Technology/Innovation

Suggested Reflection Questions

1. Your role at Burke's

2. When did this opportunity take place?

3. Summary of workshop/ opportunity

4. Goals & Collaborations:

   - What were your big takeaways from your workshop or project?

This online class focused on AI Literacy Competencies around safety, AI use and integration in teaching, and general consideration, knowledge and resources in teaching our students to be critical thinkers and consumers of media. I compiled some of the resources in this Wakelet board that (https://wakelet.com/wake/ucrMZVESzY1aAUMe-vHxF) I hope will be useful.

We are all immersed in AI in today's world, both in our personal and work settings, and it is important for the adults and students in our community to be educated and stay centered in a human-centered approach to our use of AI as there is no avoiding its presence and influence.

The Fab Play Maker Institute was easily the most practical and inspiring professional development opportunity I have had for identifying maker resources, engaging with other maker educators, and improving the quality of my instruction.

It was amazing to visit the Hawken School in Gates Mills, Ohio, which has hosted this event for the past seven years. Their unbelievable facilities include a fabrication lab, a woodshop, a robotics lab, a computational thinking lab, and a theatre props room. The school even built a cabin in their woods for outdoor education. The format was hands-on, where you could make any number of things with the tools they had laid out, and learn or review at your own pace. We had a show and tell on the last day, and each educator made at least ten different examples of things to take home. I learned about casting/molding to make plastic parts (and chocolate…

Your role at Burke’s

I’m the IT & Education Technology Manager, supporting both the tech infrastructure and the people who use it—from troubleshooting to training and everything in between.

When did this opportunity take place?

This workshop took place in April 2025 as part of a professional development series focused on cybersecurity in schools.

Summary of workshop/opportunity

I attended a Cybersecurity Workshop that dove into how schools can build a proactive, whole-community approach to digital safety. Topics included AI-enhanced phishing threats, the importance of everyday “cyber hygiene,” and how to move beyond fear-based training into more engaging, relatable methods. It was filled with real-world examples, hands-on ideas, and practical solutions that I could bring back to Burke’s.