According to the Syracuse Post Standard, Michael Perkins, a sixth-grade teacher in Tully, New York, was recently named a 2011-2012 Jacobs Educator by the Indiana University School of Education. The distinction recognizes teachers who use innovative technology in the classroom to serve their students.
Teachers who use technology, like a document camera, tablet computer or HDMI projector, in their classrooms can provide a unique learning experience, tailoring lesson plans to students with a number of different learning styles and imparting information through technological vehicles with which today's students are comfortable.
"I like to use technology because it excites the kids, and also you’re speaking their language," Perkins told the source. "They all use cell phones and iPod Touches, and you can connect with them by teaching them this way."
One way Perkins integrated technology was through distance learning lessons. In one example, he used network video technology to have his students perform a Shakespeare play that was seen in other classrooms. Following the performance, students in all participating classrooms held a video conference to discuss the play.
Perkins will receive $1,000 to purchase new technology for his classroom along with a $1,500 stipend that will pay for travel and expenses to Indiana, where he will go periodically to attend classroom technology conferences.
