Biography
Silvia Martinez is currently a First Grade Teacher and Technology TOSA (Teacher on Special Assignment) at Ormondale Elementary in Portola Valley, California. She began her teaching career with pre-kindergarten children, ages 4-5, in 1991. Ten years later, after obtaining a teaching credential from Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California, she taught a Kindergarten-First Grade combination class at Crestmoor Elementary in San Bruno, California. In 2005, she changed districts to her current teaching position and has taught both Kindergarten and First Grade children. In 2012, she earned a degree of Masters of Science in Education – Instructional Media from Wilkes University Online Instructional Media Masters Program. She is the recipient of Prudential’s Education Foundation 2005 Outstanding Teacher award. She is one of the top six winners in ISTE’s 2012 Passion Based Learning Video Contest. She is a Discovery Educator Network STAR. In 2014, she published an article for ISTE’s EdTechHub digital magazine titled, “Help the Littlest Learners Share Their Work In Five Easy Steps”.
Silvia is a lifelong learner! She believes that children need an opportunity to explore and experience the world around them; and is dedicated to provide a learning environment for each child so they may develop to their fullest potential. Web resources and digital media are used seamlessly in her elementary classroom to help shape and deliver instruction to meet the needs of all students, assist in the improvement of student thinking and understanding, provide for research and presentation products, and improve communication and collaboration.