Technology--Elementary--Pamella Berry and Leslie Lawhorn (Team--Techie Tigers)
Madison County Elementary School - Gurley
2015 Summer Fellowship plans:
Participate in the ISTE 2015 conference in Philadelphia, learning current trends in educational technology to implement during classroom and library instruction and share with teachers throughout the district
Fund for Teachers Video Spotlight
Video Overview Pam Berry is a school librarian at Madison County Elementary. She explains how she and Leslie Lawhorn a 5th grade teacher used the Fund for Teachers grant for professional development by attending the ISTE (International Standards for Technology Education) conference.
Project Description
“Techie Tigers” proposed fellowship is to attend the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) in Philadelphia, PA from June 28 thru July 1, 2015. We will have the opportunity to learn from and network with professionals from around the world on teaching and learning in a digital world. We will be able to attend lecture and panel sessions, hands-on-skills sessions, project or technology implementation focused poster sessions, student sessions, interactive playgrounds and visit the expo filled with technology resources. The key activities that we would pursue are those that would provide our team with the knowledge, behaviors and skills needed to teach, work and learn in a global and digital society along with our students, our teachers, and our school system’s teachers. These skills and knowledge is important because our students need to effectively learn and live productively in an increasingly global and digital world. According to ISTE Standards for Students, today’s students need to be able to use technology to analyze, learn and explore. It is important that we equip our students with the knowledge and digital skills to prepare them for a successful college or career in a competitive job market. Our teachers need to be able to access professional content and resources to help them improve their classroom instruction and professional learning experiences. As members of the “Techie Tigers” we will increase student engagement and motivation and accelerate learning in a technology environment and provide instruction to teachers based upon their needs during faculty meetings and quarterly workshops. Also, we will collaborate with the Technology Integration Mentor in providing technology information and assist teachers in learning digital skills.
Career Impact:
- While attending lecture, panel, hands-on-skills, poster, student sessions, interactive playgrounds and expo vendor briefings, we learned 1) How to integrate technology into the curriculum; 2) How to use existing technology to access, evaluate, and distribute information in instructional programs; and 3) Provide instruction using technology reference and research techniques to students in our classrooms, to teachers during faculty meetings, and professional development workshops to our school system’s teachers. Our sessions focused on Tech Tools, Mobile Apps, MakerSpace, Digital Citizenship, Coding, 1:1 Initiatives, Google Tools and Classrooms, TED-Ed, Librarians, QR Codes, Project Based Classrooms, Minecraft in the Classroom, Digital Storytelling, Integration of Technology, Game-Based Learning, iMovie, Game Making, Screen casting, STEM, etc. After returning from ISTE, 1) Started a Pinterest MCES Library page with boards about MakerSpace Resources, Technology for Librarians, Common Core for Librarians 2) Trained and set-up Digital Citizenship workshops, 3) Set-up Alabama Technology Course of Study training sessions, 4) Chaired the Alabama School Library Week committee, 5) Begun training on CANVAS Network, 6) Began transformation of the library to a media center filled with technology and MakerSpace activities, 7) Obtained funding to purchase video and editing equipment, LittleBits, and other MakerSpace products, & 8) Joined the ISTE Literacy Network Digest. Professional development funds in our state and school system are very limited. We have 30 teachers that share less than $2,500 a year in professional development. The professional development training we receive is taught by other educators in our school system, free online courses and webinars, and by others educators at our school. It was vital for us to attend the ISTE Conference because we were able to learn how to integrate technology in our curriculum by some of the top notch professionals in the world, to discover the new technology that is changing how our students learn, and to participate in a network filled with knowledge from all around the world. After the fellowship, we were so excited and energized. We received so much information to share with our students and teachers. At the end of each day, we shared what we learned with each other, how we can collaborate together, and how we can implement the knowledge we gained.