PROGRAMS
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EdTech Leadership Club: 2019-2021
Students become leaders in whatever area in EdTech they are interested: AR/VR, design, programming, etc.
Annual CAD Training for 6th Grade: 2016-2020
All 6th-grade students learn basic Tinkercad skills.
Annual CAD Training for 7th Grade:
Started in math class in 2005 using Google Sketchup and evolved into using CAD for engineering design thinking project
Change the World Project: 2013-2019
Students create a persuasive paper using and interpreting graphs to support their thesis on a topic of interest. This project morphed into today's integrated unit with LA, History and Math called "Migration Collaboration".
Migration Collaboration - started in 2019-2021
Students create a research paper about the topic of migration in History and LA. In math, students practice interpreting graphs to support both the problem and the solution they derive. Students also integrate Tinkercad and create an engineering solution with design thinking during math.
Financial Literacy: started 2004-2021
Students learn how compound interest affects both savings and debt and the basics of how banks work. They research a career using bls.gov and create a budget based on the research. Students then create a retirement spreadsheet while comparing the increase in pay vs. savings over time, comparing pay to linear growth and savings to exponential growth. Supplemental materials from "Rich Kid Smart Kid" by Robert Kiyosaki keep the topics fun and introduce profit, assets, passive and active income, and expenses.
Flatland Project: 2005 - 2019
Students start this project by watching "Flatland", an animated movie for middle school students based on the novel by Edwin A. Abbott. They learn about dimensions and then create a three-dimensional homemade representation of a famous historical site after researching and blogging about the site's significance to the culture where it belongs. Students then draw their project without the dimension of depth, beginning to build graphic design and spatial skills. Lastly, students use their computers to design an advertisement for their project to practice electronic design skills. Lastly, we have a fair and the students vote on their favorite designs from other classes.
Dream Big: 2017-2020
For the first two years of this project, we took students to IMAX to watch Dream Big, a movie that teaches students what engineering is and how it can be used to make the world a better place. Marbles then hosted a hands-on follow-up so students could explore engineering and science concepts on site. We ended up getting a copy of the film to show at school during math classes.
Applying Math to a Horse Farm: 2006-2019
Created an annual hands-on math experience for Math 7 in conjunction with Full Circle Resources, an equine-assisted learning facility. Together, the owner and I created a curriculum so students could explore fractions, ratios, proportions, and percents while working with horses.
Kite Construction: 2004-2019
An old project was revamped so that students build kites integrating proportions. For advanced students (Pre-Algebra and Algebra), trigonometry and the Pythagorean Theorem are also integrated into the design.
CAD and Coding Club: 2016-2020
Students practiced using Tinkercad and 3D printers and/or practiced coding.
UNiQUE: 2015-2016
In conjunction with a colleague, we started an Affinity Group to cover the standard identifiers and create a safe place for students to talk about how these identifiers affect them.
OTHER PROGRAMS
Diversity and Inclusion
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Co-created the UnIQUE affinity group where students could talk about whichever identifier they preferred
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Co-sponsored the African American affinity group as an ally
Educational Technology
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Encouraged and was successful at getting all of the teachers I supported to become MIE certified (Microsoft Innovative Educator)
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Started 3D printing in the middle school
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Started a coding club
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Started a 3D printing club
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Started a “Design Challenge”, encouraging students to compete with their Tinkercad designs
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Ran and fixed the 3D printers - created a form for students to request their designs to be printed
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Introduced AR/VR/MR and helped teachers integrate
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Co-sponsored a web creation club
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Created a Coding and 3D Printing website for students
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Published an article and presented it at Microsoft during the WCPTT conference in London in 2017. Williams, L. (2016). The Integration of Inking, Touch and Flipping Within the Mathematics Middle School Classroom. Revolutionizing Education with Digital Ink: The Impact of Pen and Touch Technology on Education, 329-334.
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Was in a Microsoft commercial with other colleagues about the integration of OneNote
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Worked a Microsoft booth at the BETT conference in January, 2017
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Helped start an entrepreneur program with a student creating and selling her 3D printed design
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3D printed and assembled face guards during COVID and donated to the engineering school at NCSU
Other clubs
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Arts Alive - general art club
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Recycled Art Club - made art out of recycled materials
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Jewelry Making Club - taught students how to make jewelry
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All About Animals club - after school club in which I take students on local field trips to visit with animals, from the Duke Lemur Center, to the NC State Zoo, to animal rescues.