Teachers to share ways they use technology creatively to improve learning
Four Lake Washington School District (LWSD) teachers have been selected to attend the 2011 U.S. Innovative Education Forum on July 28-29 at the Microsoft main campus in Redmond. The teachers showcased projects that demonstrate the creative ways they are using technology in the classroom. Only 100 teachers from across the country will represent the U.S. at the forum. Ten projects will be selected at the forum to represent the U.S. at the Partners in Learning Global Forum this November in Washington, D.C.
The LWSD teachers are:
· Bret Crane, Redmond Junior High
“Fairy Tale PowerPoint” - Students use Microsoft Ribbon Hero as a learning tool to be introduced to PowerPoint. Students utilize PowerPoint to present a fairy tale to the class after developing an outline, background, story characters and props. Students then manipulate Clip Art to fit their theme and animation needs, cite sources used, and rewrite the story in their own words.
· Robin Hoover, Finn Hill Junior High
“Voices of Injustice” - Students research and create three unique voices from one global situation of social injustice. Students showcase all perspectives of the social injustice, including the human rights’ violations, by creating a fictional story for a victim, a persecutor and a neutral bystander. Students showcase one voice in a written narrative, another in an oral presentation and the last in a digital presentation.
· Matt Palmer and Kim West, LWSD Technology Integration Team
“Changing Technology PD: It's About Students Not Seat Time” - Matt and Kim developed a three-year Instructional Technology Integration Training program to help teachers integrate technology and meet the needs of students. The goal is to have teachers stop thinking about technology as an “add-on” and see it as a critical piece of good teaching.
The U.S. Innovative Education Forum celebrates outstanding school leaders for using technology in their classroom curriculum to enhance positive learning outcomes while increasing student engagement and success. The LWSD teachers were judged based on the learning philosophy and goals of their project submission, their use of technology in the project, and their ability to demonstrate examples of student work and achievement connected with the project.
LWSD was selected by Microsoft’s Partners in Learning program to become a member of their Innovative Schools Program, part of Microsoft’s 10-year, $500 million initiative to help teachers and school leaders more effectively use technology as a tool for teaching and learning. The Innovative Education Forum is part of the Innovative Schools Program.