| Coach Joey Trevino, New Braunfels High School, New Braunfels ISD | |
 |
I
would like to nominate Coach Joey Trevino for the Technology Spotlight
Award for his integration of technology in his 12th grade Economics courses.
Joey is using the Stocks Quest website to educate his students
on the stock market. Through
this website, his students create their own stock portfolios and buy and
sell stocks virtually. Each
student can track his/her progress through a competition amongst class
members on the website. When
the competition ends in May, the winners will be recognized in the Herald.
Joey hopes to find a business that will donate prizes (such as
a free meal at a local restaurant) to the top portfolio owners.
At the close of the competition, students will be required to make
a PowerPoint presentation outlining the performance of their portfolio.
The presentation will involve the use and analization of charts
and graphs that illustrate gains and losses. The other component of this
unit is an interdisciplinary approach with the English Department.
Joey is collaborating with NBHS English Teacher, Patsy Vann to
have his students write a research paper on the stock market.
Tammy
Guenther |
| Suzanne Rogers & Emily Pack, Seele Elementary, New Braunfels ISD | |
|
|
Seele
Broadcasting Company Suzanne
Rogers and Emily Pack developed
an innovative way for their classes to deliver news to Seele students.
They formed the Seele
Broadcasting Company (SBC). Each
week the SBC presents national and local news, weather, sports,
and Seele Upcoming events.
In addition there is a Spanish connection enabling students to
learn a new Spanish vocabulary word. Paula
Bredewater |
| Kim Decker, Memorial Primary/Memorial Elementary, New Braunfels ISD | |
 |
Kim
Decker, art specialist at Memorial Primary and Memorial Elementary Schools
is nominated for the Cyber Connection spring spotlight. Renea Ritchie, the
Campus Technology Specialist at these campuses nominates her for this honor.
Recently the entire school attended a Korean ballet in San Antonio, and
Mrs. Decker expanded on the introduction to the culture to her art lessons.
Kim used the Internet to take her students on a virtual tour of art museums
in Korean. She projected images onto the large screen through the data projector
so that all the students could have an excellent view. Mrs. Decker not only
shares her love and knowledge of art history and creativity with her students
kindergarten to third grade, but she also shares her knowledge and interests
in technology and the opportunities it offers to students. Kim has found
many useful Internet sites to enhance her art lessons. She is discovering
what a valuable resource it can be. ~Renea
Ritchie |
| Diana Cashion, Memorial Intermediate, New Braunfels ISD | |
 |
Diana
Cashion is an April Cyber Connection Spotlight Award Winner. Recently, her
class read Hatchet. From that story they had to create a "camp"
for kids that would teach survival skills. To promote their camp, they had
to create a brochure using ClarisWorks Draw. Students added text, internet
pictures, graphics, and digital photos to their brochures. Once completed,
these brochures were sent to the TCEA desktop publishing contest that is
held annually. Mrs. Cashion continues to be a drive for technology integration and a tremendous resource for her colleagues. Congratulations, Mrs. Cashion! ~Kara
Bock |
| Stacy Wilkie, Rahe Primary School, Comal ISD | |
 |
Stacy
Wilkie is the librarian at Rahe Primary School who enhances her students
learning experience by incorporating technology in the library. Mrs. Wilkie
trains and assists both students and faculty with different technology tools.
She trains all students on the automated search stations in the library
as well as teaching them on how to use the Internet to access information.As
one of the school’s reading incentives, students are given the opportunity
to earn a day of technology with Mrs. Wilkie. This "technology day"
includes training on the digital camera as well as an Introduction to PowerPoint
class. The students are then responsible for inserting their pictures into
PowerPoint and printing out their work. Mrs.
Wilkie is a great example of a librarian who utilizes all of the materials
and equipment supplied by the district for her school. She realizes the
benefits of using technology with her students. - Theresa Ricker, Instructional Technologist |
| Amy Wright & Cynthia Leslie, Lone Star Primary, New Braunfels ISD | |
|
Amy
Wright and Cynthia Leslie are 2nd grade teachers at Lone Star Primary.
They are both integrating technology into their classroom through learning
stations. Before taking their classes on a field trip to Natural Bridge Caverns, they took their students on a virtual tour of the caverns using the video projector. They also had their students complete an on-line scavenger hunt from the Natural Bridge Caverns website. They took digital pictures while on the field trip and plan to use those pictures in a writing activity. Mrs. Leslie's class went on to create an iMovie about their field trip. This activity generated enthusiasm among the other 2nd grade teachers. Sharing of ideas and activities is one way Lone Star teachers provide exciting learning opportunities for their students. -
Audrey Barber and Betty Hunt |
| Gabriel Landes, Smithson Valley High School, Comal ISD | |
 |
Gabriel
Landes is a Speech Communications and Debate teacher at Smithson Valley
High School. Mr. Landes’ students range from freshman through seniors. Mr.
Landes utilizes different types of technology in his classroom. He is a
strong believer in utilizing PowerPoint to present lessons to his class
via the data projector. He is also in the process of training his students
on PowerPoint for their debates. Mr. Landes’ classes frequently utilize
the Internet to research the debate topics. They have found this to be an
invaluable source for their studies. Mr.
Landes has also created a website for his Forensics Team. The site provides
information about the forensics team, tournament dates, and even photos
from past events. The latest addition has permission slips and maps that
give the students access at home. The Forensics Team keeps in contact via
a web-based email list-serve. This allows the students to communicate more
readily, and it creates a great sense of community that goes outside the
walls of the school. To view the Forensics Team website stop by at http://www.phd-designs.com/gabriel/SVHS . - Theresa Ricker, Instructional Technologist |
| Casey Hales, Memorial Intermediate, New Braunfels ISD | |
 |
Casey
Hales is a 4th/5th grade teacher at Memorial Intermediate who enhances his
curriculum by integrating technology in the classroom. In order to meet
the needs of all his students, Mr. Hales uses a wide range of software.
He also uses the data projector with his teaching so that all students have
access to the computer and the software. He is currently working on using
the CUSeeMe camera to give his students the opportunity to video conference
with a class in Minnesota. Currently, Mr. Hales is guiding his students through the DreamWeaver tutorial using a digital projector. He hopes to have his students create their very own classroom web page. Mr. Hales not only enhances his classroom with technology, but he shares his knowledge with teachers around the district. He has conducted trainings on the use of iMovie and helps in training the campus TECHsperts, which are students who are trained in all areas of technology available on the campus. Mr. Hales is a valuable resource in moving the campus toward technology integration. ~Kara Bock, Campus Technology Specialist |
| Edwin Braun, New Braunfels High School, New Braunfels ISD | |
 |
Edwin
Braun is a Spanish teacher at New Braunfels High School. His classes do
many projects involving presentations (PowerPoint and HyperStudio) and Internet
research. He prepares his students for a field trip to UT Latin American
Library through a virtual tour he created in PowerPoint. His students conduct
research on Latin American artists while at UT and come back to create presentations
using PowerPoint. A requirement is that students make their presentations
interactive. Edwin also helps prepare future teachers for technology use by participation as a mentor in a summer institute at Southwest Texas University. ~Tammy Guenther, Campus Technology Specialist |
