Tonia A. Dousay
Scholar | Educator | Leader
All posts by tonia
Google for Education Certified Innovators
Google for Education announced yesterday that the former Google Certified Teacher program is now called Google for Education Certified Innovators. With this name change comes a complete overhaul of the training and certifications available to educators. Perhaps most telling in the announcement is the first line of the message: Technology can help transform education, but only as…
National Maker Faire
Life is full of firsts. We celebrate when children speak their first words and take their first steps. The first day of school, regardless of grade level is always a big day. The first time you drive is a (cultural) rite of passage. Even a bucket list is usually comprised of adventures that we’ve not yet done and…
Bringing the maker movement to your classroom
I strongly believe in the power of application. When we can connect theory to practice, the possibilities are endless. Coming from an Agricultural Education background, the concept of “making” seems naturally inherent when I look at the education landscape. So, it should be no surprise that I’ve set out to bring making to K12 and…
Tonia Goes to the Google Teacher Academy
About a month and a half ago, I posted about my goal to become a Google Certified Teacher and being accepted to the #GTAATX cohort. Now I sit here thoroughly, mentally, and physically exhausted after the most intensive two-day professional development experience of my life. And I am absolutely the richer for it. I have…
Confessions of a Conference Planner
You know that conference you go to every year? That one that you look forward to all year long, whether you’re presenting or not. It’s the family reunion that brings together your heroes, mentors, and colleagues. That’s the one. That’s the conference that I spent the past year planning. No, not just one division or…
Students’ Use of Digital Storytelling to Enhance Media Literacy Skills: Implications for Best Practices in Postsecondary Education
I always love presenting at AECT, and this year is no different. The view does change when you’re the convention planner, but it was my honor today to deliver a presentation initially proposed and prepared by one of our graduate students at the University of Wyoming, David Des Armier, Jr. He’s an outstanding instructor and…
Google Certified Teacher
A little more than 12 hours ago, I received the email that I swore to myself wasn’t going to be a big deal one way or the other. You see, almost two weeks ago, I submitted my application for the Google Teacher Academy in Austin. Like so many goals that I’ve set for myself in…
What is in a Rubric?
It would seem that yesterday’s Chronicle post on The Rise of the Helicopter Teacher has revealed a pervasive divide among academics. On one side, you have the author and those who agree vehemently that teachers and educators have succumbed to the coddling and hand-holding that has bred a generation of entitled underachievers. On the other, we…
My First T&P Experience
When you’re a graduate student, the concept of tenure and promotion (T&P) seems so incredibly foreign. It’s something that your professors have to deal with, but is shielded from you. If you read academic news outlets, such as Inside Higher Ed, you’ll occasionally see notices of universities who’ve granted tenure and the faculty members to…
Making the Annual AECT Convention Affordable
AECT is one of the premier organizations in the field of instructional technology. As a professional organization, membership and active participation in AECT is unique in that it is comprised of scholars, teachers, and leaders who are extraordinarily accessible and open to working with students. All of those names you read in research articles and…