SCHS teachers, Drey Keairnes, 9th grade English teacher, and Clarissa Dunn, ESL teacher, were sent to Wilmington, North Carolina this summer for Discovery Education training. This training lasted 1 week and it was held on July 14th through July 20th. In order to go to this training they had to apply with Discovery Education. Judy Martin from Discovery Ed. helped push the process through and they were selected as a small group in the Coaching Cohort to participate in a new one day training Discovery. Discovery had this training before the actual DENSI began.They were sent by the district administrators and as school representatives for Discovery Education. In this training, they both learned many new things. Mr. Keairnes learned some strategies for engaging students and integrating technology in his classroom. “Personally, I took away a ton of information on using virtual reality and augmented in the classroom”  stated Mr. Keairnes. Mrs. Dunn learned different techniques using technology in the classroom and she also learned how to use different apps that could be helpful in school and daily life. They met with teachers from all over the country and discussed strategies and techniques that work in their classrooms. “It was great to meet a small group of people before actually joining our huge 150 person group” stated Mrs. Dunn.

Mr. Keairnes and Mrs. Dunn were sent to this training to gain valuable information and networking opportunities. “It also allowed me to bring back knowledge and strategies related to education that I can share with staff” stated Mr. Keairnes. They are working in collaboration with Discovery Education and they offer the training yearly in the summer for educators using DE. Both Mrs. Dunn and Mr. Keairnes have numerous roles in the their partnership with Discovery Education and they are trying to find different ways to incorporate technology in the classroom.

They have both incorporated what they learned in their classroom and have shared the new information with their colleagues. “I have definitely used some of these strategies already in my classroom and plan to use many more throughout the year” stated Mrs. Dunn. Mrs. Dunn also shared some tools and apps she learned at this training with other teachers in the building. The training had a very positive impact on both of their teaching practices. “It gave me confidence to try new things in my classroom and provided numerous resources to help me connect with and educate my students” according to Mr. Keairnes. The training helped to further grow the teachers they are becoming. “I enjoyed being around a bunch of other teachers who shared many of my same beliefs and ideas about teaching”, stated Mrs. Dunn. Mr. Kearines and Mrs. Dunn learned many new techniques and strategies this summer. They are very excited to share the new information with the other teachers.