SPECIAL REPORT: Sliver Linings in the Pandemic, Myths Shattered, and Inspiration for the Next School Year

K-12 Greatest Hits: The Best Ideas in Education

ISTE REWIND: In this special edition of Learning Unleashed, we air a panel discussion about the silver linings our guests found in the pandemic, the new possibilities they discovered, the myths and misconceptions that were shattered during pandemic teaching, and reasons to be excited and inspired about the school year ahead.

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Nicole R. Howard, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the School of Education at the University of Redlands. She has served as co-chair of ISTE’s Digital Equity Network. Her research foci are equitable uses of technology in K-16 classrooms, STEM education opportunities and achievement, and teacher education concerns. She’s a co-author of the ISTE books Closing the Gap: Digital Equity Strategies for the K-12 Classroom and Closing the Gap: Digital Equity Strategies for Teacher Prep Programs.

Tim Needles is an artist, writer, performer, and educator from Port Jefferson, New York. He has been teaching art and media at Smithtown School District in New York for more than twenty years as well as serving as an adjunct college professor. His work has been featured on NPR, in the New York Times, the Columbus Museum of Art, the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Alexandria Museum of Art, the Katonah Museum of Art, the Cape Cod Museum of Art, and The George Washington University Museum. He is the recipient of the ISTE Technology in Action Award, the ISTE Arts and Technology Network Creativity Award, the National Art Educators Association AET Outstanding Teaching Award, and the Robert Rauschenberg Power of Art Award at the National Gallery of Art. He has served as a National Geographic Certified Teacher, a PBS Digital Innovator, and an Adobe Education Leader, as well as a TEDx speaker.

Michele Eaton is the director of virtual and blended learning for the MSD of Wayne Township in Indianapolis, Indiana. She focuses on staff and course development for Achieve Virtual Education Academy and the district’s various blended initiatives and programs, from elementary to adult education. Eaton is a Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) Certified Education Technology Leader (CETL) and 2016 Next Generation Leader, 2018 EdWeek Leader to Learn From, president-elect of the ISTE Online Learning Network, conference chair for Indiana Connected Educators (an ISTE affiliate), member of the EdTech Heroes and moderator for the #INeLearn chat.

Rachelle Dene Poth is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s nExT in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle is an ISTE Certified Educator and serves as the past president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. She was recently named one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021.