banner by Rebecca Bjorke, grade 5
banner by Rebecca Bjorke, grade 5
Lena
Kanemori an
outstanding technology educator
This website
was created for the Computer
Learning Foundation Hall of Fame
Grand Prize
Winner
by Mari Nomura
of Enchanted Lake Elementary School
|
As an educator, I have gained so much from the experience and knowledge Lena Kanemori has given me in technology. It was only one year ago that I knew practically nothing about technology and integrating it into the classroom. At first, the integration of technology meant simply for my students to word process their writings. Through the teaching and encouragement from Mrs. Kanemori, I have integrated technology into almost every curriculum area. She has shared with me many ideas and projects that use technology as a tool for my students' learning. For example, this year my class has facilitated The Great NOx project in which my students collaborate with other classes across the United States. We will be testing the amount of Nitrous Oxide our environment, and compare and contrast the results with the other classes. We will also be coming up with global solutions to pollution problems. The participants will share these solutions with each other via email and the Internet. Mrs. Kanemori has also taught me how to teach my class to publish their works on the Internet. Last year, my class published their poems onto the world wide web. Mrs. Kanemori has showed me the value of technology and teaching. My students now use technology as a tool for research, communication and productivity. Mrs. Kanemori has helped me become a 21st century educator. She has taught me that the world of technology is ever-expanding. I need to keep up with technology so that I can give my students the skills to become productive citizens of the future. Through her guidance, I have learned that collaboration and technology go hand in hand. Teamwork and communication allow my students to use technology successfully. I have learned to think globally when it comes to facilitating teaching to my students. For example, I now look to others for guidance when it comes to lesson planning, having my students meet the standards and assessment. I do this through communication via the Internet, global chat and email. I also found the value of sharing my ideas with others. For example, I posted my unit plans and rubrics on the web for others to use. Mrs. Kanemori has conducted a countless number of workshops and presentations which allow other educators to use technology in their classrooms to facilitate learning. The classes and presentations are from a huge range of educational technology topics such as using and manipulating hardware, networking, web publishing, integrating technology into the various subject areas, using technology as a tool for communication and research, creating tables and graphs and using various software that we can then teach to our students. Mrs. Kanemori also facilitates time for teachers to share the technology projects and experiences with their peers. Through her workshops, I have learned the value of peer teaching and sharing. I found out that I learn more when I teach others. Another asset Mrs. Kanemori has brought to technology education is that she networks with other teachers around the Hawaiian Islands, in the U.S. mainland and world. For example, our school is now a part of a grant called "Ahupua'a." The participants are studying the amount of water pollution in their community streams. They then share their results with the participants around the island. We get advice and expertise via email from community professionals. We will then come together in the end to come up with possible solutions to the problem. Mrs. Kanemori also facilitates projects with schools in Japan. Our students have communicated and participated in projects with children from Japan and other countries around the world. It is because of these reasons, I am nominating Mrs. Lena Kanemori an outstanding technology educator. She shows other educators the value of technology and learning. From my observations, she makes learning both fun and meaningful to students, as well as teachers. She passes on her skills in technology to both adults and children. It is amazing to see how much can be learned from her. She goes beyond the confines of time and the classroom to promote technology education. She normally devotes her personal time to bettering our school and her educational affiliations through technology. She once told me that, "In the field of technology, learning never stops." I know she believes this because she often goes to technology workshops to gain more knowledge and experience, and then passes on what she learns to others. I will always remember the skills and philosophies that Mrs. Kanemori has shared with me. With these technology experiences and tools, I have improved my profession and methodologies. |
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by Mari M. Nomura
manomura@k12.hi.us
Enchanted
Lake Elementary
bellsnwhistles.com