Winners of the 2008 Smart Classrooms Teacher Awards

Congratulations to this year's award winners. The following teachers were selected for their innovative ICT teaching practices.

Each is sharing $60,000 in professional development sponsored by Adobe, Blackboard, Cisco, Citec, Computer Corp, Data 3, Direct National, IBM, Microsoft, Oakton, Videopro and WebCentral.

Susan Cumming, Victoria Park State School
Kay Denning, Hannaford State School
Rosalie Everest, Queensland Academy for Health Sciences
David Green, Arundel State School
Glenda Hobdell, Queensland Academy for Creative Industries
Katherine Johns, Redland District Special School
Nicole Mobbs, Chancellor State College
Jesseca Oram, Aldridge State High School
Leanne Paxton, Gracemere State School
Linda Pilkington, Sunshine Beach State School
Heather Thomson, Wilsonton State School
Philip Van Heusden, Northern Peninsula Area College - Bamaga Campus

Susan Cumming, Victoria Park State School teacher

• Enables any time, anywhere access for students through a virtual classroom
• Organised support programs for teachers in 1-to-1 laptop classes
• ICT Pedagogical Licence holder

'We have a new era of students who have ICT at their fingertips, and I do not believe it is fair to put them in a learning environment that takes that away. Collaborative online spaces have allowed my students to continue and build on their learning in formal and informal ways.'

Kay Denning, Hannaford State School teaching principal

• Planned and implemented an ICT road trip for small school principals in the Darling Downs district
• Enables any time, anywhere access for students through a virtual classroom
• Promotes seamless ICT use in the classroom, rather than ICT as an add-on
• Accredited Facilitator for the ICT Pedagogical Licence

'ICT allows students to source, build and analyse knowledge and then synthesise it in forms that meet their needs.'

Rosalie Everest, Queensland Academy for Health Sciences English teacher

• Incorporates Web 2.0 technologies to transform learning, promote student voice and enhance collaboration
• Enables any time, anywhere access for students through virtual classrooms
• Uses Learning Place project rooms as spaces for coordinating, storing, reading, group appraising, editing, and facilitating peer and teacher feedback on creative writing

'I have come to a very clear realisation that the effective use of technology in today's classroom is about pedagogy as opposed to simple technical expertise.'

David Green, Arundel State School special education unit teacher

• Develops digital content for students with disabilities to cater to individual developmental needs
• Implements games-in-learning approaches to enhance student access to the curriculum
• Strong use of digital storytelling in multiple applications
• ICT Pedagogical Licence holder

'ICT enables my students to direct their own learning and "virtually" experience locations, cultures and situations that would otherwise be unavailable to them because of time, safety or proximity constraints.'

Glenda Hobdell, Queensland Academy for Creative Industries senior visual arts teacher

• Delivers a technology-rich visual arts program in a context of higher learning in the Senior Phase, with use of industry-standard software and hardware
• Connects self and students globally with artists, educators and other students to share culture through artwork
• ICT Pedagogical Licence Advanced holder

'My students' reputation for award-winning multimedia artwork is largely due to my integration of technology into the arts curriculum.'

Katherine Johns, Redland District Special School head of early childhood services

• Purposeful use of assistive and adaptive technologies to enable students with disabilities to access to learning before compulsory schooling
• Provides ongoing advocacy and support for teachers in numerous special education settings
• ICT Pedagogical Licence holder

'I believe it is essential to engage students, build upon their strengths and strive for success. Learning needs to be functional, adaptable and real. My classroom is a smart classroom with dynamic innovation.'

Nicole Mobbs, Chancellor State College English and drama teacher

• Creates online spaces and opportunities for students to communicate, collaborate and create with classmates at a local and state level
• Promotes active participation in learning with Web 2.0 technologies
• Employs virtual performance opportunities within the classroom, also known as Cyber Drama

'We must learn flexibility to solve problems, and foster the ability to learn, unlearn and relearn so that our students are able to work with constantly changing technologies and processes and connect with their curriculum in a deeper and more relevant way.'

Jesseca Oram, Aldridge State High School studies of society and environment teacher

• Uses virtual classrooms to allow increased student input and diversified learning
• Passionate about redesigning curriculum, timetables and learning spaces to improve student learning opportunities
• Accredited Facilitator for the ICT Pedagogical Licence
• ICT Pedagogical Licence Advanced holder

'I believe learning episodes need to be inherently problem-based, require inquiry learning, develop higher-order thinking, be authentic and take advantage of the various intelligences and learning styles of my students. The value in ICT comes to the fore in creating environments for this to occur.'

Leanne Paxton, Gracemere State School Prep teacher

• IBM Kidsmart project participant
• Promotes independent learning through ICT
• Regular use of virtual classrooms, project rooms and digital storytelling to provide new opportunities for student learning

'My prep students are not only engaging in technology, they are taking charge of their learning as independent learners.'

Linda Pilkington, Sunshine Beach State School Years 6 and 7 teacher

• Provides regular access for students to connect with outside experts through online workshops, chats, blogs, book raps and project rooms
• Enables any time, anywhere access for students through virtual classrooms
• Passionate about building student autonomy, increased responsibility for learning and self-regulation through ICT
• ICT Pedagogical Licence holder

'My learners may not produce flashy presentations or gorgeously laid out documents, but they communicate with experts and converse with teachers and students beyond the classroom walls through online projects and workshops. This replicates the manner in which our children may work in the future across the world, perhaps never meeting face to face with a work colleague.'

Heather Thomson, Wilsonton State School Year 6 teacher

• Initiated statewide Learning Place Online Poetry Competition
• Facilitator of ICT in Mathematics project in Darling Downs-South West region
• Enables any time, anywhere access for students through a virtual classroom
• Accredited Facilitator for the ICT Pedagogical Licence

'Enhanced student outcomes have become evident through my practice of using new technologies and the seamless integration of ICT.'

Philip Van Heusden, Northern Peninsula Area College - Bamaga Campus music and ICT teacher

• Developed a software-based recording studio to assist in the delivery of vocation education and training (VET) subjects
• Designs and implements music audio recording programs aimed at promoting expression to people with an impairment or disability
• ICT Pedagogical Licence holder

'I keep up-to-date with ICT, not for the sake of satisfying curiosity or fulfilling professional requirements, but as a way of enhancing the learning potential of my students and exploring new ways to get them thinking, reasoning and problem-solving.'