Meet Jennifer Denslow, Speech/Drama/Reading Teacher

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What’s your first and last name?

  • Jennifer Denslow

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

  • Speech/Drama/Reading Teacher

How are you involved in education?

  • I teach Speech, Drama, and Debate classes as well as direct plays and coach the forensics team.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • In my ideal school, engaged and excited students would be able to work to their strengths across the curriculum and demonstrate their learning journey in ways that uniquely theirs. Student assessment would be a way of students showing ownership of the knowledge they’ve acquired and we’d be able to coach them in constructing ways of presenting status reports on their own education.Also, we wouldn’t be able to see most walls because they’d be covered with bookshelves full of books.

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

  • II’d talk about using technology to teach argumentation.

Do you have a website or blog?

Are you on Twitter?

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.

Meet Nicole Power, Speech-Language Pathologist/ RTI Coordinator

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What’s your first and last name?

  • Nicole Power

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

  • Speech-Language Pathologist/ RTI Coordinator

How are you involved in education?

  • I teach students with speech/language and literacy disorders. I work with oral and written language, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and other foundations of literacy. For the last ten years I have specialized primarily in students in grades 3-5.As an RTI Coordinator I organize and analyze our school data to help spotlight our best strengths and areas that may need more attention. I am thrilled to be part of a team that helps consider professional development options for our school. I am also proud to be part of our team of interventionists who work with students needing a little extra support.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • My ideal dream classroom would be for every SLP to have a room that meets the guidelines of our SLP professional organization. That basically means that school SLPs would get a 15×15 room with natural light.

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

  • I would share the Story Grammar Marker tool that supports students in learning story structure to learn retelling, summarizing, and writing. It’s great visual support especially for our ELL and other struggling students. The best part is that you can easily use the idea and create one of your own.

Are you on Twitter?

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.

Meet Janalyn Taylor, Early Childhood Principal

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What’s your first and last name?

  • Janalyn Taylor

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

  • Early Childhood Principal

How are you involved in education?

  • I am an instructional leader who also manages a school site. My role includes cultivating a community of learners who are excited to try new things and who are willing to grow.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • My ideal classroom is an environment filled with risk takers. The physical room would be bright and walls would be print rich. Students would be sharing information and asking questions. I would talk less and listen more.

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

  • Using apps in early childhood centers.

Are you on Twitter?

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.

Meet Dr. Robert Allen Moody, Director: Open Education Resources R&D

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What’s your first and last name?

  • Dr. Robert Allen Moody

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

  • Director: Open Education Resources R&D

How are you involved in education?

  • I am an associate professor in the Department of Advanced Education Programs at Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS. I teach pre-service teachers face-to-face and graduate students online. I started my educational career as a school bus driver in the Mid-Del School District in 1991, taught junior high Language Arts for 5 years, then was a K12 principal for 4 years, and finished my career in Oklahoma as a superintendent from 2003-2006. I am currently a Google App for Education Certified Instructor and director of Open Education Resources R&D for the College of Education & Technology.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • My ideal classroom is founded on appropriate relationships, relevance, and rigor. It is student-center; I seen my role as a facilitator, role model, and mentor. My classroom has no walls, knows no time or place constraints; it can found where ever my students and internet connectivity can be at the same time.

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

  • Google Apps for Education has Changed Teaching and Learning in the State of Kansas: Can it do the Same for Oklahoma

Do you have a website or blog?

Are you on Twitter?

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.

Meet Rosa Blocker, Library Media Specialist

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What’s your first and last name?

  • Rosa Blocker

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

  • Library Media Specialist

How are you involved in education?

  • Librarian and tech teacher for grades K-5; Accelerated Reading and programming coordinator for school reading events; Common Core–now OAS–district team member; member of Oklahoma Library Association, Oklahoma School Librarians, Professional Oklahoma Educators, OSU Writers’ Project, and Phi Kappa Phi

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • Lots of varied reading materials of all kinds–print and digital–with computer stations, smart board, devices, study stations, individual reading “pockets,” and a welcoming, inviting “come on in” atmosphere.

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

  • What tweaks my interests right now are topics/strategies to bring students and mobile technology together in a project-based learning format. They know how to do games and social stuff, but the deeper reasoning and analytics for elementary level students? I need input.

Do you have a website or blog?

Are you on Twitter?

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.

Meet Dan Krutka, Professor of Education at Texas Woman’s University

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What’s your first and last name?

  • Dan Krutka

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

  • Professor of Education at Texas Woman’s University

How are you involved in education?

  • I am an assistant professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. I was previously the social studies coordinator at Wichita State University and helped to plan the first edcampKS in August of 2013. Prior to working at the university level, I taught a variety of high school social studies classes over 6 years in Oklahoma City at Westmoore High School, including AP U.S. Government & Politics, AP Psychology, AP U.S. History, and Sociology. My research focuses on how participatory media can help cultivate more democratic educational experiences.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • My ideal classroom is one where the focus is on individual and group growth, not external incentives (e.g., grades) or standards. What we often refer to as “learning’ in schools is really just short-term memorization. I would love to develop a class community and curriculum WITH students that explores issues and problems holistically and contextually. This integrated and democratic example best represents how I’d love for my classroom to look: http://www.appstate.edu/~nelsenpj/rcoe/2400Fall11/Welcome_files/Marquette%20Middle.pdf

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

  • I am interested in a participatory session that discusses the different successes and failures teachers have had using social media with students. It seems that many teachers use social media for their own growth, but less so in their classrooms (no doubt because of school policies or culture). I’d like to investigate possibilities with peers.

Do you have a website or blog?

Are you on Twitter?

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.

Meet Bobbi Gore, High School English Teacher

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What’s your first and last name?

  • Bobbi Gore

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

  • High School English Teacher

How are you involved in education?

  • I teach senior English and and one honors freshmen English class at Santa Fe South Charter School in OKC. I’m in my 6th year of teaching, and during that time I have taught all levels of high school English.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • My ideal school would be full of engagement from both students and teachers. Everyone would be striving to learn at all times, and learning, not achieving a grade, would be the goal. The fear of failure would be gone, and no one would ever say “I’m bored”.

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

  • PLCs, Twitter, Standards Based Grading (although I am just now figuring it out, the conversations about it really help)

Do you have a website or blog?

Are you on Twitter?

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.

Meet Carmelita Brazille, Kindergarten/Teacher

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What’s your first and last name?

  • Carmelita Brazille

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

  • Kindergarten/Teacher

How are you involved in education?

  • I am a classroom teacher.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • My ideal school is neat, clean and organized. All children regardless of income receive a free breakfast, lunch and snack. A teacher and a teacher assistant in every classroom. Parent volunteers in the classrooms, hallways, cafeteria and main office. Happy, healthy teachers and happy, healthy students. Teachers are able to teach and students are able to learn with all the resources readily available. Flexible schedules with REAL planning, prep, assessment and grading time built into the daily, weekly, monthly, and annual schedules.

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

  • Classroom Aids. Free materials to help teachers plan, organize and improve the learning environment of their classrooms. Should include posters, forms, websites, equipment, lesson ideas and materials to carry out those lessons.

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.

Meet April Gustafson, 8th Grade Science/LTE/inadequate Management

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What’s your first and last name?

  • April Gustafson

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

  • 8th Grade Science/LTE/inadequate Management

How are you involved in education?

  • I am a day to day educator that shares my love of Science and Technology with my amazing students! I try to incorporate tech as much as possible and share ideas, methods, and tools with students and co-workers. Honestly I’ll talk to anyone who will listen about tech and education and listen just as intently! Looking forward to continued networking and absorbing as much information as I can.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • In a perfect world, I know nothing is perfect but we can try everyday, students would be working in small groups, teaching each other and me at times. Technology devices/tools of some form would be at every students’ fingertips and they would know how to utilize it, minimalizing paper waste. Students would be reading, writing, researching, learning, sharing, drawing, building and always creating and innovating!

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

  • I dabble slightly in everything but I would say sharing my experiences of building relationships with students, parents, and coworkers and how this skill has led to successes inside and outside the classroom. In addition specifically regarding tech, I would love to share an app called Nearpod. I am not fluent in Nearpod but vow to use it more this year and share it’s functionality with other teachers to build and share a lessons library.

Do you have a website or blog?

Are you on Twitter?

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.

Meet Joseph Ciesielski, SPED Science and Social Studies

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What’s your first and last name?

  • Joseph Ciesielski

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

  • SPED Science and Social Studies

How are you involved in education?

  • I am a second year teacher at U.S. Grant High School. I teach Oklahoma History, Geography and Biology. Beyond teaching I am currently working towards my Master’s degree in Educational Administration, Supervision, and Curriculum at The University of Oklahoma.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • An idea classroom to me would be a place where you can see the students discovering their own learning and becoming their own best advocates. A place where students can their the importance of being independent and what it is needed to be a successful in citizen within our society.

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

  • If I was to lead a session it would be best practices when it comes to students with disabilities in the general education setting.

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.