Page 20 - THE Journal, April/May 2017

KEYNOTE
Jamie Reese Uses Tech to Help Emotionally Challenged Kids
SIMI VALLEY, CA INNOVATOR WAS SELECTED TEACHER OF THE YEAR IN VENTURA COUNTY LAST YEAR.
BY RICHARD CHANG
Jamie Reese, a kindergarten through third grade teacher at Mountain View Elementary School in Simi Valley, CA, holds the distinct honor of winning Teacher of the Year for Ventura County in 2016. She’s the first Simi Valley teacher to receive that award since 1977.
A Google Certified Educator and Amazon Education Innovator, Reese instructs students with emotional disturbances and embraces technology as a method to connect with them and keep them engaged throughout the day.
The 33-year-old Simi Valley native has used virtual reality to take her students to far-flung
of hearing. I can also change the tone of my classroom. I no longer have to use my teacher voice, so to speak. The students are able to hear me and access the system anywhere in the room.
With this population, raising your voice at all can be triggering for them. We can negate that factor. I do not have to modulate my voice a whole lot. For our general education teachers, they’re less fatigued at the end of the day. Projecting your voice takes a lot out of your body.
being teacher-centered to student-centered. They have much more ownership over their learning.
THE Journal: Some old-school teachers might argue that incorporating technology into one’s teaching requires more work and sucks up more personal time.
Reese: It does take a lot of time. It’s definitely a shift — it’s going to be a lot of work. But you have to change your habits. So really, it’s actually knowing what the
20
| APRIL/MAY 2017
places like Antarctica. In her classroom, she wears a microphone connected to Lightspeed Technologies’ Topcat and Flexcat audio systems. She also uses many other education technologies to achieve maximum results with challenging group of special education students.
THE Journal: Describe how Topcat and Flexcat help you with your students.
Jamie Reese: A lot of research that shows that among kids, [amplification] decreases special ed referrals. It’s beneficial for all to access the curriculum, not just kids hard
THE Journal: Do you remember a time
when you weren’t using technology in the classroom, and have you seen an improvement in teaching and learning since you have?
Reese: I would say yes. Even during my time in special education (eight years), I’ve seen the change. Now we have smart interactive displays and cameras as well. The benefit
is I’m getting to meet kids in their world. They’ve never known a world without the internet or without iPads. Some of the ways we used to teach — it doesn’t make sense to them. My room has shifted from
standards are and making them really accessible. Curriculum doesn’t drive the learning. You really need to know what the standards are and make sure you’re referring to them. But these days we’re seeing a lot more student-centered learning.
THE Journal: You told me you’ve gone 1-to-1 with computer devices in your classroom. Describe that, and which do you prefer, the Chromebook or the iPad?
Reese: We were 1-to-1 iPad, and we recently got a Chromebook cart. We just initiated
a
Even during my time in special education (eight years), I’ve seen the change. Now we have smart interactive displays and cameras as well. The benefit is, I’m getting to meet kids in their world.