DURHAM — The National Science Teachers Association announced the recipients of its 2011 Teacher Awards Program, and Celeste Best, a teacher at Oyster River High School, was awarded the Vernier Software & Technology Award.
The award recognizes and rewards the innovative use of data collection technology using a computer, graphing calculator, or other handheld device in the science classroom. A total of seven awards are presented: one award at the elementary level (grades K¿ 5); two awards at the middle level (grades 6¿ 8); three awards at the high school level (grades 9¿ 12); and one award at the college level.
Best received her award at a special banquet and ceremony at NSTA's 59th National Conference on Science Education in San Francisco.
Data-collection technology is a mainstay of Best's classroom, her curriculum, and her philosophy of how best to teach science, and she has received several awards for integrating it in her classes. "I do not want my students learning about science; I want them doing science, and the way we 'do' science is through the use of technology," she explained.
To bring this technology to her students, she spent five years writing grants, and she was very successful in gaining the funding. Now she serves as the "in-house" district trainer for the technology, and her colleagues seek her out to share ideas and develop curriculum, as well as to enlist her help in using the equipment.
NSTA encourages science educators to apply for its 2012 Teacher Awards. Applications and information can be found online at http://www.nsta.org/about/awards.aspx.
Awesome! Thanks for communicating this information to the community!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful to hear good news :)