Grand Prairie teacher earns "Innovative Educator" award

You can see Grand Prairie Elementary School teacher Barbara Borden’s enthusiasm for teaching technology as she interacts with her students. She gets down on the floor with the kindergarten students to show them how to code their robot “mice” in order to get to the “cheese” on specific layouts on the floor. When they code correctly, the mice get to the cheese, light up and squeak, much to the delight of the students.

Mrs. Borden is the Technology/Enrichment Learning Center (ELC) Instructor at Grand Prairie. She is currently working with kindergarten through second grade students on computer coding and was recently named a 2018 Tech4Learning “Innovative Educator.” Her work also supports the District 157-C focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) activities.

Tech4learning is an educational technology company that develops and markets original professional development programs and creativity products for K-12 education. The Tech4Learning Innovative Educator program recognizes the work that exceptional classroom teachers, trainers, aides, community organizations, principals, and more are doing with Tech4Learning products and the work they do to increase engagement and improve student learning in schools.

Grand Prairie Principal Eileen Nelson stated, “There is never a dull moment in technology with Mrs. Borden! Her dedication to engaging students in technology for the past three years has been amazing. She couples with our teachers to help support standards that address research through Wixie where students choose an animal to research. All of our students are embracing coding that is developmentally appropriate right down to our kindergarten friends. Grand Prairie is fortunate to have her energy and enthusiasm!”

The Wixie animal research project is one of Mrs. Borden’s favorites. The project is an interview with an animal where students research an animal and then record their voices on Wixie which was created by Tech4Learning. Wixie blends text and voice recording with original art and images that make the perfect canvas for today’s digital learners. Wixie gives students powerful tools to author a variety of performance tasks that demonstrate understanding, encourage critical thinking, and build creativity and communication skills. It provides tools to create original work, collaborate with peers, and demonstrate understanding of the curriculum.

Mrs. Borden has created a learning environment where students are actively and creatively engaged in the learning process. She often uses Twitter to show what she does in technology so other educators can learn new ideas that work in the classroom. The Tech4Learning executives follow her on Twitter where Mrs. Borden posts the projects that her students are completing in class. Mrs. Borden earned the “Innovative Educator” award after being nominated by Melinda Kolk, the Director of Professional Development of Tech4Learning, Inc. and David Wagner who is the CEO of the company.

Grand Prairie has two full computer labs available to all students. The ELC is where all students, kindergarten through grade 2, learn a wide variety of technology skills. Every student uses the lab, where all can gain vital computer skills and where computer use will help them to enhance classroom learning. A second computer lab is available where teachers can take classes to work on programs that will also help to supplement curriculum. In addition, each classroom contains a mini lab of networked PCs, where computer applications are made available for student use.

Thanks to funding by the District 157-C Education Foundation, the Grand Prairie students have access to 30 wireless “Alpha Smart” word processors that include applications for artwork, research, math, reading enrichment, keyboarding, word processing and more. Mrs. Borden also offers parents access to her website that provides keyboarding games and suggests YouTube videos for students. She invites parents to join ClassDojo, a communication app for the classroom which connects teachers, parents, and students who use it to share photos, videos, and messages throughout the school day. She uses it to work together as a team, share in the classroom experience, and bring big ideas to life in classrooms and homes.

Mrs. Borden does quite a bit of coding with the students. She stated, “In today’s digital world, coding is a fundamental skill alongside math and reading, but too few kids have the opportunity to learn to program because it is rarely taught in school. Learning to code is similar to learning a second language. The earlier that children are exposed to fundamental topics like sequencing, loops, and conditionals, the more deeply they absorb these concepts. Coding translates to success in other areas. Learning to program also supports learning in areas like math, reading, and science. I'm right there learning with the kids. I dive right in and never question whether or not these kids will be able to do something.”

This year Mrs. Borden started making videos on YouTube for her students to help them understand basic concepts in Technology. This includes things that adults take for granted, such as just turning on the computer, unlocking the computer screen, how to capitalize using the keyboard, and home row keys on the keyboard. She dresses in costume, sings original songs and has fun in these explanatory videos. She says her videos are a little crazy but that the kids and parents really get a kick out of them, so much that they are constantly asking her when she’s making a new video. Some of the parents actually submitted some of her videos to the Ellen DeGeneres Show. The videos can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmiFR6m5cHb03pje7R9HvDg.