Dec 19-Jan 20 Advisor

TRAINING

DECEMBER 2019 – JANUARY 2020 CEA ADVISOR 13

TEACHERS BRUSH UP ON TECHNOLOGY FOR THE CLASSROOM Weekend conference offers tech tips and tools to challenge, motivate students

There was only one thing Terri Flicker wished for after attending the sixth annual EdTechTeam Connecticut Summit this fall. “I wanted to clone myself so that I could go to all of the workshops,” she said. “What they offered was just phenomenal.” Flicker was one of 100 teachers and administrators attending the two-day conference at Manchester High School, themed “What Will You Create?” The weekend-long event showcased the latest in Google’s educational technology through two keynote speakers and a mix of 90- and 60-minute workshops. There was also time to hang out in “The Playground,” where teachers further developed hands-on skills and got to ask questions of instructors in a more personal setting. Getting the most out of Google “The EdTechTeam Summit is a great event,” said Manchester Education Association President Kate Dias. “They tend to be high- energy and interactive, focusing on how teachers can use Google apps and programs in their classrooms. That works well for us, because we have adopted Google as our primary platform, using Chromebooks one- to-one for high school students and at the classroom level for all other grades. All my colleagues who have attended consider it a worthwhile experience and speak very highly of the event, which is run in conjunction with MEA’s Google experts.” The conference focused on helping teachers get the most out of apps and tablets they use in their instruction. Workshops included “YouTube and Screening Basics,” “Google Docs for Educators: Core December 1 marked the five-year work anniversary for CEA’s Amber Smith— one of the first points of contact for members facing legal challenges related to their jobs. A paralegal, Smith prepares trial exhibits, requests investigatory reports prepared by DCF, routes and responds to incoming correspondence, proofreads legal briefs and pleadings, files appeals, documents with the courts and administrative agencies, and more. In her spare time, she does pro bono paralegal work with the Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut, helping clients who can’t afford private counsel. What do you like about working at CEA? I love the advocacy we do. I came from a management-side law firm, so my perspective was different. The dedication CEA staff and leaders have to our members and the support teachers have for each other is remarkable, and I’m proud to be a

to this conference, I can curate resources to fit their needs.” Tools for everyone Flicker, a Manchester High School English teacher who has participated in the conference every year since it started, says she continues to learn something new every time. “This conference provides such incredible resources that I can implement in my classroom. I can’t say enough about it. The tools are helpful immediately and in the long term, like Book Creator, which is a way for students to discover they have the power to write.” Writing, Flicker acknowledges, can often seem intimidating. Attending for the first time, Manchester teacher Kelly Melesko said the professional development was valuable to her as well. “I plan to take what I learn here back to the teachers I work with so that they can be just as inspired. In addition to taking advantage of technology as an instructional tool, I’m finding ways it can help teachers make the most efficient use of their time.” Amanda Burkhart, in her second year of teaching seventh-grade math at Canton Middle School, looked forward to getting better at Google Class and Forms. As soon as the conference ended, she was digging in to create new ways for her students to approach their work. “I am so re-energized by the speakers and teachers,” she said. “I was able to put some of what I learned to use the very next day at school. Google Data Analysis, for example, is going to allow communication to flow all at once between students, teachers, and parents.” choice and toured the campus with my mother but learned later that my parents couldn’t afford to send me. What happened next? I had a child soon after graduating from high school and raised her as a single mother. Kiara is now a beautiful, intelligent 18-year-old studying biology at Morgan State University in Baltimore. She chose MSU not only because it’s a historically black university but also because of its collaborative program with Johns Hopkins, which is aimed at increasing diversity in the biomedical sciences. Having my daughter at a young age forced me to grow up fast, knowing there was a little person depending on me. And in some ways, I believe that witnessing my struggles motivated her. It’s so cliché, but I often wonder how I got to be so When she was a baby, I took a part-time job as a legal secretary and began working toward my paralegal certificate, which I earned in 2004. I was promoted to pre-litigation and then litigation paralegal at a firm where I met Adrienne DeLucca, who is now legal counsel for CEA. When a position became available at CEA, she reached out to me. That was 2014, and the rest is history. lucky. Kiara is my biggest accomplishment in life.

Rachel Discko and Pam Fontaine, who run the media and technology centers at Manchester High School, have been coordinating the conference for six years now.

Magic and Inspiring Ideas,” “Teaching Your Students How To Be Expert Researchers,” “Coding in the Classroom,” and “Google Writing Tools That Work.” “I’ve learned so many exciting things, including ways we can change our teaching,” said Pam Fontaine, library media curriculum and instructional leader at Manchester High School. She and her colleague Rachel Discko, a technology integration specialist, coordinate the conference every year. “The first time we held it, I left thinking, ‘I’m going to redo everything I had planned for next month,’” Fontaine said. “The training really invigorates teachers and encourages them to try something new,” explained Discko, who meets with teachers in small groups or one-on-one and shares tech ed resources with them. “For teachers who weren’t able to come

Terri Flicker gets ready for the first session of the summit on the Google Keep app.

for family members, and the children around kindergarten age just loved me. Their innocence was so refreshing. I enjoyed teaching and helping them, and being around them just brightened my spirits. Despite being shy and soft-spoken, I loved to dance and make music. My parents couldn’t afford to put me in extracurricular activities, so all my singing and dancing took place in the living room—using the remote control as my microphone! I also played piano all four years in high school. Though my high school music teacher knew how shy I was, she would always choose me for solo performances at school assemblies, at Westfarms Mall during holidays, and at annual school concerts at The Bushnell. Mrs. Carter pushed me to do things outside of my comfort zone. I never thought I was great, but she believed in me. Unbeknownst to me, my senior year she submitted a music scholarship on my behalf, and to my surprise, of all the applicants, I was the one selected to receive the award. I would’ve never applied on my own for fear that I wasn’t good enough, but she saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself, and for that I will always appreciate her. I applied to college, where I planned to study early childhood education. I was accepted into the school of my

Amber Smith, Paralegal, Member Legal Services

part of it.

What is your proudest moment so far at CEA? There was a termination matter involving a teacher who deserved to keep his job and had the full support

of students, parents, and colleagues. The amount of work we put into the hearing was overwhelming—scheduling witness preparation and proofreading briefs countless times to make sure nothing was missed. It was my first time attending a public board of education meeting to determine this member’s fate, and ultimately, CEA got the favorable decision our Member Legal Services team worked so hard for. Even thinking about it now, I get chills. What did you dream of being when you were growing up? Attending public schools in Hartford’s north end, I was an honors student, and I wanted to teach kindergarten. It wasn’t until my job here that I really understood all the obstacles teachers face and the daily sacrifices they make. Over my teenage years, I babysat