CFF Communities

Before we get too far, it would be helpful for each of us to post a bit of an introduction to youself and you connection with this collaborative effort.  To do so, click on the Reply button, change the subject from "Re: Introducing the collaborators" to "Introducing xxx"

Here is a list of the people collaborating in this effort:

Midway Education Program 

• Sara Hanscom, Education Program Director, USS Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum
• Wayne Nuzzio, Midway Educator, USS Midway
• John Rosas, Midway Educator, USS Midway
• Jesus Gastelum, IT coordinator, USS Midway

CFF Teacher Innovators

• Laura Spencer, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Santee School District
• Mary Kraus, Grade 8 History Teacher, Emerald Middle School, Cajon Valley School District
• Angela Gigliotti, Resource Teacher, Juvenile Court and Community Schools, San Diego County Office of Education
• Dave Massey, Education Director, San Diego Natural History Museum
• Nancy Taylor, Science Coordinator, San Diego County Office of Education
• Greg Ottinger, Technology Learning Coach, Cajon Valley School District

Classroom of the Future Foundation

• Bruce Braciszewski, Executive Director, Classroom of the Future Foundation
• Steve Clemons, Board member, Classroom of the Future Foundation and Chief Technology Office, San Diego County Office of Education
• Rick Beach, Innovation Wizard, Classroom of the Future Foundation

And if I missed anyone, let me know and I'll update this list.

Cheers
Rick

Hi all,

My name is Laura, and I am the Coordinator of Instructional Technology with the Santee School District. I have a few different hats I wear fo the district. My primary focus is on creating, promoting, and sustaining a technology initiative that models 21st Century skills and ISTE's tech standards. I do this through a lot of teacher professional development, both at the distict and school level. I also serve as a classroom coach, teaching students and modeling for teachers how technology can support standards-based lessons. And when not working directly with teachers, I work with vendors to find solutions that work for us. Recently, I was lucky enough to help develop Pixie 2 software with Tech4Learning. What an amazing experience that was to see my input come to life.

How I ended up in Santee, and affiliated with CFF, was through my 7 years working as a 7th/8th grade teacher in Lemon Grove. I was part of the initial pilot program of the 1:1 program, and before that, worked in Project LemonLink. I learned a lot about technology integration through both the "ah ha" and the "uh oh" moments. I also learned a lot about how to engage student learning, because it's not just about the tool. It's the delivery, or the presentation, that seals the deal. We know students are digital natives, but that doesn't make them digital experts. I am a native of California, but I certainly don't know all the ins and outs of the state. Likewise, kids know how to surf the Internet, play on software, and change preferences (ugh!) but they don't know always know how to be ethical and critical. This is what I learned from Lemon Grove.

And before that, I spent 5 years in the Army. Whew! On a more personal note, I have two daughters, ages 10 and 6. I'm also getting ready to start the dissertation stage of my doctorate. Because life is only fun when every waking moment is stress time... haha!

I am extremely excited to be part of this collaboration. I think I offer a variety of perspectives to consider, and look at this as a long term partnership, and not just a summer project.

Laura