Over the past year I have written and received grants to help facilitate the use of innovative practices in my school; The Classroom of the Future Grant, a Hanover Creative Instructional Grant, and a Dominion Resources Pedal Power Grant. These grants have allowed us to purchase resources, technologies, and supplies in order to promote innovation. Reaching out to the community to garner support for our studio has been key to its success. I have built relationships with several local businesses and families that have helped to create and maintain the Outdoor Space. I worked tirelessly all summer to make our collective vision a reality; painting, ordering, researching, sewing, organizing, building, and planting. In connection with HEF Classroom of the Future Grant, I had the privilege of sharing how we are using innovative practices with HEF Board members, the Hanover County Council of PTAs, and Randolph Macon students. Furthering my understanding of innovative practices has become a priority and any spare minute I have is dedicated to reading about innovation and innovative spaces in addition to visiting other programs in the public and private setting. Although the resources we won are incredible, professional development was a necessity in order to help teachers become more comfortable with taking risks. In collaboration with a colleague we developed an Innovator’s Bootcamp and offered it to a small group during the summer and then to the entire staff this fall. As part of this camp we developed a common language about our innovative instruction and created a continuum that has now been shared with our county wide Innovation Team members. I attended the Virginia Society for Technology in Education Conference and the Children’s Engineering Conference. Providing professional development in Hanover over the summer was a great experience and lead to the opportunity to present App Smashing at the state VSTE conference. In addition, I facilitated the first Digital Jam at my school where classroom teachers were encouraged to share innovative practices as well as an Ignite Session to help teachers learn about some new technologies in our studio. I serve as the STREAM Committee Chair and worked to make our first STREAM Night a success. Over 250 people were in attendance with over 70 teachers and volunteers running stations. This winter I served as the mentor for a high school student working on a Community Service Project related to STEM. I helped her develop and run a free after school camp for 32 students called Blast Off. Upcoming initiatives include my travels in conjunction with the REB award for a proposal called Innovation Nation. I will be traveling through the United States and Canada in order to tour trendsetting businesses and learn about how we can translate their practices as we prepare our learners for the future. I was inspired to write this proposal after learning about SCRUM. It has helped to bring about a shift in our instructional practices and absolutely brought out the best in our students. I will be a certified SCRUM Master after my training this summer. I will also be attending the International Society for Technology in Education Conference in June. In an effort to bring all I have learned to life, I will be piloting the first Hanover Innovation Institute this summer. It will bring together professionals in our community with high school students who are looking to learn more about their fields of interests and to give back to their community. These high school students will be running the institute and creating an Innovation Camp for elementary students. I have submitted a proposal and hope that they will bring the Five Cs, Community, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, and Creativity to life at the HCPSInspire Conference this summer.
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Author“Challenge me! Inspire me! Listen to me!” This is the message in their eyes. I see myself in so many of the students I serve, because I was not easily inspired as a young learner. Now, as an inspired educator, I hope to motivate students to find joy in learning and to take pride in being part of a community of learners. Archives
March 2018
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