2009 ASTE Technology Awards

Teacher

Jim Engell, Petersburg

Nominated by: Don Holmes and Sue Hardin

Jim is a “history” teacher who uses technology to its fullest to engage students and to present information. His greatest feats have been his Veteran’s Day assemblies. One project is the “Greatest Generation”. His students talked to their grandparents and acquired photos and recorded interviews of their involvement in WWII. The mass of information including still pictures, 8mm film, and digital interviews was distilled down to a 25-minute digital movie. This project was produced and distributed on DVD for participating families and community members. Additionally, this project was presented to the student body and community on Veterans Day – with an encore presentation at the Elks Club. That was three years ago.

Since then Jim has put together two other major presentations for the community, one documents the Korean Conflict, and another which is a documentary of Petersburg’s Veterans of Foreign wars. Both video projects were well received at Veteran’s Day events in the community. Currently, his classes are gathering the information to document the role of the Petersburg Vietnam veterans.

Jim’s current production When the War Got Personal – involved his students in the first hand account of Petersburg’s WWII veterans who survived the sinking of their destroyer The USS Hole in the Pacific. It has been shown on our regional PBS station KTOO.

The day-to-day flow of his class revolves around gathering, synthesizing and presenting information in a digital environment. His web site (http://www.engellclasses.net/) is a good example of a teacher taking full advantage of the digital world.

Jim has incorporated the use of Wiki pages for his World History, U.S. History and American Government classes. This resource enables students to contribute to an ongoing collaborative glossary/encyclopedia of topics covered in each respective class.

His most recent work involves students who digitally record and edit class discussions making them ready for pod casting. This technique along with his web page allow our students – who travel a great deal – to stay current with his classes.

Jim has integrated technology into the regular classroom and continues to seek new ways to utilize instructional technologies as learning tools. Jim Engell is a “pioneer” in the use of instructional technologies as teaching and learning tools.

Honorable Mention

Natalie Moten, Anchorage
John Schauer, Fairbanks
Sharon Strick, McGrath

Administrator

Bob Snedigar, Glennallen, Copper River

Nominated by: Ryan Radford

Being a small rural district, staff here have to wear many hats. Bob is not only the tech director for the district, but also the principal for two small schools, and the district testing director. He is in early and leaves late. He is a powerschool guru and works tirelessly to produce any sort of reports the teachers or staff throughout the district need. Bob has been here for almost ten years, and has helped lead the school district from zero technology to being one of the most technologically advanced rural school districts in the country.

On a personal note, I have had a few bosses in my short life. Fortunately they have all been good ones and Bob is no exception. He gives me the tools I need to support such a large district (6 sites, 300 computers, 490 students, one dedicated tech). I can't say enough about Bob's dedication to the district and ensuring that technology is a priority for our students. He is the kind of leader that makes people want to work for him.

Honorable Mention

Dan Blanton, Anchorage
Linda Kang, Salcha
Roger Wells, Barrow

Support

Marge Randlett, Aniak, Kuspuk

Nominated by: Joanne Vanfleteren

Justification: I am nominating Marge Randlett for Outstanding Technology Support Person, because of the outstanding positive impact she has had on the technology for my school. We are a small school with 4 teachers and 45 students, but because of her endless energy and excellent grant writing efforts we now have a smart board, the one-to-one laptop program where all students grades 7-12 have laptops, enough mac minis for our student/computer ration to be 2/1 in grades K-6, and many more advanced pieces of technology. She also utilizes student tech teams, including the younger students, to do the troubleshooting and peer assistance at the individual school sites around our district. She is never farther than an instant message away, and is always available (seems like 24/7 because she responds no matter when we send an S.O.S). She coordinates all our technology in-services for our district staff, and holds student trainings, as well. This outstanding lady is aware of the importance of keeping our district reporting system up to date and knows what the teachers need to make this record keeping pertinent to student progress. She has been with our district for almost 10 years and keeps a positive attitude through all our changes over the last decade. We feel like because of her abilities and talents, the Kuspuk school district can offer competitive programs to our rural village students.

Honorable Mention

Richard Bloom, Yukon Flats
Linda Frink, Barrow
Suzie Israelsson, Bethel
John Wallace, Bethel

High School Student

Keith Asche, Matsu

Nominated by: Jeffrey Parsons

Keith is always the first person to help me with technology that is just a little bit beyond me in my classroom, or when we are producing a student dance.
He volunteers his time and his expertise without being prompted. He is competent in all areas of networking and computer software and always is willing to help me solve any problems. He knows our school facility and its capabilities better than any other person in the building. He is a leader in his pathway. He is a leader on our prom planning committee. Keith is our "go-to-guy" to fix problems or generate ideas. I will miss him tremendously next year.

Middle School / Elementary Student

Maaya Kelly, Barrow

Nominated by: Roger Wells

I am nominating Maaya Kelly because of her extensive experience and knowledge of the Apple computer. If you want to know about imovie, keynote, garageband or any other programs offered on the Apple, ask Maaya. Maaya is open to share her expertise not only to fellow classmates, but also to teachers and staff. Of all the students at Hopson Middle School, Maaya has taken the lead in providing our school with numerous projects including: school board presentations, newsletters and many Apple camp student lead projects. Having trouble with your Mac…. Maaya has great troubleshooting skills as well. Maaya is a leader among her peers in technology, but loves to share her expertise with others.