SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii -- Exemplifying the phrase "lifelong learner," three Hale Kula Elementary School teachers have been selected from hundreds of qualified candidates to further their professional growth.
• School librarian, Michelle Colte, will be one of 50 educators from around the world who will be attending a Google Teacher Academy in Sydney, Australia.
This academy is an intense training for teachers to get hands-on experience with Google tools and other technologies, to learn with other educators about innovative instructional strategies and to become an integral member of a community of educators, making a positive impact on teaching and learning.
Colte has been a key resource for Hale Kula's teachers on the integration of technology and Web 2.0 tools in curriculum and instruction.
At the conclusion of the training, Colte will be one of only three Google-certified teachers in Hawaii.
Colte has also been selected to attend the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Summer Teacher Institute. The Library of Congress received an unprecedented number of applications this year, and Colte was accepted based on her dedication, knowledge and experiences she brings to her school library program, involvement in professional organizations and the contributions she has made to Hale Kula Elementary School, Leilehua Complex and the Hawaii Department of Education.
• Anne Calef, a first-year teacher at Hale Kula, will be traveling to New Jersey to attend the Phil Mickelson Exxon Mobil Teachers Academy.
Mickelson, a professional golfer, and his wife Amy, started the camp in 2005 to provide third- through fifth-grade teachers with tools to motivate students in math and science. Calef is one of 200 teachers from around the country to be selected to attend this weeklong camp to learn more about how to teach math and science in cool ways.
Calef is a Teach for America teacher, and she is looking forward to learning more and sharing resources and lessons with her colleagues next school year.
• Finally, Rachel Armstrong, a fifth-grade teacher, was recently notified that she was selected as an "Emerging Young Leader" by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).
This award is given to a young educator, under the age of 35, who has demonstrated vision and innovation in the use of technology to improve teaching and learning.
As the Blended Learning teacher at Hale Kula, Armstrong's students attend school 2 ½ days per week and access their lessons and assignments virtually from home on the other days.
Students collaborate on projects, communicate virtually with their teacher and with each other, and create projects using a variety of Web 2.0 tools.
Armstrong will receive her award at the annual ISTE conference this summer; as an Emerging Young Leader, she is expected to share ideas within a professional learning network to positively impact education.
We congratulate these educators for their passion and their commitment to improving teaching and learning for our students.
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