Ditch Summit: Skype Master Teachers

SKYPE MASTER TEACHERS (DEC 22)

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Reaching the world from your classroom with Skype Master Teachers

Jed Dearybury’s Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrdearybury1Jed’s website: http://mrdearybury.comDyane Smokorowski’s Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrs_smoke
A Facebook group with ideas for K-12 teachers: https://www.facebook.com/edtechk12/Gina Ruffcorn’s Twitter: http://twitter.com/gruffcorn13Gina’s class Twitter account: http://twitter.com/MsRsfunkyfivesSkype Education website: http://education.skype.com

About these Skype Master Teachers

Jed Dearybury (Spartanburg, South Carolina), Gina Ruffcorn (Mondamin, Iowa) and Dyane Smokorowski (Andover, Kansas)

Jed’s Twitter: @mrdearybury1
Gina’s Twitter: @gruffcorn13
Dyane’s Twitter:@mrs_smoke

Jed Dearybury taught first, second and third grades for 13 years in South Carolina. Mr. D, as the students called him, brought his love of music and the arts into every lesson he taught. He’s been named Spartanburg District 6 Teacher of the Year and one of the Top 5 Teachers in South Carolina. That same year, he was received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, which earned him a trip to The White House to meet President Obama and was named a GQ Magazine Male Leader of the Year. He is now the Director of Professional Development and Communications for the Palmetto State Teachers Association, taking arts-infused, technology-filled, inquiry-based lessons to schools across his state.

Gina Ruffcorn teaches fifth grade at West Harrison Elementary School in Mondamin, Iowa. As a Skype Master Teacher, she is proud to bring the world to her students in a small, rural town where the nearest city is one hour away. Gina is a technology integrationist in her district, a Skype in the Classroom Guide and a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert. Her students have conducted hundreds of Skype calls in the classroom, from virtual field trips to Mystery Skype games to hosting virtual guest speakers. Gina was named a GoNoodle Ambassador and a PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator.

Dyane Smokorowski has taught middle school language arts in Kansas for 16 years. Her project-based classroom focuses on critical thinking, communication, global collaboration and creativity while encompassing digital citizenship components. Mrs. Smoke, as her students know her, believes in a true 21st century classroom that fosters skills in communication, planning, research and service learning. She was named 2013 Kansas Teacher of the Year and a Top 20 to Watch Educational Technology Leader from the National School Boards Association.

DitchSummit Speaker Mike Soskil

Changing lives worldwide in the classroom with Mike Soskil

Twitter: @msoskil http://twitter.com/msoskil
Mike’s website: http://michaelsoskil.com
Five Clue Challenge: http://5cluechallenge.weebly.com/
Mike’s blog: http://teacherslifeforme.blogspot.com/
Skype in the Classroom: http://skypeintheclassroom.com
Mystery Skype: https://education.microsoft.com/skype-in-the-classroom/mystery-skype
Mike’s Mystery Skype resource page: http://mysteryskypeonenote.com/

About Mike Soskil

Head teacher, Wallenpaupack South Elementary School (Newfoundland, Pennsylvania)

Mike Soskil was a top 10 finalist for the Global Teacher Prize in 2016. He received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching in 2012. He’s a Skype Master Teacher and a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert

His mission is to empower students to change the world and to assist teachers in helping them do that. That mission has brought him to the White House, the US Department of Education, the United Nations, and around the globe to speak to educators, students, policy makers, social innovators, and philanthropists about teaching and learning. At every opportunity, he delivers the message that students who learn by solving problems with others around the world create a better tomorrow for all of us.

TLC Cohort 8

I love this quote from George Couros and it's many connections to leadership.  It resonates with me as an eLearning Specialist because while we are supporting teachers, teaching, and learning through the use of technology, there is no one size fits all program, app or tool.  Some things will work for most, but not all and others will be tried in earnest without the desired results.

The vision of the power of blended learning, in its many forms, sustains us as we work to improve the learning and lives of our students.  The road of change will not be without bumps and that is what led me to this course.  Progress is not usually found within our comfort zones - mine included, so I must lead by example in a patient, yet persistent manner.

I am seeking advice and counsel from those that have gone before to assist me on this journey- a journey with no real end. I hope to gain knowledge and wisdom from those in the cohort to better lead those in my corporation in the changes that THEY seek, for the benefit of our students, within our common vision.  I will share all that I learn in person, online, and video, through small groups, large groups and one on one to make this change a reality.