Meet Taylor Conner, Student Teacher/PIP Student (OU Undergrad)

What’s your first and last name?

  • Taylor Conner

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

  • Student Teacher/PIP Student (OU Undergrad)

How are you involved in education?

  • An elementary education major at the University of Oklahoma, I am currently in my PIP (pre-internship practicum) term and looking to expand my learning network with opportunities like EdCamp OKC!

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • My ideal classroom is a positive and engaging environment where my students’ learning is recognized and supported as an active process. My ideal school is one structured around community, cooperation, and encouragement, with initiatives like a mentorship program for newer teachers, well-structured cross-grade teamwork, and a positive relationship with students, families, and community partners.

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

  • As a student, I know I would benefit from hearing first- and second-year teachers about the reality of starting work in the classrooms and learning about how applicable the information from current university-level courses will be in the “real world.” As an individual, I would love to learn about community-building actions/procedures/activities teachers use to build safe and supportive learning environments for their students. However, I am still a student and do not feel comfortable in facilitating a session at the EdCamp but would love to participate in ones similar to those that I mentioned!

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 Jonathan Poahway – Comanche Language and Native Art Culture Teacher

What’s your first and last name?

  • Jonathan Poahway

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

  • Comanche Language and Native Art & Culture Teacher

How are you involved in education?

  • Teacher

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • Open floor with language nest in several areas.

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

  • Native American History

Website

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 Josh DeLozier @joshdelozier & @OkieTeacher_ : Teacher & Department Chair

What’s your first and last name?

  • Josh DeLozier

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

  • Teacher | Department Chair – Bethany High School

How are you involved in education?

  • High school social studies department chair, teacher, yearbook adviser, leadership instructor, #edtech enthusiast, Google Certified Level 2 Educator

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • Collaborative. Lots of tech. Student-centered. Student-guided lessons.

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

  • #edtech, podcasting, Screencastify, Getting Google Certified

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 Jo Lein, Executive Director

What’s your first and last name?

  • Jo Lein

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

  • Executive Director, TLI Oklahoma

How are you involved in education?

  • I lead a nonprofit organization focused on building the instructional capacity of adults – teachers and leaders. I started as a classroom teacher and moved into an instructional coaching role. It was in that role that I became obsessed with the power of instructional coaching. After a stint as Assistant Superintendent, I launched TLI in 2018 in response to the human capital crisis in Oklahoma.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • The classroom is safe, predictable, and caring. Kids know what to expect from their teacher (as far as emotional constancy and consistency), yet learning can be unpredictable. Kids demonstrate mastery and build confidence each day towards a larger goal.

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

  • Instructional coaching

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 Chase Alexander @chaseEdu – Dean of Instructional Technology

What’s your first and last name?

  • Chase Alexander

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

  • Dean of Instructional Technology, ASTEC Charter Schools

How are you involved in education?

  • I help teachers authentically incorporate technology into their classroom lessons. I also maintain our student information system and student Google accounts.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • My ideal classroom would include iMacs, video editing equipment, cameras, and other sorts of fun tech to help the students be creative.

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

  • I really enjoy app roundtables and speaking to future teacher sessions.

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 Thuy Pham, French / Substitute Teacher

What’s your first and last name?

  • Thuy Pham

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

  • French/ Substitute Teacher

How are you involved in education?

  • I am a Substitute Teacher. I have a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Sciences in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Tulane Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana. I like to teach elementary school in the areas of French, Biology, English, Music, and Mathematics which is based on linear expression principles. Education is an important aspect of my life because I believe that teaching individuals what I have learned and know is important in making a contribution to society.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • My ideal school and classroom is probably Southeast High School because the architecture is beautiful, the classrooms are functional, and the layout and ambiance is just great for me. I think a good school environment should emphasize minimalism, and be functional in an organized and technologically savvy way. A classroom should be colorful for elementary school students, should have appropriate equipment and tools for learning that is sufficient for students, there should be no clutter of materials in a place, so that students can move around, and function.

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

  • I would lead a session on Mathematics Principles of Expression Diversity. After my Ph.D. training, I had to go through a rigorous training on observation, which encompassed over 7 years of driving across the United States, living out in my car, making observations of the environment, climate, and my surroundings, and traveling to Africa, Brazil, Europe, and Russia. During these times, I developed Mathematical equations to the different observation that I have made. It would be interesting to lead a discussion on these findings.

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 Wesley Fryer, Instructional Coach / Middle School Teacher

Wesley Fryer
Wesley Fryer

What’s your first and last name?

  • Wesley Fryer

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

  • Instructional Coach / Middle School Teacher

How are you involved in education?

  • I’m serving as our school’s first “Technology Integration and Innovation Specialist.” In that capacity, I work as an instructional coach with our PK-12 teachers, focusing on engaging learning projects with students. We’re avid users of the Seesaw Learning Journal platform, and I’m continuing to work with a special “pilot group” of our elementary teachers focusing on using Seesaw for student portfolios and to document student skills. I also teach our 5th and 6th grade Computer classes, which focus on Media Literacy, Digital Literacy, Digital Citizenship, and keyboarding.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • Flexible seating, student access to both laptops and iPads, big carpet area for class meetings at the start of class, multiple projection options for teacher and student use. (I actually am pretty close to having this setup at school this year!)

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

  • Media Literacy

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 Twylla Hester @twyllahester – Tuttle HS Principal

What’s your first and last name?

  • Twylla Hester

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

  • Tuttle HS Principal

How are you involved in education?

  • Lead learner and facilitator of ideas. As the principal at the high school, I am tasked with guiding the vision of our school in excellence and character. Oh, and I do the discipline, reports, evals, and all the other “principal” things.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • My ideal school would encourage individual student paths toward success so they are prepared to lead happy, productive, community minded lives beyond high school. This means our teachers would be setting the example in civil discussions, SEL opportunities, and real world applications in all classes. Our students would be encouraged to explore career paths to find their fit and would be encouraging to those on different paths.

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

  • PBIS in middle/high school
    Community/business involvement

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 Tiffany Peltier @Tiffany_Peltier – Doctoral Student/Undergrad Instructor

What’s your first and last name?

  • Tiffany Peltier

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

  • Doctoral Student/Undergrad Instructor

How are you involved in education?

  • I’m currently pursuing my doctorate after teaching pre-K through first grade for six years. I’m also teaching undergraduate courses in reading in special education and elementary education at the University of Oklahoma. Previously, I’ve taught undergraduate coursework in reading at Texas A& M university. I study teacher training and preparation in reading, effective instruction, and dyslexia.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • Knowledgeable, curious, and diagnostic teaching, and students succeeding!

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

  • Dyslexia, effective beginning reading instruction, or reading and the brain!

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 Cathleen Skinner, Director of World Languages Other Than English at the Oklahoma State Department of Education

What’s your first and last name?

  • Cathleen Skinner

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

  • Director of World Languages Other Than English at the Oklahoma State Department of Education

How are you involved in education?

  • A former classroom K-12 world language teacher in urban, rural and suburban districts in Oklahoma.
  • Former Foreign Language Education Director for the College of Education at Oklahoma State University.
  • Currently Director of World Languages Other Then English for the State.

What does your ideal school or classroom look like?

  • Lots of communication in the target language by students guided by their teacher to collaborate on projects and tasks using real target language to accomplish a goal. These collaborations may include virtual exchanges with classes outside the U.S. focusing on cross-curricular projects.

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

  • Why every child should be learning a world language, and why we should be supporting world language instruction for our students.
  • The Goal Is Proficiency: Using comprehensible input instructional methods
  • Bringing an Effective World Language Program to Your School
  • How to Assess Language Proficiency
  • The Seal of Biliteracy

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.