitive in a global workforce.
Amanda Densmore is the most patient and altruistic teacher that I know. Never once did she shout at my eighth-grade class at Zion Lutheran school. Mrs. Densmore may have become irked with our class on many occasions, but rarely did she show this emotion. Unlike other teachers, she never raised her voice when we were being disrespectful. Instead, she spoke in a softer tone. Our eighth-grade teacher would wait for us to listen to her. Actions speak louder than words. She taught us this on multiple occasions without having to say anything.
Technology can be found in every classroom of schools today and continues to grow as the field of technology continues to advance. School age children today know more about technology than most middle-aged adults because they have been exposed to it from such an early age. We live in the technology age and it’s clear that technology is here to stay and has permeated every area of our lives including home, work and leisure. Because of this, educators and school staff have been tech-savvy and must continue to keep up with the technological advances in order to present as competent to the student body. Technology has impacted the way our students learn and has provided avenues of learning to disabled students that they didn’t have in the past and has provided teaching staff with a multitude of resources and diversity in class activities to aid in teaching (Pearson, 2010). Without a doubt, technology will continue to impact our educational system as new technologies emerge and our country competes to keep up with a new globalized economy. Schools will implement these technologies into the
There are many attributes that I believe define and comprise the qualities in an outstanding teacher in today’s classrooms. First, outstanding teachers know their students. By knowing each student, a teacher is able to plan and implement instruction in a way that is meaningful to each individual. Outstanding teachers are proactive. Behavior is reduced and instructional time increased through proactive practices such as teaching routines and providing student supports. Outstanding teachers collect and use student data frequently to help meet student needs and increase meaningful instructional time. Supportive communication is another essential skill to be an outstanding teacher. An outstanding teacher effectively collaborates and communicates
Education is ever-changing and students need to be confident, creative, connected and active lifelong learners. Digital technologies are very important to our student’s world as they use them to connect with each other, learn new skills and pursue their interest. Luckey (2009) stated “For students in particular, technology is almost an extension of themselves. They use it to communicate, to discover the world, to play games, to collaborate, to create things, to write, to read, and to organize their lives. Nothing can be more foreign to them than school without technology or where technology is relegated to its own special place.” Mobile devices with the power of digital technology are being placed in every student’s hand in schools around the world which equips them with the personal technology needed to learn and communicate in the 21st century. While these programs can be very effective for students, they can be challenging for schools. Some educators believe that digital technology in the classroom may cause more of a distraction to students; however integrating digital technology in the classroom helps students become more engaged. In the digital world, data is at students’ fingertips 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Technology is everywhere and many students have adopted practices
who is passionate about their work, strives to engage students in instruction that is meaningful, interesting, and exciting. An outstanding
In the 21st century, students must be adept in new literacies and technology. Teachers, educators, and parents have a responsibility to teach students the skills they need to become proficient in these areas. Therefore, educators should find engaging ways to incorporate the use of technology into the curriculum. Parents are also mentioned because outside of the classroom, they have an obligation and responsibility to interact and observe how technology is being used.
Technology in the classroom is important for teachers, parents, and students alike, because technology use has become a necessary skill for survival in today’s vastly expanding technology driven global economy. Research has shown an increase in student’s success rates when exposed to technology in the classroom. Also technology has opened lines of communication between educators and parents to keep students on track, and help teachers educate better.
Technology is everywhere, it is involved in almost every part of our culture. It affects how we live, work, play, and most importantly learn. With technology being such a fundamental part of our lives and growing each day, it only makes sense that schools incorporate technology in the classrooms. Even though many people support the use of technology in schools, there are those that have concerns about the effectiveness of technology and whether or not it undermines education to solely prepare students for the workforce. Despite the concerns, technology is being integrated with classroom lessons daily, and proving how beneficial it is for student success.
Education is a constantly changing aspect of every individual’s life, and it will never stop transforming. The format that a student learns has drastically changed over time, and continues to morph every year with new standards and new technology. The idea of utilizing technology in the classroom is a controversial one for many reasons. Some argue that it is too costly and ineffective to justify. While many people argue that the use of technology in the classroom is too expensive, offers an unneeded distraction, and is ineffective for the student, there are many positive factors that technology can have such as improving the lives of students with learning disabilities, all-access to educators, improving the damaged school system, and
As we navigate through the 21st century, technology in the classroom is becoming further predominant. iPads are replacing our textbooks, and we can research any desired topic on our smartphones. The impact that technology has had on today’s schools has been utterly momentous. Educators have now seen firsthand the numerous benefits of technology in the classroom. According to a study by IT Trade Association CompTIA, around 75 percent of educators have come to the conclusion that technology has a positive impact on the education process. Educators have also recognized the significance of developing these technological skills in students so they will be prepared to enter the workforce after they graduate (Cox). By incorporating technology in the classroom, teachers are setting our students up for a successful life outside of school. The increase of technology has even changed how teachers teach along with how
Education is one of the most important professions in the working world. Technology has done many things for us in today’s society especially for education and schools. Technology in the school system has impacted the students and teachers in many positive ways, including virtual field trips, testing tips, teacher resources, class web sites, and lesson plans. With computer use in our schools, we have access to many different sources and various types of learning.