Rising Stars Award

  About GaETC’s Rising Star Educator Award

The GaETC Rising Star Educator Award is intended to recognize an emerging leader in Georgia K-12 schools whose record reflects ongoing and exceptional growth in the field of education and a passion for technology integration that transforms learning for students, fellow teachers, and/or the community of educators at large. GaETC Rising Star Educators will be offered the opportunity to present as a FEATURED SPEAKER at the annual GaETC Conference. Award recipients will be provided with a full conference registration and lodging for the three days.

Awards will be made at the discretion of the GaETC Steering Committee and Program Committee.

                 Nomination Requirements

Nominations for the Rising Star Educator Award should be submitted with the candidate’s permission. The nominator should summarize the nominee’s achievements and growth in sufficient detail to document why this individual should be recognized as a “rising star” in the profession.

Nominees will be contacted by the GaETC Program Committee and asked to confirm that they would like to be considered. Each nominee will provide a link to a self-promoting video presentation. This presentation should describe why the educator is worthy of the award. Nominees will also be allowed to provide other corroborating evidence to support consideration for the award.

                      Guidelines and Eligibility

Nominees will be judged on three primary factors:

• • Description of the individual role played by the nominee and the resulting positive outcomes in projects, presentations, activities, and/or initiatives that in total demonstrate exceptional growth in the field of education and a passion for technology integration that transforms learning for students, fellow teachers, and/or the community of educators at large.
  • Evidence that the contributions of the nominee are having a positive impact on his or her students, institution, and/or the profession as a whole.
  • Evidence (through the Flipgrid presentation and other corroborating evidence) that the nominee will be a dynamic, engaging, and engrossing featured speaker.

In addition, the Committee will also look for evidence that supports:

• • Significant innovation through technology integration, given the nominee’s school/district context.
  • Uniqueness and impact of the candidate’s contributions.

                               2022 Winners

Amy Hudson

Classroom Teacher
Fayette County Schools

From the nomination…
Amy Hudson has her students use technology like artists use paint and canvas. Students analyze, evaluate, and synthesize with technology they never consume! Being a student in her innovative classroom is like hitting the lottery. Her students get to define learning on their own terms and she allows them the freedom to express their personalities through technology.

Amy Hudson recently completed her Ed.S. in Instructional Technology, which only added to her innate amazingness! She creates and then freely shares with teachers throughout the county many technology-based learning templates.

Kristen Brooks

Technology Teacher (K-5)
Cherokee County Schools

From the nomination…
Kristen seeks out opportunities to learn and present to others. She inspires our staff and is patient to help them learn new tools for technology integration. Kristen teaches K-5 and enjoys training adults too. If there is a new technology tool, she is the first one to explore it and implement it into the curriculum. Ms. Brooks is resourceful and is very focused on technology integration and continuous learning. She is a shining star at IKES.

Kristen has helped to lead our school to become a Microsoft Showcase School and is an MIEE. She has a passion for learning new things and enjoys sharing her knowledge with others through public speaking events and local school collaboration.

Erin Pringle

Instructional Lead Teacher
Henry County Schools

From the nomination…
Erin has been an amazing teacher for many years and now she is such an incredible mentor to our teachers. She creates opportunities for our elementary school to collaborate with other elementary schools along with the high school and middle school in our cluster. Erin has a passion for teaching and has shown exceptional growth in integrating innovative learning opportunities for students and sharing her knowledge with educators across the district using current research on how to implement and use technology.

Students are eager to work with Mrs. Pringle because she delivers inquiry lessons that make students think and want to explore. Her innovative lessons help develop teamwork amongst peers, creative thinking, and problem solving. Students are excited to experiment which often builds resilience. Students are encouraged to problem solve and encouraged to use technology as a tool to support their learning and individual creativity.

Christie Thompson

Classroom Teacher
Coweta County Schools

From the nomination…
Christie is a shining example of how technology should be integrated into the classroom for effective instructional purposes. She uses the technology to provide inquiry opportunities for students as well as ways in which students can demonstrate their mastery of content taught. Additionally, Christie integrates technology into her lessons in a way that students are able highlight their strengths and be active learners within the learning environment. Christie constantly seeks out opportunities to learn new ways in which technology is changing and improving the way in which teachers can teach and she often leads school and district-wide sessions on how to implement the technology she is using. She leads by example, is approachable, and is always willing to try something new.

Christie’s creativity and adaptability in the virtual world is evident everyday. She is a leader in all aspects of technology with her students, school, system, and entire West Georgia RESA Region. She collaborates well with other teachers as well as provides feedback in a way that encourages growth in educators as well as motivates them to take teaching with technology to the next level.