Milton educator receives international technology award | Education


Milton educator receives international technology award | Education

As a college student in the late 1990s at UW-Whitewater, Christina Nording never forgot the prediction of one of her mentors.

He said education would be delivered online and virtually in the future.

The words of Jeffrey Barnett, former dean of the university’s College of Education, inspired Nording after she became a teacher at Milton’s Northside Elementary School.

When the school district chose to put a computer into the hands of each of its students several years ago, Nording embraced the possibilities.

“She saw how it could transform education,” said Ryan Ruggles, the district’s director of curriculum and instruction. “We didn’t want it to replace pen and paper but rather to change and strengthen the educational experience.”

Nording became one of the teachers leading the way in technology use. She enrolled in a program on iPads and literacy and brought it to her fifth-grade class.

Today, she is Milton West Elementary’s library media specialist and helps teachers with technology. She also is a virtual teacher.

“It’s almost like she can’t learn new skills and new programs fast enough,” Ruggles said. “She is always thinking about how to engage kids around technology and how to support our teachers.”

Recently, Nording’s innovative thinking earned her an award from the International Society for Technology in Education or ISTE.

“I wasn’t sure at first it was real,” Nording said, referring to the email telling her of the recognition.

The educator got the award for her work creating a number of digital resources for read-aloud stories and other online educational materials in one location.

Topics include science, drawing, writing, poetry, friendship and making a better world.

Her collection is available to educators free through Flipgrid, a widely-used educational website that allows teachers to do video discussions with students, and Padlet, a wall or webpage of digital sticky notes that have interactive features such as links, files, YouTube videos and images.

Educators have shared her work hundreds of times, especially now during the pandemic, as they look for creative ways to enhance virtual learning.

Every day, Nording sees how technology helps young people learn.

For example, a reading app makes it easier for struggling readers by highlighting words children do not know and giving them pronunciations.

Used in the right way, technology not only boosts learning but also self-esteem and confidence, Nording explained.

“I hope it transfers to their adult lives,” she said.

Nording calls herself a lifelong learner who wants to be the best teacher for her students.

“I listen to my students,” she said, to find out what works and what doesn’t.

Because she is connected to several professional learning networks on social media, she was able to watch COVID-19 spread across the country earlier this year.

“Educators were reaching out for resources,” Nording said. “I found joy in giving my resources to them. Teachers are sharing their energy and creating these amazing things to help each other at this time.”

She still thinks of Dean Barnett’s forecast more than two decades ago.

“It brings a smile to my face every time.”

Anna Marie Lux is a human interest columnist for The Gazette. Call her with ideas or comments at 608-755-8264 or email [email protected].


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