PBS LearningMedia recognizes hundreds of educators from across the country as leaders in classroom technology and digital media
Arlington, VA, April 12, 2016 – PBS has announced the members of the 2016 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators Program, now in its fourth year. PBS LearningMedia, the free media on-demand service that offers more than 120,000 digital resources for teachers, is honoring educators from across the country who exemplify excellence in using technology and digital media to support student learning. A panel of esteemed judges selected 52 educators from throughout the U.S, its territories and the District of Columbia, as Lead Innovators, representing almost every state and Washington D.C., a first in the program’s history.
The 2016 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators are awarded with year-long professional development opportunities, virtual trainings, exclusive resources from PBS LearningMedia Custom, a free PBS TeacherLine professional development course, networking opportunities and more. Additionally, the 52 Lead Digital Innovators will receive an all-expense paid trip to Denver, Colorado to participate in the 2016 PBS LearningMedia Digital Summit and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference.
“This year we received a record number of applications from qualified teachers from across the country and we are excited to welcome this new class of digitally savvy educators to our growing group of leaders,” said Alicia Levi, Vice President, PBS Education. “Education for learners of all ages is at the core of PBS’ mission, and we are committed to providing teachers and students with the tools and content necessary to succeed in today’s digital classroom. I look forward to working alongside this group as they continue to engage and empower the next generation of students.”
The 2016 Lead PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators are listed below (along with their schools and local PBS stations). The full list of PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators is available at http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/digitalinnovators.
• Nira Dale – Florence City Schools, Florence, Alabama (Alabama Public Television)
• Larissa Wright-Elson – South Anchorage High School, Anchorage, Alaska (Alaska Public Media)
• Kaci Heins – Northland Preparatory Academy, Flagstaff, Arizona (Eight, Arizona PBS)
• Mary Beth Hatch – Harrison Junior High School, Harrison, Arkansas (AETN)
• Margaret Agbowo – Berkeley Technology Academy, Berkeley, California (KQED)
• Andrea Adams – Skyview Middle School, Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rocky Mountain PBS)
• Leon Tynes – Engineering and Science University Magnet School, New Haven, Connecticut (Connecticut Public Television)
• Jennifer Guido – Richard Shields Elementary School, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware (WHYY)
• Blair Mishleau – KIPP DC Heights Academy, Washington, District of Columbia (WHUT)
• Dan Koch – Citrus Springs Middle School, Citrus Springs, Florida (WUFT)
• Shana White – Creekland Middle School, Lawrenceville, Georgia (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
• Liz Castillo – Punahou School, Honolulu, Hawaii (Hawaii PBS)
• John Stegmaier – Timberline High School, Boise, Idaho (Idaho Public Television)
• Aleta Garrett – City Incite for CPS High Schools, Chicago, Illinois (WTTW)
• Jared Knipper – Syracuse Elementary, Syracuse, Indiana (WNIT)
• Joseph McCright – Stowe Elementary School, Des Moines, Iowa (Iowa Public Television)
• Todd Flory – Wheatland Elementary School, Wichita, Kansas (KPTS)
• James Wampler – Shelby County High School, Louisville, Kentucky (KET)
• Cassie Krause – SciTech Academy, New Orleans, Louisiana (WYES)
• Beth Heidemann – Cushing Community School, Rockland, Maine (MPBN)
• Marcia Porter – Lockerman Middle School, Denton, Maryland (Maryland Public Television)
• Michelle Read – Oak Middle School, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts (WGBH)
• Andrew Hopkins – Tyrone Elementary School, Harper Woods, Michigan (Detroit Public TV)
• Jesse Buetow – Randolph Heights Elementary School, St. Paul, Minnesota (Twin Cities Public Television)
• Carmen Christmas – Quitman County Middle School, Cleveland, Mississippi (Mississippi Public Broadcasting)
• Chantell Mason – Iveland Elementary, St. Louis, Missouri (Nine Network)
• Shelly Stanton – Billings Public Schools, Billings, Montana (Montana PBS)
• Andrew Easton – Westside High School, Omaha, Nebraska (NET)
• Casey Korder – Claude & Stella Parson Elementary School, Las Vegas, Nevada (Vegas PBS)
• Patrick Kaplo – Windham High School, Windham, New Hampshire (New Hampshire Public Television)
• Steve Isaacs – William Annin Middle School, Basking Ridge, New Jersey (NJTV/WNET)
• Dominic Pettine – Washington Middle School, Albuquerque, New Mexico (New Mexico PBS)
• Katie Jacobsen – Hamilton Central School, Hamilton, New York (WCNY)
• Rebecca Goddard – Bostian Elementary School, China Grove, North Carolina (UNC)
• Kayla Delzer – Legacy Elementary School, West Fargo, North Dakota (Prairie Public Television)
• Kevin Cornell, Ed. S. – Beavercreek City Schools, Beavercreek, Ohio (ThinkTV)
• Drew Robinson – Tulsa Public Schools, Tulsa, Oklahoma (OETA)
• Ryan Wiggins – Juniper Elementary, Bend, Oregon (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• Joseph Welch – North Hills Middle School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (WQED)
• Glenda Lozada – Josefina Marrero Febus Elementary School, Naranjito, Puerto Rico (WMJT Sistema)
• Roberto Gonzalez – Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School, Riverside, Rhode Island (Rhode Island PBS)
• Carla Jefferson – Darlington County School District, Florence, South Carolina (SCETV)
• Heidi Coffin – Badger Clark Elementary, Box Elder, South Dakota (South Dakota Public Broadcasting)
• Wanda Terral – Lakeland Elementary School, Memphis, Tennessee (WKNO)
• Lisa Johnson – Westlake High School, Austin, Texas (KLRU)
• Sean D’Abbraccio – Gifft Hill School, St. John, United States Virgin Islands (WTJX Virgin Islands)
• Linda Davis – Hillside Middle School, Salt Lake City, Utah (KUED)
• Matt Neckers – Green Mountain Technology and Career Center (GMTCC), Eden, Vermont (Vermont PBS)
• Jacqueline Firster – Abingdon Elementary School, Arlington, Virginia (WETA)
• Michelle Zimmerman – Renton Preparatory Christian School, Renton, Washington (KCTS9)
• Rebecca Recco – Edgewood Elementary, Charleston, West Virginia (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
• Laura Busch – Blair Elementary, Waukesha, Wisconsin (Milwaukee Public Television/WI Media Lab)
In order to gain a better understanding of the effect that PBS digital resources have on student knowledge and engagement, PBS recently conducted a study of middle school science, math, English language arts, and social studies classrooms where resources available through PBS LearningMedia were integrated into existing curriculum. The PBS LearningMedia Impact Study, conducted by Education Development Center’s Center for Children and Technology, showed that across subject areas, student performance on content assessments showed significant improvement, increasing by eight percentage points. In addition, students outperformed national assessment norms by 10 percentage points, on average, and outperformed state assessment norms, by an average of 11 percentage points. For more information and to view the full study, please visit: PBS Learn More Report.
About PBS LearningMedia
As America’s largest classroom, PBS offers digital content and services for teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS LearningMedia, a partnership of PBS and WGBH Educational Foundation, is a free and paid media-on-demand service offering educators access to the best of public media and delivers research-based, classroom-ready digital learning experiences to engage students in exploring curriculum concepts that align with National and Common Core State Standards. Nationwide, more than 1.8 million teachers and users have registered access to more than 120,000 digital resources available through PBS LearningMedia. More information about PBS LearningMedia is available at www.pbslearningmedia.org or by following PBS LearningMedia on Twitter and Facebook.
Media Contact:
PBS LearningMedia | Atiya N. Frederick | anfrederick@pbs.org | 703-739-5147
360 Public Relations | Roberta Lee | rlee@360pr.com | 347-801-2342
