“It was pretty amazing,” said Beavers, a Fairfield resident who has worked at the Southwestern Ohio Instructional Technology Association for six years.
The Southwestern Ohio Instructional Technology Association services a 23-county area reaching from Shelby County in the north to Cincinnati in the south. Beavers provides K-12 educators guidance and expertise on how to maximize and improve the use of existing technology and develop a course of action to explore and adopt new technologies and technology delivered resources to staff and students. In addition, Beavers maintains computers and the wireless infrastructure for the association.
A few years ago, Beavers began the process to become a Google certified trainer. That involved taking exams and submitting an application.
Selection for the Google Teacher Academy was more competitive. Only 10 percent of applicants were accepted. Beavers submitted an original, one minute Youtube video on “Classroom Innovation.”
For his spy-themed video, he recruited a friend to play the part of an educator whose fellow teachers aren’t using technology in the classroom. In the video, Beavers shows him how to use technology in the classroom. Beavers said the video was a challenge to produce because it could only be one-minute long.
Beavers said he enjoyed the opportunity to meet educators from throughout the country. He also said one of the areas that most interested him about the conference was creating playlists of Youtube videos that teachers could make available to students.
About the Author