DMPS Tech Team Earns Innovation Award

The DMPS Instructional Technology team: Michael Sherman, J Starr, Jenny Inman, Scot Surprenant, Melanie Gildharry, Collin Lane, Jacob Welchans

Congratulations to the district’s coaching staff of Instructional Technology Coordinators! They were recently named the 2016 Innovator Award winners by the Iowa Distance Learning Association. The crew responsible for the district’s annual summer TechCon presented at last year’s IDLA symposium and now they’ve earned an invitation to return to this spring’s event on April 17 at the Simpson College Campus in West Des Moines.

“We presented on KITE (a district repository of online training tools) and how we continually work to change the way professional development is delivered to our staff,” said Jeremiah Starr, one of the presenters along with Collin Lane. “In this situation, ‘distance learning’ pertains more to delivering professional development…to our staff…whether they are at school and having issues with software or equipment, or at home brushing up on how to facilitate learning in their classroom. We see the value in making opportunities available to our staff members…on demand.”

The IDLA bestows Innovator Awards to individuals or organizations for contributions through outstanding teaching, program design/development, innovations in methods, technique, technology and advocacy.

Besides presenting at IT conferences, accepting awards and staging an annual districtwide tech event the Instructional Technology team of Starr and Lane with colleagues Melanie Gildharry, Jenny Inman, Michael Sherman, Scot Surprenant and Jacob Welchans find time to collaborate with district teachers throughout the year on streamlining curricula and increasing capacity.

Like notes passing around a classroom, they are letting teachers in on all of their tech secrets and leaving their mark: #innov8dmps