Virginia, AOL honor educators
- By Dibya Sarkar
- May 24, 2001
Eight Virginia public school teachers and librarians were honored recently
by the commonwealth and America Online Inc. for integrating technology into
their school's classroom instruction and curriculum.
In a May 21 ceremony at AOL's Dulles, Va., headquarters, Gov. Jim Gilmore
presented each educator with a Governor's Innovative Technology in Education
Award. The winners, chosen out of 51 entries, received $1,000 each from
AOL.
A governor-appointed panel evaluated entries — which consisted of lesson
plans, Web sites, videos and other electronic presentations — based on their
level of technological skill, curriculum integration, research, communication,
motivation and evaluation.
Some of the winning instructors developed Web sites as resources for
student research or to post homework assignments. Some of the winners taught
skills, such as Web page design or using Microsoft Corp.'s PowerPoint, to
students and faculty. Others incorporated technology into music instruction
or visual arts or helped teachers develop technology lesson plans.
YooRee Oh, a spokeswoman for the governor, said it's the first time
such an award was presented to teachers in the state, but it's the second
time AOL has partnered with Virginia, which became the first state since
September 2000 to incorporate the company's educational software into its
curriculum.
A list of the winners, their accomplishments and Web sites is available
at Gilmore's Web site.