Tag Archives: education

Wow …. who would of thought… NCGE Award Winner

Posted in education, Geography, leadership by

I would have never guessed that I would be selected to as a National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) Distinguished Teacher award recipient my second year back in the classroom if ever. If you have read my previous posts going back to the classroom after a 10 year hiatus has been one heck of a ride.

In the last two years, I have met such wonderful people in the geography education world that have helped me along the way. I now have a small network of local AP Human Geography teachers that I meet up with to not only commiserate with but also to share and plan. I am part of an amazing organization, who feeds me need to learn. The South Carolina Geographic Alliance (SCGA) has helped me develop a geographer’s perspective on the world. Dr. Jerry Mitchell and Dr. Larianne Collins have given me opportunities to be a leader within the SCGA  and supported me as I have grown back in to a teacher. To them, I say, “Thank you for all that you have done to support me. I wouldn’t be the geography teacher I am without you!” My community at my school is strong and I love my fellow social studies nerds!

I realize this is starting to sound like an acceptance speech so I will stop but below is the press release from the NCGE and you can also check out the other winners in the link below.

THE NATIONAL  COUNCIL FOR GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION RECOGNIZES THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST IN GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION Complete list of winners

Celebrating the nation’s best geography educators of 2017 WASHINGTON D.C.– For over a 100 years the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) has worked to enhance the status and quality of geography teaching and learning at all levels of instruction. Through its awards program, NCGE recognizes excellence in geography teaching, mentoring, research, instructional design, and service. “Each year we are impressed by the level of innovation, quality, and creativity of all our award nominees,” said Mr. Zachary R. Dulli, Chief Executive Officer, National Council for Geographic Education. “Understanding our world is critical to a high-quality education, and these award winners represent the best of the best in providing that to our students.” Recipients will receive their awards at a special ceremony held during the 2017 National Conference on Geography Education, July 27-July 30 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

THE K-12 DISTINGUISHED TEACHING AWARDS
Recognizes excellence in geography teaching at the primary and secondary levels

ANDREW DOJACK, William Monroe Middle School, Stanardsville, VA

BRIAN DAVIS, Central Middle School, Bartlesville, OK

JULIE STAVITSKI, Jack Jouett Middle School, Charlottesville, VA

KYLE TREDINNICK, Omaha Public Schools, Omaha, NE

MARYANN SANSONETTI-WOOD, Spring Valley High School, Columbia, SC

LEAANN WYRICK, Broken Bow Public Schools, Broken Bow, OK

ROBIN MANNING, Jack C. Hays High School, Buda, TX

ROSA CLARA SALAZAR, United High School, Laredo, TX

ABOUT THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION: The National Council for Geographic (NCGE) Education is a nonprofit membership organization that works to strengthen the quality and effectiveness of geography teaching and learning. NCGE provides a global forum for educators of all levels to exchange ideas and engage in professional learning opportunities to improve their geography teaching practice. We provide the organizational structure needed to advance research in geography education. We publish journals, the National Geography Standards, and a variety of materials for diffusing research and best practices on geography education. We recognize exceptional educators and supporters in geography education. We lead and support a variety of educational and creative programs to support our members and advance global literacy. Learn more at http://www.ncge.org

Mini Maker Faire Road Trip

Posted in Learning by

One of the latest crazes to hit is the Maker Faire. What is a Maker Faire you ask?

Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement. Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. All of these “makers” come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and to share what they have learned. (Maker Faire)


On a whim when we were planning for our back to school meetings, we decided to have a mini maker faire. I took the idea and ran with it. Now it seems to become a road show. The maker faire road trip is a bit more about learning new ideas than a traditional maker faire with makers showcasing their work.  It has made its appearance at two trainings in the last week.  What is included in my mini maker faire? I have between 5-6 stations depending on the space. Presently, I have the following stations:

1. Coding: Creating a flappy bird game14775472990_f7ddae7cc6_o

2. Creating a Hovercraft

3. Building a 60 cup structure

4. Games (board games, dice games, logic)

5. Green screening with WeVideo

6. Circuits with Snap circuits and Roominate

From my vantage point, the maker faire was an engaging time for the participants to Collaborate, Communicate, Create, and Think Critically. The 4Cs were embedded throughout the faire.  Here is a flappy bird game created by Nikki, one of our Technology and Learning Coaches (TLC). Emily, another TLC said, “I loved the circuit building activity!  I was avoiding it at first because it seemed a little scary the idea of building a “circuit,” but the activity showed that I could learn something new and construct my own knowledge through collaboration with other team members and access to a direction book. My colleagues were my co-learners in creating something new”

What has this Maker Faire shown me? It’s demonstrated to me that the hands on activities are a way to get everyone involved in the learning. The learning is more than the standards and we need to teach critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity in our classrooms at EVERY level, not just elementary because they have learning stations/labs. It also brings a lot of questions to mind. How can we turn our classrooms in to maker faires? How do we model this learning for teachers to begin to have this mindset?

makerfaire