Goose Creek CISD

May 2017 - Kristen Davenport

Name
Kristen Davenport
What Do You Teach?
8th grade ELA
Where Do you Teach?
Cedar Bayou Junior School
How Long Have You Been Teaching?
7 years

How Does Educational Technology Play a Role in Your Classroom?
In my classroom, technology is the vehicle in which knowledge is presented and assessed. Whether it be a new concept or reteaching, technology is the preferred channel of disseminating and assessing information.

How Do You Find Technology in the Classroom Helpful?
It allows our students to learn in a way that they are most comfortable with. It also provides for greater differentiation between students and encourages creativity within the classroom. For me, gone are the days of lugging home piles and piles of papers. I can access student work from anywhere, even my mobile device. My classroom management has also improved because the students are so focused on what they are doing.
What Is Your Favorite Piece of Classroom Technology? Why?
I absolutely adore our iPads. The things that these students are able to do with them is astounding. To them, it makes learning fun. To me, it makes teaching more manageable. I wouldn’t want to go back to teaching without the Google Suite. It allows for collaboration while still having boundaries.
What Is On Your Technology Wish List For Your Classroom? Why?
I want a subscription to NewsELA PRO. They currently offer a trial that I signed up for, and it is simply fantastic! It allows my students to annotate online, take quizzes (graded automatically) and complete short answer questions (graded by me). It also tracks their Lexile levels. All of this feedback is also available to the student, so they are able to track their own learning.
What Do You Love Most About Teaching?

I worked in the corporate world for six years prior to receiving my alternative certification to teach in Texas. I felt very micro-managed at all times. I like the autonomy that my administrators allow me to have over my classroom. Provided that learning is happening, I am able to run my classroom as I choose to. I also feel like what I'm doing is making more of a difference that my previous job - when you see a kid understand something for the first time, there is nothing quite like it.

Nominated by:
Jennifer Stephens, Technology Integration Specialist - Junior Schools "Ms. Davenport consistently looks for new and innovative ways to engage and encourage her students with the use of technology. She uses Google Classroom daily to collaborate with her students and reinforce the importance of student accountability. Her most recent project involves Google Maps and Earth. Her plan is to have students map out a route that will coincide with the novel they are reading. What I love most about Kristen is her perseverance. When faced with a problem, she will work at finding a solution. She steps out of the generic teacher's toolbox and tries new things; not for the sake of the tools but for the sake of the students."

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