Winners of the U.S. Innovative Teachers Forum Announced
Two great days of learning and collaboration at the U.S. Innovative Teachers Forum last week…and now it is time to unveil the winners and who will go on to the Microsoft Worldwide Innovative Teachers Forum in Brazil and represent the United States. The U.S. Innovative Teachers Forum recognizes and rewards learning teams practicing the elements of 21st century learning in their own professional learning and then incorporating these skills into the student learning environment. Judges reviewed entries from 16 teams of teachers from all across the U.S. (see my earlier blog post for details on the teams).
Congratulations to Autumne Streeval and Harriet Armstrong from Columbus East High School in Columbus, Indiana!
The judges thought their project called “Industrial Revolution Tic Tac Toe” was the strongest one and that it connected students to real world learning in a creative and engaging way. A strategy of universal design for learning was used to create the project which allowed the teachers to think of differentiation while the project was developed. Autumne and Harriet will be recognized at the Worldwide Innovative Teachers Forum in Brazil the first week of November and be able to participate in unique networking and professional development experiences. Check out their reaction to winning in the video below!
The judges called out a few more teachers’ projects and the 35 teachers voted on who they thought was best.
· OVERALL WINNER: Columbus East High School, Columbus, Indiana
· BEST PRACTICE AWARD: Byng Junior High School, Ada, Oklahoma
· BEST PRACTICE AWARD: St. Paul’s Episcopal School, Mobile, Alabama
· TEACHER’S CHOICE AWARD: Keith Valley Middle School, Horsham, Pennsylvania
Again, details on the projects can be found in my earlier blog post. We’ve also set up a video channel on Vimeo where you can see some of the teachers talk about their projects. And don’t forget to check out the Innovative Teachers Network (ITN) where you can connect with a global community of educators and gain access to lesson plans, how-to articles, ideas for student projects and communities where you can collaborate and discuss issues and topics with your peers. You can even view this year’s submissions for the U.S. Innovative Teachers Forum by logging on and clicking the “Communities” tab; then look for the “2009 U.S. Innovative Teacher Forum”, and then View “Community.” ITN will be your hub for news this school year as we roll out more innovative teachers events in the U.S.
2009 Winners of the U.S. Innovative Teachers Forum from Carrie Hipsher on Vimeo.
Regards,
Rob
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Rob Bayuk
K-20 Educator Marketing Manager, Microsoft
Follow me on Twitter @TeachTec
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