Meet our Featured Teacher - Martha Nye

Martha Nye      
Social Studies    
Homer Junior High School
Homer Central School District

Congratulations to Martha Nye, the Featured Teacher for March 2018. Martha teaches sixth grade social studies at Homer Junior High School, where she has spent the past four years.     

How has this teacher brought innovation to his or her classroom? 

Students in the Homer Central School District (HCSD) currently have a 1:1 device assigned to them, and Martha ensures that these devices are frequently used in her classroom.
 
From the start of the new school year, Martha integrates Google Classroom into daily activities, helping her students get comfortable with using the software. She also uses Nearpod during her social studies classes, enabling students to access the material being covered in real time, or from home in the event of an absence. Martha is able to assess the students through the "draw it" function of the program, and can use the quiz feature to gather data on whether students are understanding the concepts being taught. She is able to monitor each student’s growth throughout an individual lesson, as well as throughout the school year.

This past fall, Martha was awarded an Innovative Classroom Grant from the HCSD, and has leveraged this award to assemble a contemporary learning environment for her students. She has incorporated student-centered learning spaces, small-group collaborative spaces, and has created two media centers where students can gather and investigate ancient civilization, history, and artifacts. Martha has also integrated ClassVR headsets in her classroom, sending students on virtual field trips around the world and letting them experience life in ancient civilizations such as Egypt and Greece.

Martha is continually looking for new ways to incorporate technology in her lessons for social studies, and is always willing to try out new prospects as they emerge. She is devoted to creating an exciting and engaging classroom experience for her students.

How have students and staff benefitted from Martha's technology integration initiatives?

Last year, Martha organized a long-distance learning opportunity for one of her students who was confined at the Boston Children's Hospital. The student was able to video conference in to the classroom, and contribute to classroom discussion and peer collaboration from afar. Martha understands that technology is becoming a crucial component to the daily life of her students, and she utilizes these resources to provide them with different skills and opportunities that they can take with them as they move through high school and beyond. Her students are also becoming more knowledgeable about which of the diverse range of applications, resources and tools to use in a given scenario, whether it’s for problem-solving in the classroom or "real-world" situations that may arise. They’ve also been taught to consider how they might responsibly - and safely - navigate the web.
 
Martha’s students look forward to the varied learning opportunities and engaging lessons that have been integrated into their daily curriculum. Her students are capable of maneuvering through the sites they use on a daily basis, and might even assist their peers or teacher when necessary. Each student has the opportunity to explore ancient civilizations through educational videos, presentations, and virtual reality experiences. The social studies curriculum is brought to life through investigation, collaboration and innovation in the classroom, within which Martha provides her students with a comfortable, engaging environment that caters to all different learning styles.

Is This You?

Are you the type of teacher who thinks about technology integration and new ways to enhance instruction, engage students, and make learning fun?  Know someone who fits the profile?  Recommend a "Featured Teacher" so we can recognize and celebrate great work in the area of instructional technology!