NCTIES 2018 Candidates
East District Candidates
Lauren Boucher (@BoucherLauren)
Bio: Lauren Boucher is an Instructional Technology Specialist with Pitt County Schools in eastern NC. She has taught third grade, as well as elementary and middle school gifted education. Lauren is passionate about the transforming effect technology can have on the teaching and learning experience, as well as inspiring classroom teachers to incorporate technology into their everyday routines. Most of her time is spent working with teachers to incorporate 1:1 technologies, developing and implementing digital teaching and learning professional development, and working with schools to create digital learning plans. She is a SMART certified lesson developer and a SMART Exemplary Educator, a mentor with the North Carolina Digital Leaders Coaching Network, and presents webinars with SimpleK12. Lauren is married, has a son in elementary school, and enjoys reading and crochet. Video Response Why are you interested in serving on the NCTIES Board? There are many important issues surrounding educational technology, but I feel the three most salient ones would be funding, professional learning opportunities for educators at all levels, and the continued focus on standardized testing. These three issues are so interrelated that it’s hard to talk about one without mentioning the other. Since the focus in our state seems to be centered around data derived from standardized testing, it seems the majority of funds are spent on preparing teachers and students to take tests. Some of these tests are being given online, so there is beginning to be an investment in devices like iPads for Read3D and Chromebooks for state exams. These devices are capable of so much more, but we’re spending professional learning time with our teachers training them how to deliver these assessments and then how to use the data to drive instruction. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; however, teachers should have the opportunity to learn how to harness the potential of these devices to develop students who are creative thinkers, critical consumers, and innovative producers. There also seems to be a disconnect with the amount of funds spent on online or technology-based programs, and the amount of funds spent on the devices to run them. I’ve seen budgets that allocate $800,000 to computer-based programs, while only allocating $100,000 for the devices to run them. I believe strongly that when teachers are given freedom from constant assessments, the necessary resources, and fun, innovative, relevant training they are more likely to try new instructional practices and truly make a difference for our students. The board’s role is to stay close to members and reflect their needs in the visioning work the board does for the organization. How will you work with other board members to help set the direction for NCTIES's future? I will first work to develop positive relationships with other board members because I believe that trust and respect are necessary before moving forward. I will listen first, speak second and will always keep what is best for our students and teachers in the forefront. I am a detail person, and will always be willing and ready to help make someone's idea a reality. |
Cori Odom (@copp1)
Bio: "I am Cori Odom. I am a 22 year veteran teacher in the North Carolina Public School System. I have served many different roles through these years. I have been a classroom teacher, an Intervention Teacher, an AG teacher, a technology contact, an Instructional Media/Technology teacher and a Technology Teacher. Technology has always been a passion of mine, dating back to my first classroom in WCPSS where I served as a SCHOOL VISTA classroom. Using technology as a teaching tool has always been in my ""bag of tricks"". Learning new things, trying new things and most importantly SHARING new things is my motto in the educational technology world. I have currently been busy working to achieve my Google Educator Trainer certificate. I currently serve as a Seesaw Ambassador and one of our school Seesaw Administrators. I have been an active member, both presenting individually as well as in the student showcase at the past 4 NCTIES conferences. I have also been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with a fabulous ed tech company, LeaRn, for the past 2 summers and into this school year." Video Response Why are you interested in serving on the NCTIES Board? For the past 4 years, I have attended and shared at NCTIES. The sheer energy that this conference and this board symbolizes are awesome. The commitment to bettering our educators, empowering them with best practices and energizing them with communication and application in the learning process is something of which I would like to be a bigger part. Please identify your perception of the three most salient issues in educational technology and discuss how you think they affect PK-12 education, higher education, and the educational community. One of the biggest challenges I see with educational technology is the lack of formal professional development. Our educators are being required to integrate these technologies daily but lack the skill, training or knowledge. Resistance to change is also a super huge challenge in educational technology. Teachers, administrators and higher officials may not be willing to put in the extra effort it may take to learn that new skill or how to use the new device. They see it as outside their job description, even if it is a valuable tool! Even though we are using technology more and more in the classrooms, we are not always arming our teachers with the right tools for "individual" instruction to use with some of our programs and applications. These 3 things are among others that remain huge obstacles to hurdle in the world of technology. The board’s role is to stay close to members and reflect their needs in the visioning work the board does for the organization. How will you work with other board members to help set the direction for NCTIES's future? It is important to work as a team. That being said, I also believe that ALL the members of the team should have a dog in the fight. As an NCTIES member, it is important to me that the board continue to work towards their vision. Continuing to support educators, administrators and other members in implementing best strategies while using educational technology. Providing professional development in addition to supporting and advocating in the best interest of the members. This is the direction I'd like to see the board members to continue to support. |
Amy Stanley (@amyhstanley)
Bio: I am a native of Johnston County and have been lucky to have spent my whole career giving back to my community as a Johnston County teacher and leader. I am active in my church, First Baptist Church, Smithfield and I have been a member of Rotary. I love to spend time with my wonderful husband of 28 years, Jamie as well as two children, Adam who is 23 and just got engaged and Anna who is 19 and a Junior at ECU majoring in Middle Grades Education. I spend much of my spare time with my fur babies, enjoying a good book and traveling when I can. Video Response Why are you interested in serving on the NCTIES Board? North Carolina educators are so lucky to have NCTIES advocating for them and providing such an amazing annual conference. Every year I walk away from the conference, excited and re-energized to be more creative and try new things. I never leave disappointed, and I want to be part of that vision so I can continue to provide inspiration for teachers across the state. Being a part of this Board will allow me to do this. Please identify your perception of the three most salient issues in educational technology and discuss how you think they affect PK-12 education, higher education, and the educational community. It is difficult to just list three, but here are three issues that I think are impacting educational technology today: In K12 Education, I think Digital Citizenship is one of the most important issues we face in the every changing online culture. We have much to be focusing on as we grow responsible students who have the world at their fingertips. Digital Citizenship is the responsibility of all educators and adults in a child's life and it is important that as educators we model good digital citizenship as well as that it be explicitly taught on a regular basis to our students. The lack in digital citizenship knowledge among not only students but also our educators exacerbates bullying as well as increases poor choices in a digital footprint that will follow them into the future. Another issue that we face as a large district is equitable access to resources. As a predominantly rural district, we struggle to find the funds to provide all our our schools with the resources that teachers need to effectively integrate technology into their daily classroom activities. We also struggle with helping schools plan for the cost of ownership on a 5-year refresh cycle for most of our computers. These struggles have forced us to be creative in our funding, seeking grants, and outside financial support to help maintain the resources we have and continually evaluate the need for new resources as our district continues to grow exponentially. The last issue is professional growth in technology. Many teachers know tools, but are they leveraging them to help them make the most of the technology in their classrooms? We have several schools who have moved to a 1 to 1 environment and have found their teachers ill-equipped to make the most of the devices. Often they find their teachers simply substituting their worksheets and lectures for digital versions. We are working to help our teachers understand effective implementation of the higher levels of SAMR and how technology can make their classroom more engaging and inviting if they use the tools more effectively. The board’s role is to stay close to members and reflect their needs in the visioning work the board does for the organization. How will you work with other board members to help set the direction for NCTIES's future? We recently participated in Strengths Based Leadership and my profile revealed that one my greatest strengths is that of Activator meaning that I am action oriented, always asking "When can we get started?" I have a lot of enthusiasm and passion and I work hard to make things come to fruition. I pride myself on being organized and help my colleagues make connections in their work. I hope that I can bring all those strengths to the board and to the visionary work to help NCTIES continue to grow and thrive. |
North District Candidate
Alicia Ray (@iluveducating) Bio: Alicia Ray has been an educator since 2006, working as a fifth grade teacher for seven years, transitioning to media coordinator in an elementary school, and now in the second year of piloting a new position in our district, Lead Digital Learning and Media Innovation Facilitator. She currently works at Meadowview Magnet Middle School in the Surry County Schools system. Alicia earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Appalachian State University and holds a Master of Library Science, as well as a Master of Arts in Education in Instructional Technology from East Carolina University. Her passions include infusing technology into education seamlessly and effectively and building positive relationships with students and teachers. She is particularly interested in virtual reality, gamification and game-based learning, BreakoutEDU as well as blended environments and flexible learning spaces in a middle school. Alicia enjoys co-teaching lessons that engage and empower students and teachers to fail forward. She serves as a mentor for NCDLCN, Future Ready Instructional Coach Thought Leader, and is a frequent presenter at NCTIES and NCCAT. She blogs periodically at aliciaray.com. Video Response Why are you interested in serving on the NCTIES Board? I am interested in serving on the NCTIES Board to facilitate the advancement of digital learning and innovative practice in all of our classrooms to engage every student. I also believe in paying it forward; NCTIES has given me so many opportunities and I would like to be instrumental in the future of NCTIES, advocating for great educators across our state. Please identify your perception of the three most salient issues in educational technology and discuss how you think they affect PK-12 education, higher education, and the educational community. There are trends in technology that are vastly outpacing our educational infrastructure, funding, and policy. The way our students use technology in the home is different from the way they utilize it at school. Helping students, parents, and teachers change their perception of technology as a tool for socializing to technology as a tool for learning and creating is a vital piece of the puzzle for expanding the possibilities in educational community. There are many times policy limits what technology can do in the classroom. This can be due to filters and blocked websites, as well as outdated Bring Your Own Device policies. Because hardware updates are moving so quickly, policy related to funding the cycle of updates for devices is a concern. Thinking specifically of laptops, desktops, SMART boards and iPads, updates can require the purchase of newer devices at a rate that districts cannot afford. As more and more students are using internet on school campuses, a need for more substantial infrastructure and bandwidth is becoming more evident as well. Finally, in my opinion the most prudent concern in educational technology, is the use of technology for the sake of using technology. As a coach and digital leader, I believe it is imperative that technology should only be used when it will make a difference in the lesson. If pencil and paper makes more sense for the lesson at hand, use pencil and paper! There should always be a balance in screen time. Using websites that function as a worksheet is the same as using a worksheet. Instead, we need to train teachers to use technology as a tool for creation and collaboration, so they in turn can assist students in seeing educational benefits of technology. The board’s role is to stay close to members and reflect their needs in the visioning work the board does for the organization. How will you work with other board members to help set the direction for NCTIES's future? I work well with other people. I build relationships everywhere I go and strive to empower other educators through enthusiasm and energy. These characteristics will prove to be beneficial as I work with other board members to help set the direction for the future of NCTIES to implement new ideas and encourage new faces to present at the NCTIES conference. As a representative of my region, I am willing to strategically meet with those in my district, first at the NCTIES conference. This will allow us to make a connection face-to-face for future correspondences through email, Twitter, and Google Hangout/Skype. There is perceptively little representation from the smaller counties at a state level conference and I would like to be instrumental in reaching the smaller districts in North Carolina. Reaching out to the needs of smaller and mid-sized districts like Surry, Stokes, Yadkin, Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga, etc to increase participation and involvement in NCTIES leads to more equitable use of technology across our state. I could start the ball rolling through meeting face-to-face and planning correspondences for future discussion. Through this correspondence, I feel that I can make an impact on the future of NCTIES. |
West District Candidates
Alicia Lyda (@alicialyda)
Bio: Alicia Lyda has been a middle school teacher at Apple Valley Middle School since 1996 and has enjoyed teaching a variety of middle school subjects. She is currently teaching 8th grade middle school English and loves being part of Henderson County's Project Empower which allows her to have a Chromebook cart in her classroom. This has enabled her to experience the unique value of blended learning and the power of building meaningful relationships with the students she teaches. She received her masters from Western Carolina University and is also a Nationally Board Certified Teacher. Video Response Why are you interested in serving on the NCTIES Board? I enjoy learning and want to broaden my experience beyond the classroom leading and serving in this capacity. I like to meet new people and discuss educational ideas. I am passionate about being the best I can be for the students I serve. Please identify your perception of the three most salient issues in educational technology and discuss how you think they affect PK-12 education, higher education, and the educational community. Getting technology, keeping it updated and connectivity are the three most important issues facing our students and classrooms today. As a middle school teacher in a rural community it is not easy for our students to get free WiFi by "Just going to McDonald's or Starbucks." Many of the students in my community are dependent on the school's connection as they do not have internet at home. This limits students in my school who might also be dependent on bus transportation to get home making it impossible to stay after school to work on a project, unfinished work or general expectations of teachers. This setback might follow them as they continue with their education making it a hurdle they have to navigate. The educational community is working hard at filling these gaps, but moving from a traditional school dependent on paper and pencil to a technology rich environment is going to be a transitional phase we are going to have to navigate creatively. The board’s role is to stay close to members and reflect their needs in the visioning work the board does for the organization. How will you work with other board members to help set the direction for NCTIES's future? I enjoy new challenges, meeting new people and solving problems. I look forward to meeting this new challenge and growing as a learner and a leader. |
Andrew Smith (@21stbiosmith)
Bio: Andrew Smith was recently named Chief Strategy Officer for Rowan-Salisbury Schools in Salisbury, NC. In his new role, Andrew assist the superintendent in developing, communicating, executing, and sustaining district strategic initiatives, as well as, fostering collaborative efforts with internal and external stakeholders. Andrew previously served for three years as director of digital innovation also in Rowan-Salisbury Schools. Andrew oversees the district’s thirty-five technology facilitators and is charged with leading the district’s 14 million dollar 1:1 digital transformation, as well as, implementing innovative cutting-edge technologies and the district’s professional development. Andrew received a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Wake Forest University in 2008 and 2009, respectively, with degrees in biology and secondary education. More recently, Andrew received a degree in administration and supervision from Johns Hopkins University. During his time as a graduate student he conducted research on technological influence in the classroom. Andrew is currently a doctoral candidate at Johns Hopkins University earning a degree in Entrepreneurial Leadership in Education. Before entering administration, Andrew taught biology and forensics at East Rowan High School for four years. In 2011, Andrew joined Wake Forest University as an adjunct faculty member where he teaches Instructional Design, Assessment, and Technology. Additionally, Andrew has presented at numerous local, regional and international conferences including: NCTIES, Texas Instruments T3, MOBILE, FETC, NSTA, CUE, EdNET, Apple Inc. and ISTE. In his free time, Andrew is a pilot and enjoys flipping residential properties. Video Response Why are you interested in serving on the NCTIES Board? As a member of eight years, I have seen NCTIES grow into a powerful and effective regional educational technology conference. Over the years, I have been interested in helping frame the work of the organization as its enters into a time when technology is extremely influential within education. As a district leader in the educational technology space, I believe I have much to offer to the board and the members of NCTIES. Finally, through the years I have gotten to know many of the board members, and have gained a renewed respect for their role in guiding the organization. I too, would like the opportunity to serve alongside with these individuals as we guide the organization into the next decade. Please identify your perception of the three most salient issues in educational technology and discuss how you think they affect PK-12 education, higher education, and the educational community. Teacher Pre-Service Training – I believe there is currently a disconnection between institutes of higher education and K-12 organizations. The disconnection lies in what technological and pedagogical skills new graduates require. As a district leader in educational technology I spend countless hours bridging the knowledge gaps that exist in new educators. I believe there needs to be more collaboration between higher education and K-12 to establish what it is educators need when they begin service. Blended Learning Approaches – With the advent of educational technologies, there were major shifts in how students were taught. I believe that the “pendulum” may have swung too far in the direction of technology. Because of this, educators often feel compelled to use technology every second of the instructional day. I believe we need to address technology as a tool that is appropriate when educators deem it to have instructional value. I would argue we need the pendulum to be somewhere more neutral and allow for more purposeful and intention use of technology. Student and Educator Digital Citizenship – The internet has dramatically shifted the educational paradigm. Because of the rapid expansion of technology, policies and procedures in schools have lagged behind. I believe it is the moral imperative of educational institutions to prepare students to live in an increasingly digital world. The board’s role is to stay close to members and reflect their needs in the visioning work the board does for the organization. How will you work with other board members to help set the direction for NCTIES's future? Understanding the needs of the organization’s constituents and members is critical to the continued success of NCTIES. To ensure that I and other board members stay close to the needs of members, I will use various forms of communication and shared visioning techniques. For example, school and district visits, as a board, will allow us to foster a common vision around the needs of educators and administrators in North Carolina. Further, through the use of member focus groups, we as a board will be able to gauge the interests, needs, and desires of members. Data gathered from these types of communication and shared visioning techniques should be used in a purposeful and intentional manner. Yearly reports or “state of the organization” communications to members will allow for transparency and accountability for the board to its various constituents. |