Michael Kim-Stevens, Technology Coach and Innovation Specialist, Presenting at the Fall CUE 2021 Conference

CUE, Computer-Using Educators, is a nonprofit educational corporation with a goal to inspire innovative learners in all disciplines from preschool through college. CUE Conferences are California’s premier educational technology events. This October 2021, Almaden Country Day School is proud to have their Technology Coach and Innovation Specialist, Michael Kim-Stevens, presenting three sessions at the Fall CUE 2021 Conference where the brightest edtech minds in education share best practices and innovation.

“Going Beyond the Basic Google Search” will teach educators how to move to the next level when navigating all of the world’s information. Michael’s interactive workshop will feature a series of activities that introduce various tricks and tools educators can use immediately in the classroom. 

The second session Michael is presenting is “Story Time with Google Earth” which will include demonstrations, discussions, and activities designed to bridge the gap between technology, pedagogy, and content using Google Earth. This workshop will employ a differentiated project-based-learning approach to help attendees master using Google Earth while also walking away with models to use with their own students. 

The final session, “Intro to Automation with Spreadsheets,” trains attendees on the basics of spreadsheets and how to use and teach them in the classroom. All three sessions also focus on technological pedagogy (http://tpack.org/) to help attendees teach the use of these tools more effectively for their own audiences.

We sat down with Michael to discuss the upcoming Conference and his chosen topics he will be presenting.

How did you decide what to present?

I chose my workshop topics based on what I thought would be both novel for participants and useful. Spreadsheets for example are one of the most powerful tools in any office suite, yet the most underutilized (if at all). I believe this is because most teachers are either unfamiliar with how to use them and/or do not know how to apply them to their curriculum. I wanted to change that by providing educators with tangible examples of how these tools could be used in the classroom and how to teach their students to use them.

How do these workshops demonstrate your expertise?

As a math and science teacher, I recognized early the impact the internet would have on the student learning experience. In response to that realization, I decided to embrace the change and ask better questions to facilitate critical and creative thinking -- namely the kind that can't be answered with a basic Google Search. Between my experience with that and following the SearchResearch blog for several years now, I created an elective here at ACDS that focuses on asking better questions and using advanced tools/techniques to answer them.

As the innovation specialist here at ACDS, I also spend a lot of time experimenting with various tools to streamline my work and also to enrich the student learning experience. My other workshops on Google Earth and Spreadsheets, as well as the one on Search, are a direct byproduct of my work approach. I use spreadsheets to automate comment writing and database management. I use Google Earth to turn lessons and activities into stories that then become more interactive and engaging. And I use Search to find pretty much anything and everything I need that I either need a refresher on or do not already know (like how has Lake Mead changed in the past 30 years; what are the likely causes of that change; how can we be sure of this?).

What is CUE? And what is their mission?

CUE stands for "Computer Using Educators" and their mission is to transform teaching by connecting educators with ideas, resources, and each other to use technology to prepare all students to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

I'm excited to lead these workshops at CUE because I see these as tools and skills that not only offer a lot of opportunity for enriching existing curriculum, but are themselves necessary for excelling in the 21st century.

We are proud to have one of our own representing ACDS at the CUE Conference. Michael brings his wealth of knowledge to the classroom, electives, and technology camps at ACDS to enrich the learning experiences of our students and teachers.