Portfolio
Tammy Austin - Instructional Technology Specialist
Lesson Plan - 6th Grade Science
Philosophy
Blended/Online Instructional Experience
Professional Development/Presentation Experience
Recent Professional Development:
- TCEA Convention Attendee – Texas Computer Educators Association, Austin, TX – February, 2009 – present, Presenter – February 2014 - present
- Technology Integration Academy Attendee and presenter – Denton ISD, Denton, TX – August, 2011 –present
- SXSWedu Conference Attendee – SXSW, LLC, Austin, TX – March, 2012 – present
- Campus Technology Specialist Academy Attendee and Session Facilitator – TCEA – Austin, TX – November, 2015
- Canvas LMS Training – Region XI @ Denton ISD, Denton, TX – August 2015
- Instructional Coaching Training – Denton ISD, Denton, TX – October, 2013 - present
Recent Presentations:
- Paperless Gone Wild. Presentation at Texas Computer Educators Association Conference, Austin, TX. Feb. 2016
- Leveraging Online Resources for Collaboration, Creating, Communication and Critical Thinking. Future of Education Technology Conference, Orlando, FL. Jan. 2016
- Paperless Gone Wild. Presentation at Technology Integration Academy, Denton, TX. July 2015
- Let’s Get It Together. Co-presentation at Technology Integration Academy, Denton, TX. July 2015
- Everyone's Got One ... BYOD!!!. Co-presentation at Texas Computer Educators Association Conference, Austin, TX. Feb. 2015
Curriculum Experience
Secondary Curriculum does not yet have the same units, but I have been working within my school and with the Secondary Coordinators to help include technology the same way as the Elementary Writing team has. I have worked with the ELA group to use Infographics as part of the research process and have helped set up technology trainings during district staff development with our Science and CTE Coordinators by recruiting other trainers as well as developing my own. After trainings with departments, they have created outstanding projects that allow the students voice and choice in their learning.
As part of the curriculum writing process, we always focus on SAMR and are helping teachers do the same. Making sure that technology is engaging in the learning process is a challenge; students are sometimes distracted and teachers are reluctant to give them some of the freedoms they need in a technology rich environment. As part of the Instructional Coaching training I received through the district, I have seen how important it is to model for the teachers as well as help teach lessons when needed. I have also developed on demand, online trainings as a way to better assist them.
Working with the Elementary Curriculum Writing Team, I came to see just how under-served our elementary population had become since the district had removed the Technology Integrator stipend. This led to the brainstorming of our GET-It website which is still under construction. It will be a tool to train teachers not only in the use of technology but to tie it directly to the Units of Study they are teaching.
As our Curriculum Departments put it, I helped them start using Google before Google was cool. We used Google to place their Units of Study for easy collaboration and access. During the past two years, they have created 13 GB of information for their teachers to use. I helped design their website for their units to make it easy for everyone to access as well as maintain for the Directors.
Leadership Experience
I have trained our administrators on tools such as Canvas, Verso, Google, and Screencast-O-Matic so they can not only be more productive but also model the use of technology in their daily lives for our students and teachers. Our staff members consistently use tools like:
- Evernote
- Google Apps for Education
- Office
- Todays Meet
- Screencast-O-Matic
- YouTube
- Formative assessment tools such as Kahoot, Quizalize, Plickers, Quizizz, and others
- youcanbook.me
- and others
as a way to be more productive and to free up some of their time for working with individual students.
I have always considered saving money to be important. In my personal life, raising a family of three on a single income made that a necessity. I have transferred that to my work like in my Paperless Project. Starting last year, I provided an incentive for departments to reduce the cost of their paper use and copy clicks. They responded well by saving our school over $22,000 and reducing their use by 45%. We did this through the use of an LMS and collaborative, online tools. This allowed us to buy more devices. This year the incentive is a trip to TCEA for one person in each department who demonstrates their willingness to use technology daily. We have set for ten faculty member to attend with three of them presenting.
I have maintained the GHS website as a way to disseminate information to not only parents but to students and staff as well. This has allowed for 24/7 access to information they need over the course of their time at Guyer. To model a good website, I have my own created where teachers, students, and administrators can also find the information they need. This resource has allowed me to spend more time in classes working and planning with teachers and students rather than training on the common tools used in education.
References
Superintendent
Stafford Municipal School District
1625 Staffordshire Road
Stafford, TX 77477
281-261-9200
Mary Helen Martin
Director of Elementary Curriculum
Denton ISD
1212 Bolivar St.
Denton, TX 76201
940-369-0662
J. Michael Parker
Assistant Principal
Guyer High School
Denton ISD
7501 Teasley Ln
Denton, TX 76210
940-369-1003
Gene Terronez
Director of Campus Support Services
Denton ISD
230 N. Mayhill Rd.
Denton, TX 76208
940-369-0250
Contact Information
Email: taustin@dentonisd.org
Website: http://www.dentonisd.org/taustin
Location: 1800 Meadow Oak Street, Denton TX 76209
Phone: 817-5057058
Twitter: @taustinITS