Meet Our Featured Teacher: Michael Keenan

Michael Keenan
Regents Biology Teacher
Jamesville-Dewitt High School
J-D Central School District

Michael Keenan has been an educator for over three decades, almost all of which have been spent in the Jamesville-Dewitt Central School District. As Regents Biology teacher, Michael is the architect of a variety of different biology courses, and also serves as the science department chair, science olympiad coach, and senior class advisor at Jamesville-Dewitt.

How has Michael brought innovation into his classroom? 

“In my 33 years in education, I have seen a great deal of change with technology,” says Michael, who began his career working with “overhead projectors and ditto machines.” Back in that time, computers were only just beginning to be seen inside of schools. 

Obviously, integrated technology has grabbed a much more notable foothold in schools since that time, and Michael has been passionate about getting on board. He’s worked with Macs and personal computers, both desktops and laptops, smartboards, and, now, Promethean Boards. Even his reporting systems have gone electronic, as Michael utilizes mygradebook.com to securely grade assignments, contact parents, and more.  

In the classroom, Michael’s students are working with Chromebooks and iPads, which they use to access a variety of interactive websites that can provide them with a better understanding of topics like cell division, the path of the sun, and evolution. His students also visit castlelearning.com to review for their exams. Not content to run with only what he knows, Michael is diligently working to become even more well-versed in all aspects of Google Classroom.

How have students benefited from Michael’s technology integration initiatives?

As a result of his efforts, Michael’s students are becoming comfortable with technology at a rapid rate. It allows them to access information quickly, and affords them the ability to manipulate data like never before. That they are able to access online review materials at any time/place (with an internet connection), in addition to classroom materials, helps Michael cultivate an environment where learning is never more than a fingertip away. 

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!