Students Think They Are “Lucky” to Have Teacher of the Year [Video]

Hather Fisher“Dogwood Elementary 3rd grade teacher Dr. Heather Fisher was named the 2012-2013 Shelby County Schools Elementary Teacher of the Year. The classroom veteran is a life-long learner whose passion for education rubs off on her students and co-workers” (Source).

I became acquainted with Heather just over a year ago when she was selected as a 2012 Martin Institute Fellow to Project Zero. The impact that experience at Harvard has had on her teaching is evident in the video clip below. In addition to spending time together at the Project Zero Institute last July, Heather was also an active participant in our study group during this past school year. She has been committed to learning more about teaching for understanding and has a desire for her students to thrive. Heather has also taken advantage of opportunities to share her expertise with others through presentations and workshops. There’s no wonder why her students feel “lucky” to be in her class.

Event Tags: #pzc2013 #hgsepzfol

Interviewed by Wes Fryer

I had the privilege of being interviewed by Wes Fryer for his Speed of Creativity Podcast back in October. We discussed the mission of the Martin Institute for Teaching Excellence, experiences and lessons learned from our inaugural conference, rethinking professional development, and my appreciation for educators throughout the Midsouth. Listen to the podcast by clicking on the play button below the photo.

Wes Fryer and Clif Mims

 

Show Notes

  1. The Martin Institute
  2. The Martin Institute Conference Wiki (with links to presentation resources)
  3. Video: About the Martin Institute

About the Martin Institute for Teaching Excellence [Video]

The Martin Institute for Teaching Excellence provides world-class professional development for educators. The Institute provides on-site seminars, workshops and conferences; a teacher residency program; and funding for off-site professional development, especially Project Zero at Harvard University. The Institute draws on the research and ideas of leading educational thinkers and child development experts, and it blends theory with practical application, including the opportunity for teachers to observe, network and/or develop their craft.

Summer Conference
The 2011 Martin Institute Summer Conference will be in Memphis, TN on June 15-16. This year’s theme is Teaching for Tomorrow, which focuses on 21st century skills. The world-class slate of presenters and workshop facilitators includes Bill Nye the Science Guy, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, Tom Barrett (@tombarrett), Paul R. Wood (@paulrwood), and many other outstanding educators and thought leaders.

Fun Invitation to the 2011 Martin Institute Summer Conference #micon11

Bill Nye the Science Guy is among the many outstanding speakers and workshop facilitators that will be at our innaurural Summer Conference. Make your plans to join us in Memphis, TN, on June 15-16, 2011.

Image Source: BillNye.com

Video Ad for the 2011 Martin Institute Spring Conference

A video advertising the 2011 Martin Institute Spring Conference was released today. It highlights some of the key benefits of participating in 2 days of high quality professional development. You are encouraged to share this video with friends and colleagues via email and social networks (Twitter, Facebook, Plurk, Posterous, etc.) and you are invited to embed it on your own website, blog, wiki, etc.

2011 Martin Institute Spring Conference from Martin Institute on Vimeo.

Notes & Resources from Midsouth EduTweetUp & Web 2.0 Smackdown (Jan. 2011)

The first Midsouth EduTweetUp of 2011 was held Tuesday evening at the IDT Studio. Approximately 10 educators representing several school districts and area independent schools enjoyed an informative evening of networking and idea-sharing.

The evening’s festivities included opportunities for requesting advice/advice sharing, a tour of the IDT Studio, discussion about upcoming events, and concluded with a Web 2.0 Smackdown, where attendees had the opportunity to demonstrate their favorite Web 2.0 tool and share how it can be integrated with teaching and learning.

Thanks to everyone that participated and made this a fun and informative event.

A special thanks to Philip Cummings for coordinating the barbecue dinner and to Trey Martindale for hosting us in the IDT Studio.

Below are the slides from the meeting followed by a few notes and resources from the evening.

Notes

Educational Technology CertificateUM IDT‘s K-12 certificate in instructional computing applications is a series of four Instructional Design and Technology courses designed to prepare inservice and preservice teachers to meaningfully integrate technology into teaching and learning.

Graduate degrees in Instructional Design and Technology and School Library Information

2011 Martin Institute Spring Conference – Those who come to feast with us can choose from the a la carte menu of learning sessions, attending as few or as many as time allows. Registration in each session will be limited to the first hungry learners to “make their dinner reservations.

The 2011 Martin Institute Summer Conference will focus on PK-6 grade literacy and STEM. The call for presentation proposals will be posted in the coming weeks.

E-Learning Network – Monthly lunch meetings for professionals to learn about and share e-learning technologies and strategies.

Web 2.0 Smackdown

Here are the links from the Web 2.0 Smackdown.

Waze – Real-time maps and traffic information based on the wisdom of the crowd

Twitterfall – Twitterfall is a Twitter client specialising in real-time tweet searches. New tweets fall into the page.

Big Huge Labs and Education

SweetSearch – A search engine for students.

SweetSites – Collections of sites organized by subject and academic level for teachers and students.

Haiku – A lesson-centric learning management system built to bring the advantages of the web to your students and classes.

Digital Wish – Putting technology in the hands of teachers and students.

Wetoku – Easily conduct video interviews.

Skype Education – A free directory for teachers who want to use Skype to bring education to life in their classrooms.

Sqworl – A clean and simple way to visually bookmark multiple URLs.

NextUp and Meetzi – In-meeting management tools that helps make your meetings more focused, actionable, and on time.

Kids’ Vid – An instructional web site that gives teachers and students the tools necessary to implement video production in the classroom.

Review the tweets and links using the event tag: #metu.

Future EduTweetUps are already in the works. Please add your information to the Memphis EduTweetUp database to receive information about future events.

Event Tag: #metu

iPads and Video Cameras among Door Prizes for Fall Conference

(Cross-Posted from Martin Institute Press Releases)

Door Prizes for Teachers

The door prizes for the 2010 Martin Institute Fall Conference will provide opportunities for five teachers to return to school with an iPad, three will leave the conference with a flip camera. Gift certificates from iTunes and local businesses will round out the list of fantastic gifts.

The conference theme is Teaching for Tomorrow and the keynotes, workshops, and activities will focus on promoting 21st century skills in education. The Fall Conference will begin on Thursday, September 30, at 5:30 PM with a reception and the opening keynote presentation by Wesley Fryer. The conference will conclude on Friday, October 1, with a full day of workshops from expert educators from the USA, Canada, and Britain. Innovative primary school teacher, Tom Barrett of Nottingham, England, will be the featured speaker during Friday’s lunch event.

Registration is open to all PK-12 educators and undergraduate education majors.

Visit martininstitute.org for more information.

Video Ad for Fall Conference Released

(Cross-Posted from Martin Institute Press Releases)

A video advertising the 2010 Martin Institute Fall Conference was released today. It highlights some of the key benefits of attending and showcases the featured presenters. You are encouraged to share this video with friends and colleagues via email and social networks (Twitter, Facebook, Plurk, Posterous, etc.) and you are invited to embed it on your own website, blog, wiki, etc.

This video was produced courtesy of the IDT Studio.

Upcoming EduEvents

Martin Institute Fall Conference
Sept. 30 – Oct. 1, 2010
Memphis, TN
More Information

Mid-South EduTweetUp
Oct. 1, 2010
Memphis, TN
R.S.V.P.

TeachMeet Memphis
Oct. 2, 2010
Memphis, TN
Organizational Wiki

K-12 Online Conference
Oct. 11 – 29, 2010
Online
Website

Tennessee Educational Technology Conference
Dec. 1-3, 2010
Nashville, TN
Website

Midsouth Technology Conference
Dec. 8 – 9
Memphis, TN
Website

DEN’s Shining Star Webinar
Dec. 15, 2010
More Information

Wrap-Up of Mid-South EduTweetUp (Aug. 2010)

(Cross-Posted from Martin Institute Press Releases)

The first Mid-South EduTweetUp of the 2010-11 school year was held last Tuesday evening at Panera Bread Co. in East Memphis. 25 people representing several school districts and area independent schools enjoyed an informative evening of networking and idea-sharing.

The goals of the Martin Institute for Teaching Excellence were shared and the details of the 2010 Fall Conference were announced.

Also included in the evening’s festivities was a Web 2.0 Smackdown, where attendees had the opportunity to demonstrate their favorite Web 2.0 tool and share how it can be integrated with teaching and learning.

Thanks to everyone that participated and made this a fun and informative event. The next EduTweetUp is scheduled in conjunction with the 2010 Martin Institute Fall Conference on Friday evening, October 1. Click here for details.

Event Tag: #metu