feb-march_advisor

INNOVATING

FEBRUARY–MARCH 2019 CEA ADVISOR 15

DANBURY TECH TEACHER WINS STATEWIDE AWARD From virtual reality books to livestream broadcasts, teacher shows students how technology connects us

What do you get when you’re the author of an “augmented reality” book that gets parents and children reading the printed word together— with help from their smartphones to reveal page after page of sound, animation, and interactive science activities? If you’re Sterling Miller, you get the 2019 Connecticut Technology Engineering Education Association’s Teacher of the Year Award. Miller, a 14-year veteran who has taught at Danbury High School for the past 12 years, goes to great lengths to connect his school community with technology in ways that enhance living and learning. “I think my favorite part of winning this award is the pride my students showed when they found out,” Miller says. “I had many former students contact me with congratulations and thanks for the service I gave them, and many shared their memories of my teaching.” In addition to teaching technology classes, Miller oversees the high school’s Hatters TV, which gives hundreds of viewers real-time access to high school sports, school board meetings, and other events they might not be able to attend. Under Miller’s guidance, Hatters TV allows students to run livestream broadcasts online. “I am always working with technology,” Miller says. “Our district is very ambitious and motivated to keep the community aware of school and district events, so part of my teaching duties include running our educational cable access channel and supervising a video production club. Students gain real-

Teachers helping teachers Technology and engineering instructors know better than most that every structure has many supports to hold it up. It’s the same for educators, Miller says. “As teachers, we need to stand together. I work with other teachers who teach the same content areas that I do, and I seek their advice in technical areas, just as I share my knowledge with them as we try to keep up in this rapidly changing world. It takes the support of all of us to keep doing what we do day in and day out.” Critical support for teachers, he adds, also comes from their unions. “Our unions help provide safer working conditions and, more importantly, safer learning areas for our students. If we don’t stand with our union, we are standing by ourselves and don’t have the support Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) conference in Kansas this March, along with teachers from other states, who will gather to stay current in their discipline and network with teachers who teach similar courses. “I am excited to attend this conference,” says Miller. “I look forward to learning from my colleagues from all over and bringing back new ideas to help my students be successful.” we need to provide the best education to our students.” Miller will be honored at the International Technology and

NEA Danbury’s Sterling Williams is the 2019 Connecticut Technology Engineering Education Association’s Teacher of the Year.

world experiences as they create videos for our community and post them to educational cable access channels and online. They livestream sports and school meetings, airing about 100 videos a year.” Fast times at Danbury High When he began teaching video production, Miller says, “The equipment was older than my students. So the first thing I did was start applying for grants to update it. Technology changes fast, and especially fast in the video production world, so this keeps me on my toes. I am continually researching new equipment and staying current with industry trends to prepare my students for an unknown, ever-changing future. I am blessed with a superintendent who likes to push the envelope and is always asking if we can do something new. Oftentimes I work together with students to learn new After 21 years of involvement in the robotics program as both a parent and teacher advisor, he said, “It gets in your blood, and you just can’t get it out.” FIRST LEGO League was founded in 1998 to get students excited about science, technology, engineering, and math. Shelton hosted this year’s statewide finals, where 48 of Connecticut’s 206 FIRST LEGO League teams competed for a chance to advance to the 2019 World Festival, which will be held in Detroit. This year’s winning teams both hailed from Shelton and will represent the state at the FIRST LEGO League World Festival in April. Perry Hill School’s Prey Hill Predators placed first among the 48 teams, with Shelton Intermediate School’s PerSIStance in second place. Teachers said the event exposes students to much more than just robotics and blocks. It pairs them with mentors working in STEM fields, helps them see science and math in action, and shines a light on different pathways to STEM education and possible careers. Exercise for the brain Shelton High School’s gym buzzed with activity as students competed in front of giant screens, a disc jockey threw down some pop, and teachers, students, parents, and volunteers proudly demonstrated the results of weeks’ championship competition. His enthusiasm was contagious.

technologies; they become my co- learners as we experiment with it. Recently we began using virtual reality and 360 video.” One of the things students love about engineering and technology, he says, is the hands-on work. “Whether it’s producing a video or creating a prototype of an invention, it’s something digital or tangible that they can add to their portfolio or put on their bookshelf at home.” He adds, “Everything that I teach did not exist when I went to college, and I need to help my students realize that the same will be true for them. I prepare my students for lifelong learning and adapting to changing technologies.” Miller also believes a key responsibility of any technology teacher is to help students understand the role that technology plays in their lives as well as how to be safe and savvy social citizens.

BUILDING BLOCKS FOR STEM: NOT JUST CHILD’S PLAY Shelton educators help students see science, technology, engineering, and math in action

John Niski doesn’t wear a cape. But among the hundreds of students, parents, and teachers gathered at Shelton High School on a recent Saturday, he was a superhero. A former technology teacher who serves as Shelton Public Schools’ robotics advisor, Niski oversaw the crowds flocking to the high school for the FIRST LEGO League state

Shelton High School was recently transformed into a robotics arena where several dozen teams of students strutted their stuff. Two of the teams are headed for the world championship in Detroit this April.

a route to success. Even though they are competing against each other, the teams are also cheering for each other.” Robotics challenges also help nurture skills other than technology, she adds, saying that team members have opportunities to practice public speaking, marketing, fundraising, and art. Beyond that, Niski says, there is an emotional component. “Seeing the innovation that kids come up with is inspiring. You watch them flourish in this environment. It really makes you feel good.”

worth of work in various challenges. Teachers, says Niski, are a crucial part of the village that supports the FIRST program, making connections between the classroom and the real world and serving as liaisons between mentors and students. Michele Piccolo, a library media specialist at Shelton High School who oversaw several teams at the event, is one of those teachers. Calling robotics “a sport for the mind,” she says that students who join the program find their niche, no matter what their learning style. “Everybody needs a tribe,” Piccolo says, “and robotics gives them that and

Shelton High School library media specialist Michele Piccolo, who oversaw several robotics teams, showed her support with a full complement of team T-shirts.