Two Educators Honored
Two educators from Utah State University’s Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services recently received statewide honors.
The Utah Coalition for Educational Technology named Edith Bowen Laboratory School Principal Dan Johnson as its Technology Leader of the Year. Shirlene Law, a lecturer in the Family, Consumer and Human Development Department, was honored as Teacher of the Year by the Utah Early Childhood Conference Committee.
Johnson was recognized for his leadership in implementing technology to improve education.
At Edith Bowen, decisions were made in three steps, Johnson said. First, educators determined, based on the curriculum, what the students should be able to do. Next, they decided how technology could assist with that learning.
Finally, they developed a plan.
“We have a pretty sophisticated five-year plan for technology,” he said. “What we have done is to recognize that there isn’t one piece of technology that answers all your questions.”
It’s also important to make sure the decisions to acquire technology are education-related, not technology related. Johnson said it is best to focus on the outcomes, not the latest, shiny new toy.
For Law, teaching and learning complement each other. She spends Tuesdays and Thursdays teaching young children, the other days with college students who are learning how to make a difference in their children’s lives.
“I find the same joy and satisfaction watching both sets of students grow,” she said.
“After 21 years of teaching in early childhood education, I realize more than ever how much I have to learn. That’s what keeps me going. I often tell my college students, the day they stop looking for new ideas is the day they should no longer teach.”
Law teaches at the Uintah Basin regional campus of Utah State University.
Related links:
- Edith Bowen Laboratory School
- USU Department of Family, Consumer and Human Development Department
- USU Uintah Basin
- USU Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services
Contact: JoLynne Lyon 435-797-1463
Edith Bowen Laboratory School Principal Dan Johnson as its Technology Leader of the Year by the Utah Coalition for Educational Technology.
Shirlene Law, a lecturer in the Family, Consumer and Human Development Department, was honored as Teacher of the Year by the Utah Early Childhood Conference Committee.
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