Eight invites tech-savvy Arizona educators to enter national PBS Digital Innovators Program

Arizona’s 2015 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator, Karen Mensing, Fireside Elementary School 1st and 2nd grade educator for gifted children

PHOENIX – (Jan. 7, 2015) Eight, Arizona PBS encourages teachers who are creatively integrating digital media and technology in their classrooms to apply for the 2015 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators Program through Feb. 11.  This yearlong professional development program is free for educators selected to participate, and is designed to reward and foster a community of 100 tech-savvy educators making a difference in their classrooms.

Arizona’s 2015 PBS Digital Innovators will receive access to exclusive virtual training materials and other resources, exposure to innovative instructional strategies and invitations to special events. In addition, PBS will reward the top 30 applicants nationwide with an all-expense paid trip to Philadelphia to participate in a three-day digital education summit where they will engage in hands-on learning, collaborate with peers and hear from digital technology thought leaders.

An esteemed group of judges will select the 100 educators following the application deadline based on submissions of videos and written essays that address how they are leading innovation in digital teaching in their classrooms and schools.

“All educators are innovators by nature,” says Mark Becker, Eight’s Educational Outreach associate director. “This program gives the opportunity to showcase Arizona educators’ unique ideas, skills and integration models. At Eight, we look to support teachers with over 87,000 free online digital classroom resources plus in-person professional development workshops, but we also want to help inspire them to excel and innovate, and to stand out and be recognized for their accomplishments.”

For more information and to apply to become a 2015 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator visit www.azpbs.org/digitalinnovators.

Arizona’s 2014 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator, Karen Mensing, a 1st and 2nd grade educator for gifted children at Fireside Elementary School was chosen as the state’s first Digital Innovator in the program’s inaugural year. She was recognized for her exceptional use of technology, promoting student engagement and achievement in her classroom.

2015 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator Competition
“Being named a PBS Digital Innovator allowed me to connect and collaborate with other, likeminded educators from all over the country,” says Mensing. “I have also formed an excellent relationship with my local PBS station. They even featured my class on television, showing some of the digital learning we do every day.”

About PBS LearningMedia
As America’s largest classroom, teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS LearningMedia, a partnership of PBS and WGBH Educational Foundation, is a free media-on-demand service offering educators access to the best of public media and delivers research-based, classroom-ready digital learning experiences to engage students in exploring curriculum concepts that align with National and Common Core State Standards. Nationwide, more than 1.5 million teachers have registered access to more than 87,000 digital resources available through PBS LearningMedia. More information about PBS LearningMedia is available at az.pbslearningmedia.org or by following PBS LearningMedia on Twitter and Facebook.