Awards
I have been fortunate to have colleagues recommend me for some awards in the past few years. Here are some of the notable awards and descriptions.
ISTE Making IT Happen : Lead Without Limits : NYIT Outstanding Alumni Educational Technology
Jonathan Redeker
Our second winner is a maverick on so many different levels. This person is one of the Champions, along with Mark on the NYSCATE Social Media Team. He has assembled a strong group of ambassadors to help spread the NYSCATE Ed Tech message through countless social media communities. Serving as the Education Technology Specialist of Goshen Central School district, Jonathan is truly Making IT Happen! With a focus on personal health and balance, Jon’s passion is contagious. Please join me in awarding Jonathan Redeker the Making IT Happen Award.
Jonathan Redeker is a valued and highly respected employee of the Goshen Central School District. He has been with the district for ten years as a beloved social studies teacher. Four years ago, Jonathan was also made the K-12 Technology Coordinator. As both teacher and technology coordinator, Jonathan has an extremely full schedule teaching U.S. History and Participation in Government as well traveling from building to building helping teachers improve their instructional technology. Despite his extremely packed days, Jonathan is always available to assist students and teachers alike when they “pop in” looking for immediate solutions to their technology questions.
Jonathan not only helps us with the questions we have, he also encourages us to go outside of our technology “comfort zone.” He reminds us that our ideas and efforts do not have to be perfect to be effective and he leads by example. Jonathan is constantly trying out new things with instructional technology to both help further students’ education and to help work through potential issues for teachers. Because of Jonathan’s leadership, more teachers are using Google Classroom, which makes work more accessible for students and makes students more responsible for their work. More teachers are incorporating interactive games like Kahoot, which our students love. More teachers are using Sungard to collect and utilize data. More teachers are expanding their professional learning networks by utilizing social media to see what is current in their respective fields. More students are gaining experience in taking ownership for their education through platforms like Google Classroom, which is a skill they will need for college.
Jonathan understands that time, and the lack thereof, is always a primary concern for educators. With that in mind, he has created several professional development opportunities for teachers to learn how to use new and useful technology tools. He has time built in within these workshops for teachers to develop lessons that incorporate these tools so they leave with hands-on experience and something tangible for immediate use. This builds confidence amongst the faculty and helps to further engage students in effective technology inspired learning. I have implemented many of Jonathan’s strategies and my life is better because of them. As more and more faculty successfully implement these tools, others are inspired to try them. Jonathan is at the epicenter of this movement.
Jonathan has only been the K-12 Technology Coordinator for four years; however, our district has grown leaps and bounds in terms of instructional technology. I credit Jonathan with most of this progress. His approachability with students, teachers, and administration allows for open and effective communication between what is needed, what is possible, and what is already happening. He is an asset to this district and I thank you for considering him for this award.
Jonathan not only helps us with the questions we have, he also encourages us to go outside of our technology “comfort zone.” He reminds us that our ideas and efforts do not have to be perfect to be effective and he leads by example. Jonathan is constantly trying out new things with instructional technology to both help further students’ education and to help work through potential issues for teachers. Because of Jonathan’s leadership, more teachers are using Google Classroom, which makes work more accessible for students and makes students more responsible for their work. More teachers are incorporating interactive games like Kahoot, which our students love. More teachers are using Sungard to collect and utilize data. More teachers are expanding their professional learning networks by utilizing social media to see what is current in their respective fields. More students are gaining experience in taking ownership for their education through platforms like Google Classroom, which is a skill they will need for college.
Jonathan understands that time, and the lack thereof, is always a primary concern for educators. With that in mind, he has created several professional development opportunities for teachers to learn how to use new and useful technology tools. He has time built in within these workshops for teachers to develop lessons that incorporate these tools so they leave with hands-on experience and something tangible for immediate use. This builds confidence amongst the faculty and helps to further engage students in effective technology inspired learning. I have implemented many of Jonathan’s strategies and my life is better because of them. As more and more faculty successfully implement these tools, others are inspired to try them. Jonathan is at the epicenter of this movement.
Jonathan has only been the K-12 Technology Coordinator for four years; however, our district has grown leaps and bounds in terms of instructional technology. I credit Jonathan with most of this progress. His approachability with students, teachers, and administration allows for open and effective communication between what is needed, what is possible, and what is already happening. He is an asset to this district and I thank you for considering him for this award.
Jonathan Redeker has been teaching social studies with a concentration in technology integration in the curriculum and for three years he has served as K-12 Technology Coordinator in Goshen Central School District. Throughout his tenure in Goshen he has been an educational technology leader; integrating tools into his teaching while instructing other professionals in the skills as well. He has worked closely with the Central Administration and the Computer Network Administrator to formulate vision and direction to make our school district a 21st Century Learning Environment. He co-authored the district technology plan and the Bring Your Own Device plan for wireless devices. He works actively to train students and teachers in order to leverage the technology tools that are continually emerging. He has assisted with the technical side of working with the Student Based Inquiry Team in order to develop technology skills to track student and teacher data and worked with the school administrators on building technology tools for tracking for student performance. Mr. Redeker is at the forefront of positive technology changes in the school district, and he is the type of leader who creates bandwagons.