When Teachers Take Tech Personally, It Works in the Classroom
Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) May 06, 2014 -- For teachers, it's personal. For Jim Hurley, educator and founder/CEO of Lesson Planet, supporting teachers is personal. One of six brothers and sisters, Hurley's inspiration to help teachers came from watching his mom—who loved her school "kids" like her own—seek out quality resources to inspire her students. Since 1999, Hurley's company has been helping teachers do that online.
Hurley will discuss the history and future of both the company and educational technology in a keynote titled "EdTech: Where We've Been, Where We're Going" at the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO) Classroom Technology Showcase, Wednesday, May 7 at 4:30 p.m. at the SBCEO Auditorium, 4400 Cathedral Oaks Road, Santa Barbara.
"Jim has been involved in educational technology for over 30 years, and has a great perspective on the power of technology to engage students and transform learning," said SBCEO director of educational technology services Matt Zuchowicz. "He's passionate about teaching and educational technology."
When teachers use technology purposefully and proficiently, students benefit. A new study on teacher training with mobile technology released by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) shows that among teachers who participated in an online mobile technology training course
• 60% of teachers reported providing more 1:1 help to individual students
• 35% of students showed higher classroom assessment scores
• 32% of students showed increased engagement in the classroom.
As part of the SBCEO Showcase, Lesson Planet will produce video spotlights of the six finalists, who make exemplary use of tech in the classroom. Zuchowicz noted, "As our keynote speaker, Jim will set the stage for our educators to share their innovative teaching strategies." Honorees include Hortencia Corral from Roosevelt Elementary, Linda Edwards from Cold Springs, Russ Granger from San Marcos High, David Preston from Righetti High, Chadd Rosenberg from Los Olivos Elementary, and Veronica Tadeo from Fesler Junior High Schools.
Tadeo's work is rooted in personal experience. "I've been using technology heavily since I was a kid. I was fascinated by the self-learning that goes into using a computer," she explained. "For students, I wanted to motivate them … to push themselves, because when you put something in front of them that forces them to figure things out on their own, then they're thinking critically."
About SBCEO
Led by county Superintendent of Schools Bill Cirone, Santa Barbara County Education Office provides critical services to support special populations of students, assist teachers and administrators with professional development, and help ensure the financial health of 20 school districts and two community colleges, impacting more than 66,000 students and 3,700 educators countywide.
About Lesson Planet
Founded by educators in 1999, Lesson Planet (http://www.lessonplanet.com) provides award-winning online curriculum search for PreK-12 educators, enabling teachers to find teacher reviews and links to lesson resources targeted by grade, subject, Common Core State Standard, and more. Teachers can also find on-demand EdTech tutorial videos, and for schools and districts, live, on-site and online professional development programs.
Judith Smith-Meyer, Lesson Planet, http://www.lessonplanet.com, +1 (888) 909-9035, [email protected]
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