Ashley Yergin-Paulding County School District

Ashley is young in her career and has already grown in several areas.  She first taught elementary school in a traditional setting and was then chosen to teach a selective program called Paulding Virtual Academy, where I met her as her Instructional Technology Coach. She impressed me so much as a teacher that I was one of her references where our district hired its own coaches, and we are now colleagues. She is the definition of innovation, integration and inspiration. For example, Nearpod is a tool I’ve used for a long time, but she’s taken lessons I’ve made for math teachers and created better (innovative) workflows for them, and she’s done the same with traditional slide decks for our scripted elementary reading program. Even without being asked, she creates standards-aligned tech resources to inspire teachers in her buildings, as well as sharing them with our team for wider distribution. She also dazzles with her knowledge and use of Canva, and at a recent demo for new teachers in our district, she shared the Canva remote, which blew the minds of even seasoned platform users.

Ashley is a joy to those who get to work with her. When a teacher has to come to a mandatory training session, he or she may not be elated about it. However, I’ve had teachers tell me that Ashley makes those sessions fun and informative. In addition to that, many teachers (specifically at one of her middle schools) request her often for optional coaching. She even helped one of those teachers find a way to bring her students to GaETC for the student showcase last year, to the point of making sure they had shirts and a paid sub for the teacher to attend. She also was the first runner-up for the Nearpod North Star award this year, their highest award, out of thousands of applicants. When she and I partner to train on technology, she ensures that every detail of our plan is ready to go and will work with the teachers in our audience. Let me not fail to mention all the platforms where she’s an expert, as this is a technology conference after all. In addition to Nearpod and Canva, she rocks Microsoft products, including advanced ones like Minecraft and the new coach tools. She also is a Canvas LMS guru and loves to share the magic of Novel Effect. I am happy to recommend her as a natural fit for your next Rising Star.