Michelle Schmitz is in the METC Spotlight

Follow Michelle on Twitter at @mschmitz_1

We’re excited to share our MIDWEST SPOTLIGHT EDUCATOR bios on The Connected Classroom! These K-12 educators demonstrate motivation, engagement, transformation and connection while using technology to improve teaching and learning. They will share their best practices at the MIDWEST EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY CONFERENCE in February. This year, we have educators from across the state of Missouri presenting. The METC 2016 MIDWEST SPOTLIGHT EDUCATORS were selected by the METC Conference committee.

Dr. Michelle Schmitz is in her 11th year as an administrator in the Liberty Public School District. Dr. Schmitz is an elementary principal who is reimagining and rethinking education to meet the needs of today’s learner. Schmitz opened EPiC Elementary where Every Person is Inspired to Create. It is a learning environment that is re-imagining education based on three pillars: empowering creativity, equipping students and engaging communities. Dr. Schmitz believes that as we navigate through the 21st century, there is an incredible sense of urgency to foster a culture of leaders who will continue developing our complex world. It is our responsibility and obligation to teach students the acquisition process of developing new ideas and redesigning existing ideas. In its first year EPiC Elementary had over 1,500 visitors. It an environment where visitors can see “together, we can transform education.” 

Manuel Herrera is in the METC Spotlight

Follow Manuel on Twitter at @manuelherrera33.

We’re excited to share our MIDWEST SPOTLIGHT EDUCATOR bios on The Connected Classroom! These K-12 educators demonstrate motivation, engagement, transformation and connection while using technology to improve teaching and learning. They will share their best practices at the MIDWEST EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY CONFERENCE in February. This year, we have educators from across the state of Missouri presenting. The METC 2016 MIDWEST SPOTLIGHT EDUCATORS were selected by the METC Conference committee.

Over the past 12 years Manuel Herrera has served learners through several roles in education. From the beginning of his career as a middle school Special Education teacher, Manuel has advocated that students be given the opportunity to leverage technology as a way to create, connect and share their learning. He believes that when students are driven by their own passions and curiosity, they have the opportunity to create their learning and teach others. Currently, Manuel is the Coordinator of 1:1 Programming for the Affton School District, located in south St. Louis. He is also a member of the leadership team for the educational non-profit ConnectEd Learning. Manuel has presented at conferences in Illinois, Missouri and Texas, including SXSWEdu, METC, EdCamp, ActivEducator and RCET-SW. Manuel holds his M.Ed Administration.

Valorie Stokes is in the METC Spotlight

Connect with Valorie on Twitter at @See_Spot_Read

We’re excited to share our MIDWEST SPOTLIGHT EDUCATOR bios on The Connected Classroom! These K-12 educators demonstrate motivation, engagement, transformation and connection while using technology to improve teaching and learning. They will share their best practices at the MIDWEST EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY CONFERENCE in February. This year, we have educators from across the state of Missouri presenting. The METC 2016 MIDWEST SPOTLIGHT EDUCATORS were selected by the METC Conference committee.

Valorie Stokes serves as the library media specialist for Platte County R3 High School and coordinates the district’s K-12 library program. Valorie collaborates with educators and their students at all levels to help them effectively use technology to enhance learning.

From 2008-2011, she led the National Writing Project’s Web Presence Facilitation Team and presented about her experiences at several of the national NWP Annual Meetings. She has also taken an active role in creating professional development experiences and teaching graduate courses in teaching with technology for the Prairie Lands Writing Project at Missouri Western State University. In her work,  Valorie encourages the thoughtful and purposeful exploration and use of technology and embraces the 4 C’s as lenses through which to think about and work with technology resources and tools.

Heather Essig is in the METC Spotlight

Follow Heather on Twitter at @hessig.

We’re excited to share our MIDWEST SPOTLIGHT EDUCATOR bios on The Connected Classroom! These K-12 educators demonstrate motivation, engagement, transformation and connection while using technology to improve teaching and learning. They will share their best practices at the MIDWEST EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY CONFERENCE in February. This year, we have educators from across the state of Missouri presenting. The METC 2016 MIDWEST SPOTLIGHT EDUCATORS were selected by the METC Conference committee.

Heather Essig teaches advanced placement/ college credit biology and 6^th grade science at Visitation Academy, a 1:1 environment, in St. Louis, Missouri. She has created a blended classroom environment where learning is enriched by technology as students actively model, explain, experiment and explore science.  Heather is always looking for new ways to use technology to do real science investigations including robotics, computer models and bioinformatics. She is the 2015 Loeb Prize winner for Teaching Excellence in Science and Mathematics and is a member of the AP Biology Leadership Academy. Heather is the current David and Marilyn Kirk Fellow for the Washington University Institute for School Partnership.

Teaching Science: The Next Generation

Are you an educator with science in your curriculum? You’ll want to learn about our upcoming professional development series, open to educators from all grade levels. During our four-day series starting in October, experts will introduce you to the new science standards and explain how they have been designed and organized across disciplines and grades to provide all students an internationally bench marked science education. A key focus of the seminar will be on instructional shifts in relation to the new standards, as well as an increased understanding of the scientific and engineering practices and their impact in the classroom.

What are the new science standards and how do they impact teaching and learning?

After we introduce the Next Generation Science Standards, we will deepen our understanding and learning with focused modules on creating an effective science environment, conceptual understanding and science unit design, science literacy, plus more.

Session dates are October 15, December 14, January 21 and February 22. To learn more, visit our website.