It’s a new year, but we’re continuing with our monthly “Eduporium Featured Educator” interview. Each month, we’re highlighting the work of an educator who is using EdTech to empower his or her students. We are so excited to share their stories and their work with you! We hope it will give more and more educators the inspiration and encouragement to try something new. This month’s featured educator is Jen Leban, a middle school technology teacher from Illinois who has made use of a number of various technologies to help give her students a meaningful and long-lasting education!
Jen Leban
6-8th Grade Creative Technology Teacher, Department Chair, Sandburg Middle School, Elmhurst, IL
Q&A:
What are 2-3 of your favorite EdTech tools and why?
I am really into video production, so WeVideo is one of my all-time favorite tech tools. I love that it’s cloud-based, cross-platform, and super easy to use! For physical tech tools, I really like Makey Makey’s because they are relatively inexpensive in the world of EdTech “toys” and you can easily integrate them with other existing tools, like Scratch, to boost their versatility. In my personal life though, my Apple pencil is my new most favorite tool. I love how it operates and feels just like a regular writing instrument, with precise marking and palm rejection. It’s a beautiful thing!
What advice would you give to people just starting out with implementing EdTech?
The most important advice that I would give to other educators looking to get started with EdTech is to trust that your students will probably know more than you do about the technology, and that that’s okay! Being comfortable teaching in the zone of “discomfort” is really key to being a successful educator. Try to have fun—seriously!
If you approach the activity with the mindset and belief that you’re all learning together in the classroom, students will be more engaged, and they’ll retain more because they did it themselves! As the teacher, you’ll want to set the desired curricular outcomes and core concepts for the assignment, but the journey to get there should be very flexible. Not only will the students enjoy the activity, you will too!
What skills have you seen your students gain through regular EdTech use?
Above all else, I feel like I have seen students gain greater critical thinking skills and self-confidence when using EdTech. They figure out “how to figure things out.” My first-grade son has been using an iPad since he was two! If students don’t know how to do something, they know how to find out how. I love how EdTech has empowered students to take control over their own curiosity and learning.
What interests you most about Eduporium?
I plan on digging deeper into the monthly $500 grant that Eduporium awards to schools! I think that this is a great way to support schools and EdTech programs! I know a lot of teachers and schools that can benefit from this. Also, the idea of renting tech tools before you buy is a really good idea—I’m looking forward to seeing more of this possibility in the future
Do you know of an educator who is doing exciting things with EdTech? Recommend them (or yourself!) as an Eduporium Featured Educator by applying to be featured anytime. Find out more about how Eduporium can revamp your classroom, library, or makerspace by exploring our site. Sign up as an educator and start saving with your discount!