Kathleen's Evidence of Professional growth
As an educator, I need to stay current on research and trends in education for my students’ benefit. The world has changed; technology and instant access to information and ways to interact with that information from games, social media, work tools and collaboration tools means that to rely upon outdated technology performs a disservice to our students. Like the dinosaurs, teachers who do not evolve are going to become extinct by not adjusting to this new world; not adequately preparing students will make them irrelevant. By staying current on research and trends in education, I can help students to learn about their world, their place in it, and the way they can make an impact.A professional learning network (PLN) uses technology to stay abreast of technology. By connecting with colleagues on Twitter, Facebook, forums on special interest websites, Reddit, and more, I can share and collaborate across the boundaries normally imposed by schools, even states and countries. By actively contributing to this larger network of professionals with shared interests, I remain at the cutting edge of what I do. Guesting on podcasts, sharing lessons and units, even offering student work examples so others can comment and question, technology helps to keep the work I do with students in pace with the most exciting developments.
Conferences & Presentations
- Missouri Council on Social Studies March 2001: "One Thing at a Time: Teaching History Thematically:
- Midwest Educational Technology Conference February 2016: “Engineering Strategy Games”
- GenCon Trade Day August 2014 & 2015: “Strategy Game Design in the Classroom”
- Midwest Educational Technology Conference February 2012: “Espionage: A Classroom Simulation”
- St. Louis Association for Gifted Education Winter 2011: “Nurturing Creativity in Gifted Children”
- National Association for Gifted Children National Conference 2009 full-day Action Lab at Ladue (chair)
Professional Associations
Missouri Girls State (2004—present), current International Politics instructor, and Samsung Scholarship Committee and Girls Nation Chairs; past positions include Federalist Party Advisor and Executive School Instructor
Geekway to the West game convention (2013—present), events coordinator and game design contest organizer
St. Louis Board Game Designers meetup group (2012—present) assistant organizer
National Association for Gifted Children (2006—present)
The Gifted Association of Missouri (2006—present)
St. Louis Association for Gifted Education (2010—present) former Board of Directors member
Geekway to the West game convention (2013—present), events coordinator and game design contest organizer
St. Louis Board Game Designers meetup group (2012—present) assistant organizer
National Association for Gifted Children (2006—present)
The Gifted Association of Missouri (2006—present)
St. Louis Association for Gifted Education (2010—present) former Board of Directors member
