The coding bug has bitten the students at Amherst Elementary School! Last spring a small enrichment group learned basic computer coding using a course in Code.org. This year students in first through fifth grade also started the coding journey. As a Library Media Specialist, I am keenly aware of the importance of teaching critical thinking, problem solving, logic, persistence, and creativity. Coding is an exemplary platform to support student growth in these areas. From the child’s perspective coding is fun and engaging, and they can personalize their learning environment. If you are looking for ways to unlock the potential of every child, give computer science education a try!

My name is Jamie Dailey. I am a wife, mother of 4, and an educator. I graduated with my Bachelors from the University of Tennessee and my Masters from South College. I started my teaching journey at Pond Gap Elementary School in 2014. One of the questions Shelly McGill asked when interviewing me was how I felt about technology in the classroom. I was brutally honest about my inexperience with most things technology in the classroom. Thankfully, she saw this as a learning opportunity for all of us!

Why do I embrace technology in the classroom? It’s simple: no child is the same. Every student learns in their own way and at their own rate. Lessons I create and post online allow my students to read directions, process information, and complete their work at their own pace. This allows me to work one-on-one with students who need extra guidance and conference with all students individually. Each student in my classroom deserves an education tailored just to them. Through the use of technology in the classroom, I have the ability to give them exactly what they deserve.

Technology impacts learning in our schools on a daily basis and every indication is that the role of technology and technology teachers will continue to grow in KCS. In my technology lab at Norwood Elementary School, I focus on personalized learning, problem-solving and perseverance. Personalized learning can mean different things for different teachers and school systems. I see personalized learning as the teacher helping each student achieve mastery of each goal using the best and most appropriate technology available. I believe that perseverance and problem solving are some of the most important skills we can develop in our students. I make every attempt to encourage students to solve problems on their own by seeking out and using all available resources. Hopefully, every school will have a chance to use coding as a means to help students hone in on these vital skills during this week’s “Hour of Code."

I have been teaching in Knox County Schools for 6 years. I am in my 2nd year as the STEM teacher at Shannondale Elementary School. I use Seesaw to create STEM journals for the students. The online format allows for students to give each other academic feedback across the grade level. Students use technology to research their problem, create sketches of their plans, and record the product of their final build all in one place. I also use Dot and Dash, code.org and ozobots to teach coding basics. I am constantly amazed at what our kids can do!

When I started as a school librarian in 1999 no one had yet imagined such things as iPads and 3D printers! Once I started working at Green Magnet STEAM Academy and started exploring the world of STEM I also learned about the Maker Movement. A TeacherPreneur grant last year enabled me to bring this concept to the library at Green in the form of a MakerSpace.

Now, in addition to promoting literacy I also have students almost daily doing activities that promote problem solving, voice and choice, and hands-on learning. Our students are teaching me so much as they learn to use new technology tools like Osmo, Sphero, Ozobots, CAD design and 3D printing, and even simpler tools like magnets, marble runs, spirograph, and much more.

Just as I never imagined my future career path taking this direction when I started, I know that I am preparing students for future career paths they have not imagined yet either. Every time I ask them to try new things or make new projects, I am opening their minds to new possibilities and ways of viewing the world.

Thanks to the support of innovative, growth-mindset administrators and the Office of Innovation our students are experiencing STEM tools and projects in the MakerSpace that excite them and teach them all at the same time. Don't tell our students they are learning though because most of the time they are having too much fun to realize it!

High School

I have been teaching secondary math for the last 13 years. In 2014, I joined Knox County Schools as an Algebra 1 and Geometry teacher at Austin-East Magnet High School. Throughout the last 3 years at AE, I have used technology to deliver instructional videos for a PLE, provide feedback through Socrative, and complete investigations. Technology has given me the opportunity to create an environment in my classroom that is tailored specifically to each group of students. I am able to create more interactive assignments to increase student engagement and provide immediate feedback to improve student mastery.

I have been a classroom teacher for 25 years and of those years 19 have been in Knox County at Vine Middle School and Sarah Moore Greene. I have used many effective teaching practices to engage student learning over the years but technology engages, deepens and expands learning in ways that connect with more diverse learning styles and individual learning paths than more traditional methods. Technology as a whole is multi –dimensional. Therefore, student engagement and rigorous learning can actually exist together, happily. No longer are my students limited to a “shoulder partner” for feedback with technology they can give and receive feedback in real time to and from anyone in the classroom or beyond.

Tammy Gray

Art Educator

KAEC

To quote Heather Casteel, Visual Arts Content Specialist &
Fine Arts Portfolio Coordinator

“Tammy Gray is a dedicated art educator, always putting the needs of her students first. Ms. Gray tailors her art projects for each individual. She has been a representative for special needs students on the Visual Arts Department Leadership Team since 2012, and she has served on the Curriculum Writing Team. Ms. Gray is a joy to work with and is a cheerleader for visual arts.”