Staff Celebrations
Rainier Beach High School teacher selected to participate in Microsoft learning forum, chosen on use of technology in the classroom to enhance student learning
Rainier Beach High School teacher Michael Braun has been selected to attend the 8th annual Microsoft Partners in Learning 2012 U.S. Forum. He was chosen for his use of technology in the classroom to enhance student learning.
The professional learning forum will be held on the Redmond Microsoft campus from July 31 to August 1.
For the eighth year running, Microsoft has been holding these forums. They are “a series of regional events held globally celebrating the achievements of innovative K-12 teachers and school leaders improving education by creatively implementing technology in the curriculum.”
Braun’s project, titled “Exploration of Computer Science on Smartphones,” essentially teaches students how to create applications for cell phones. In a collaboration with Rainier Beach High School, Southshore Middle School, Seattle Public Schools, and Microsoft TEALS (Technology, Education And Literacy in Schools), Braun taught students to use TouchDevelop to create scripts.
Students were able to install, run, edit, and publish scripts using Windows phones and Windows Phone SDK.
He and the other 43 finalists were selected by a panel made up of Microsoft Partners in Learning staff and external education leaders. Educator projects were evaluated in their respective categories based on project collaboration, knowledge building, extended learning beyond the classroom, and the use of Microsoft technology or technologies that support the project.
The group of educators who made it to the first round of applications “rose above their peers with a combination of thoughtful pedagogy coupled with an effective use of technology to advance student learning.” This year the initial group includes 32 projects across the K-12 spectrum from 15 states.
The forum has been so successful that four times more teachers applied for the global program this year. Last year it attracted over 250,000 educators from 75 countries. Finalists will advance to the Partners in Learning Global Forum in Athens, Greece on November 2012.
The final 2012 Forum cohort will be announced on June 1.