LONG BEACH, Calif.,
July 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/
-- Instructure (NYSE:INST) today announced the winners of its
inaugural Educator of the Year Awards at the annual InstructureCon
edtech conference. Building on the success of the 2018 awards, the
Educator of the Year Awards recognizes outstanding educators
working to further teaching as well as shape the next generation of
students. This year's six winners represent education innovation in
both the K-12 and higher education fields.
"Each winner is dedicated to their students' success and is
using Canvas to improve teaching and elevate learning," said
Melissa Loble, SVP of customer
success and partnerships at Instructure. "Their inspiring stories
showcase the role that technology plays in education and how we can
use it to prepare students for the world outside of the classroom.
Congratulations to all of our winners!"
The Canvas Educator of the Year Award winners are:
Elementary:
Wilfredo
Padilla Melendez - Fourth Grade Language / Math
Teacher, Claremont Immersion (Arlington,
Va.)
In his time at Claremont Immersion, Wilfredo has
taken full advantage of the technology platforms available to him
to customize students' learning and teach essential career-building
skills. He uses data to inform the type and level of instruction
that best suits each student and makes lessons that are interesting
and rigorous for everyone.
"My students love using technology and Canvas provides them with
useful resources," says Wilfredo. "We get to create so many things
that they can explore in my classroom."
Middle School:
Jon
Kelley - Sixth Grade Science Teacher, Dempsey Middle
School (Delaware, Ohio)
Jon has revolutionized his
teaching using technology and hands-on learning experiences. His
classroom is a blended experience with students working on content
that meets their individual needs, learning styles, and levels.
"I like having fun and trying new things, so when we started
using Canvas, I jumped right in," says Jon. "Using technology has
helped me make time to research new methods and new content, and
build relationships with my students. It helps me assist and meet
the needs of all of my students and be more of a facilitator."
High School:
Jennifer
Willis-Nichols - Science Teacher, Wentzville Holt High
School (Wentzville,
Mo.)
Jennifer integrates technology into her
classroom in a manner that serves a purpose: to heighten the
educational experience. She understands the importance of students
engaging with tools like Canvas in preparation for what is to come
as many colleges and careers have their own learning platforms.
"As a science teacher, it's very impactful for me to channel
technology," says Jennifer. "It's a creative outlet for me in terms
of how I present content to my students. It also allows for
differentiation and individualized learning that previously did not
exist. Technology allows me to continue pushing my students,
develop their critical thinking skills, and cheer them on
consistently."
Adjunct Professor:
Gregory
Beyrer, C.Phil. - History, Cosumnes River College (Sacramento, Calif.)
Greg uses
data-driven metrics to both improve his courses and help the
faculty at CRC design/redesign their courses to be more engaging
and informative for students. He is always looking for tools to
improve the student experience and help to bridge the equity gaps.
Greg directly works with faculty members to integrate new tools in
their courses, as well as use the toolset that comes with
Canvas.
"I teach my classes online and, by using technology, I'm helping
students take those classes that otherwise wouldn't be able to,"
says Greg. "Canvas makes it easy for me to assess my students on
how engaged they are with a concept. As a distance education
coordinator, it also gives me the ability to solve problems and
help my peers. I work best when people ask me 'can Canvas do this?'
and I get really excited because it gives me an opportunity to
learn."
Associate Professor:
Jared
Colton, PhD - Technical Communication & Rhetoric,
Utah State University (Logan, Utah)
Jared has engaged his
Technical Communication students in innovative activities to both
learn HTML and provide more usable class materials for other
students. Specifically, he created a class project for his students
to take PDF files from online courses and convert them into Canvas
HTML content.
"The biggest thing that technology and tools like Canvas do for
me in the classroom is to increase accessibility, not only in terms
of who's able to access higher education but also for students with
disabilities," says Jared. "Everyone has an equal opportunity to
learn and do research with their fellow students. Technology allows
more students to succeed and see their work have an impact."
Professor:
Laura
Deeter, PhD - Horticulture Technologies, Ohio State ATI
(Wooster, Ohio)
Laura has
been inspirational at exploring and incorporating non-traditional
classroom activities that will help her students in their future
careers. She likes to test out new ways of teaching, including
flipped classrooms, gamification, field trips, and student video
projects.
"I wanted to find a way to turn what I do and teach into
something that's fun," says Laura. " I took Canvas and all of the
tools that come with it and turned my plant identification course
into a game about plants and zombies. I learned a lot about how the
students use the technology and the students felt that they engaged
more with the class."
The Canvas Educator of the Year Awards were judged on the
following criteria:
- How does this teacher redefine traditional classroom activities
to prepare students for college and careers?
- How does this teacher's classroom experience improve
achievement for at-risk populations?
- How does this teacher impact student engagement, curiosity
and/or achievement?
Nominations for next year will open in March 2020.
During InstructureCon, Canvas also recognized three high school
seniors as the winners of its "You: To The Power of Education"
student scholarship contest. Each student submitted a video via
Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #powerofedu explaining how a
college education would give them the power they needed to achieve
their dreams and how Canvas would help them on their journey. For
more information,
visit www.instructure.com/canvas/blog/canvas-student-scholarship-contest.
ABOUT INSTRUCTURE
Instructure helps people grow from
the first day of school to the last day of work. More than 30
million people use the Canvas Learning Management Platform for
schools and the Bridge Employee Development Platform for
businesses. More information at www.instructure.com.
CONTACT:
Becky Frost
Sr. Director, Corporate Communications
Instructure
801-869-5017
becky@instructure.com
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SOURCE Instructure