Category: Meet the EdCampers

What’s your first and last name?

• Megan Veldhuizen

What do you teach / what is your ‘title’ at school?

• Transitional First Grade

How are you involved in education?

• I am an educator! I previously taught Kindergarten and now teach Transitional First Grade. I love science and technology so I incorporate as much of those in my classroom as I can! I am a part of the OKSci Leadership program for 2014-2015. I am also a part of the OKSci Framework writers. I was recently honored with two humbling awards; the Oklahoma Science Teachers Association Elementary Teacher of the Year and the K20 S.K.I.E. Southwest Region winner and overall State wide winner. I am blessed to be an educator each and every day!

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

• My ideal classroom would have each and every student engaged! They would be engaged in multiple ways! My students would have all of the necessary resources they need to learn and I would have all of the resources I would need to teach all curriculum! I love Science and technology so I would also have several resources to teach those subjects!

If you were to lead a session at Edcamp, what would it be about?

• Integrating technology into teaching elementary science

Do you have a website or blog?

• learninglaboratory.weebly.com

Are you on Twitter?

• @Mrsveldhuizen

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What’s your first and last name?

• Melynee Naegele

What do you teach / what is your ‘title’ at school?

• K-5 Collaborative Special Education Teacher

How are you involved in education?

• I am currently enrolled in the Teaching, Learning and Leadership Masters program with an emphasis in Oklahoma Elementary Mathematics Specialist. Through my studies, research and learning I have become interested in utilizing social media as a tool for professional development. In the summer of 2014 I was fortunate enough to attend Twitter Math Camp in Jenks where I met passionate mathematics educators from all over America and a few from around the world. I left with the burning desire to connect with these innovative educators and to find a way to bring more elementary educators together in a similar fashion. With guidance from Levi Patrick I began the process of investigating, organizing and and launching a weekly Twitter Chat. The chat launched in late September and the interest and participation has been outstanding. A few of us keep the momentum going from behind the scenes by inviting moderators to lead us weekly, and every Thursday at 8 pm CST more people participate and discuss ideas and best practices concerning all things elementary mathematics #ElemMathChat.Recently I was invited to participate in the first ever OEMS Support Team, and I am looking forward to working with this great group of educators to ensure that our our math coaches and specialists are supported and provided with the resources needed to be successful.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

• My ideal classroom is one in which students are active participants in their learning. They engage in relevant inquiry based learning, collaborating and communicating in order to construct joint knowledge. In this process they are developing a supportive learning community where all are valued and the teacher is but just one of the members of the team and not a provider of information and procedures.In this ideal classroom all the tools and resources are available, including a multitude of seating and work spaces so that all can work in their preferred and most comfortable place. Students and teacher alike also have at their disposal the availability of technology and equipment that will promote understanding and allow for further research and understanding.

If you were to lead a session at Edcamp, what would it be about?

• Productive Math Discourse
• Social Media as a Professional Learning Community/Support

Are you on Twitter?

• @buffalogal03

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If you are attending EdCampOKC, we’d love to feature your information here too! Please submit this contribution form, including a small photo we can use in your post.

What’s your first and last name?

• Amanda James

What do you teach / what is your ‘title’ at school?

• Assistant Principal @ Classen SAS

How are you involved in education?

• I have the honor of working at an amazing school, with amazing administrators in OKCPS, and overseeing the IB program full of amazingly smart students!

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

• My ideal school is similar to the one I work at. I love the idea of students choosing a major to focus on in high school. However, this school would be filled with active learning, real world application projects, and loads of technology (now you know I’m dreaming…lol). Students would love coming to school, and what is best for students would be the motto and the measure to which all decisions were gaged.

If you were to lead a session at Edcamp, what would it be about?

• Teaching strategies that get students talking and walking.

Are you on Twitter?

• @amajames1212

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If you are attending EdCampOKC, we’d love to feature your information here too! Please submit this contribution form, including a small photo we can use in your post.

What’s your first and last name?

• Robin Rodriquez

What do you teach / what is your ‘title’ at school?

• 5th & 6th grade Science Teacher

How are you involved in education?

• I teach 5th and 6th grade Science to the most inquisitive students! I am a bonafide Tech-Ninja at a campus that has plunged into classroom technology like a champion! We are 1:1 with iPads and our Science team has been a significant part in helping our site to get excited about helping our students use technology on a daily basis.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

• Students enter the classroom and retrieve their i-devices and start working on their bellwork while the teacher takes role giving each student present a positive mark in Class Dojo. Students then log into their Drive accounts to get the lesson for the day. After listening to either a live or recorded instructional session and then get into cooperative groups for the activity of the day. Once or twice a week, the class participates in a hands-on activity. Data collected is turned into a presentation using an app on the iPads and submitted via Google Drive.

If you were to lead a session at Edcamp, what would it be about?

• Classkick – This app allows me to build an assignment for the students to work on at their own pace. That is not the best part, I can go online, from anywhere, and watch my students working on the lesson! I was at a workshop in Tulsa, watching my students in Clinton in real time working on the assignment that I had left them. AWESOME!!

Are you on Twitter?

• @MrsRodriquezwes

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If you are attending EdCampOKC, we’d love to feature your information here too! Please submit this contribution form, including a small photo we can use in your post.

What’s your first and last name?

• Angela Smith

What do you teach / what is your ‘title’ at school?

• 6th grade teacher

How are you involved in education?

• I teach a self-contained 6th grade class of 24 students.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

• Ideal? No home problems for my students, well fed and clothed, and ready to learn!

If you were to lead a session at Edcamp, what would it be about?

• Smart clickers — more than just assessments.

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If you are attending EdCampOKC, we’d love to feature your information here too! Please submit this contribution form, including a small photo we can use in your post.

What’s your first and last name?

• Stephanie Darden

What do you teach / what is your ‘title’ at school?

• High School Special Education

How are you involved in education?

• I teach science, English, and math to special education students.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

• My ideal classroom has students working on labs, assignments, and other inquiry based activities in groups using technology to learn together and from each other. I want to increase my students ability to think creatively and independently.

If you were to lead a session at Edcamp, what would it be about?

• Modification and differentiation for lower learning students within the regular education classroom

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If you are attending EdCampOKC, we’d love to feature your information here too! Please submit this contribution form, including a small photo we can use in your post.

What’s your first and last name?

• Mandi Cloud

What do you teach / what is your ‘title’ at school?

• Kindergarten Teacher

How are you involved in education?

• I have taught at Limestone Technology Academy in Sand Springs for 11 years. I have 24 Kindergarten brainiacs in my class who come to me with a variety of experiences and knowledge, but they are all eager to learn! For many of them, I am their first school experience, and I pride myself in making it a positive one! Outside of the classroom I am an advocate for public education and a lifelong learner! I’m also becoming an a EdCamp addict!

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

• My ideal classroom would be full of inquiry and fun! My (small) class of Kindergarten students would all be learning and working at their own pace, and not constantly being assessed! They would also be using their 1:1 technology to solve problems, as well as to create and publish their work!

If you were to lead a session at Edcamp, what would it be about?

• Project Based Learning for Elementary

Are you on Twitter?

• @mandi_cloud

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If you are attending EdCampOKC, we’d love to feature your information here too! Please submit this contribution form, including a small photo we can use in your post.

What’s your first and last name?

• Klista Rader

What do you teach / what is your ‘title’ at school?

• Digital Coach, Lead Learner

How are you involved in education?

• I partner with teachers, schools, and districts to provide coaching and assistance in educational technology, project based learning, and 1:1 programs.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

• Students would have voice and choice in how they learn and how they present their understandings. The physical classroom would be a comfortable environment with lots of light that uses flexible seating to maximize cooperative groups. Students would be involved a curriculum that is driven by inquiry, and use multiple types of technology to achieve their learning goals.

If you were to lead a session at Edcamp, what would it be about?

• What do bold schools look like?
  Classroom game changers
  Instructional gains of 1:1

Do you have a website or blog?

• http://www.21visioneducation.com

Are you on Twitter?

• @klistar

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If you are attending EdCampOKC, we’d love to feature your information here too! Please submit this contribution form, including a small photo we can use in your post.

What’s your first and last name?

• Beth Richert

What do you teach / what is your ‘title’ at school?

• Director of Ed Tech

How are you involved in education?

• I am the district Education Technology Director, formerly a principal of five years and a teacher of nineteen….and always a teacher at heart

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

• My ideal classroom would be something outside the box. An environment with no rows of desks but comfortable think stations. This could be comfy sofa’s, tables and chairs with built in plug in for mobile devices. The students would be working individually or in collaborative teams on real world, authentic projects that not only sparked their intellect but their passions. The teacher would be found milling around checking on student progress and possibly delivering mini-content lessons as needed. Students would be checked in, connected and self-motivated because they have ownership of their own learning.

If you were to lead a session at Edcamp, what would it be about?

• Google apps for education, tech integration matrix, iPads in the classroom, Chrome extensions, Google Templates

Do you have a website or blog?

• http://bethrichert.wordpress.com

Are you on Twitter?

• @Tech4T3achers

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If you are attending EdCampOKC, we’d love to feature your information here too! Please submit this contribution form, including a small photo we can use in your post.

What’s your first and last name?

• Najah Hylton

What do you teach / what is your ‘title’ at school?

• English 2 and 3 teacher

How are you involved in education?

• I teach English 2 and 3 at US Grant. This is my first year to do so. Last year I subbed at Star Spencer. I want to continue teaching English (maybe to a different grade, or creative writing) for the foreseeable future. Maybe one day I’ll get a master’s and teach at the college level too.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

• The ideal classroom is collaborative. The students know I am the leader and they come to me with questions, but they also trust each other and work together to try to enhance their own learning. The students are problem solvers who practice using their resources before calling in reinforcements.

If you were to lead a session at Edcamp, what would it be about?

• Lead a session?! I wouldn’t! But if I HAD to, it would be about cultural relevance in the Language Arts classroom. Why do students have English class? Without using the standards, how would you summarize the objective of ELA learning? How has it changed in 10 years, in 20, in 40? Does our instruction reflect those changes?

Are you on Twitter?

• @najjustiz

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If you are attending EdCampOKC, we’d love to feature your information here too! Please submit this contribution form, including a small photo we can use in your post.