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McKinney Independent School District Teachers Participate in Discovery Education Summer Institute as STAR Discovery Educators
Discovery Education
McKinney Independent School District Teachers Participate in Discovery Education Summer Institute as STAR Discovery Educators
Professional development event focuses on strategies to integrate technology and digital media into instruction to bring learning alive and captivate students
Joli Barker, a 2nd grade teacher at Slaughter Elementary; Lea Anne Daughrity, an instructional specialist for McKinney Independent School District; and Mary Carole Strother, a library media specialist at Finch Elementary, joined more than 100 educators from across the U.S., Canada and Romania in Bozeman, Mont. for a professional development and networking event hosted by Discovery Education’s Discovery Educator Network (DEN). The six-day DEN Summer Institute, held July 21-26, featured a variety of speakers and hands-on workshops designed to empower educators to invigorate curriculum and engage students using the latest innovations in teaching and learning. The event also provided an opportunity for educators to connect, collaborate and share resources, ideas and strategies with fellow educators from around the world.
The DEN Summer Institute was exclusive to educators recognized by Discovery Education as STAR Discovery Educators. STAR Discovery Educators are active members of the DEN and proven leaders in transforming teaching and learning. The DEN is a global community of more than 200,000 educators who are passionate about teaching with technology and digital media, sharing resources, collaborating and networking. Through blogs, virtual conferences and in-person events like the Summer Institute, the DEN connects educators and supports them in leveraging digital media and technology to engage students and improve achievement.
“As STAR Discovery Educators, Joli, Lea Anne and Mary Carole have demonstrated their leadership and commitment to using technology and digital resources to enrich classroom learning experiences,” said Lance Rougeux, vice president of learning communities and instructional implementation for Discovery Education. “Through their participation in the DEN Summer Institute, Joli, Lea Anne and Mary Carole have gained new skills and ideas to apply in their classrooms and share with fellow McKinney Independent School District educators to help students gain critical technology skills and improve student engagement and achievement.”
Reed Timmer, extreme weather enthusiast from the Discovery Channel series Storm Chasers, kicked off the event by sharing his experience filming and collecting data from some of the most powerful storms on record. He also highlighted the importance of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and discussed what inspired him to pursue a career in STEM. Education authors David Warlick and Wes Fryer and 2011 Montana Teacher of the Year Paul Andersen also spoke to participants during the event.
In addition to hearing from speakers, Barker, Daughrity and Strother participated in workshops, collaborated with fellow educators on a variety of educational technology projects, and shared ideas and best practices with their peers. They also had an opportunity to visit Yellowstone National Park and Old Faithful with renowned wildlife photographer Daniel J. Cox.
After participating in the DEN Summer Institute, Barker, Daughrity and Strother returned to McKinney Independent School District with numerous classroom-ready multimedia projects as well as new strategies and techniques to integrate technology and digital media into instruction to invigorate curriculum and transform teaching and learning.
For more information about the DEN Summer Institute, visit http://www.discoveryeducation.com/DEN/summer-institute.cfm.
About Discovery Education
Discovery Education transforms classrooms, empowers teachers and
captivates students by providing high quality, dynamic, digital content for grades K-12 and community colleges. Powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world, Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital media, professional development, assessment tools and a passionate educator network to support districts in accelerating student achievement. Discovery Education services like Discovery Education streaming, Discovery Education Techbooks and Discovery Education Higher Ed, are in more than half of all US schools and 35 countries around the world. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.
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