Our members are weaving the threads of education every day with people of all ages across the country. They are involved in improving lives and the overall well-being of our communities. With over 4000 members strong, NCCE would like to introduce you to a few peers. Every month we will take a snapshot of active NCCE members and find out what they are doing to make a difference in technology education.
In it Together: NCCE Members Making a Difference
Learn more about the leadership and members who contribute to Northwest Council for Computer Education (NCCE).
NAME and TITLE: Morgen Larsen, Teacher-Librarian & Technology Instructional Coach at Greenacres Elementary School
SCHOOL DISTRICT: Central Valley School District, Spokane Valley, WA
NCCE MEMBER SINCE: 2011
* Share with us – what is one new initiative you are working on in your district?
I am the Social Studies Special Curriculum Project Lead for Central Valley School District. This school year, one goal of this project is to create Open Educational Resource (OER) curriculum for social studies in fifth grade. We are currently in the process of modifying and vetting digital resources from the Stanford History Education Group (sheg.stanford.edu/rlh), Library of Congress (loc.gov), and the New York State K-12 Social Studies Resource Toolkit: Grades 5-8 (engageny.org/resource/new-york-state-k-12-social-studies-resource-toolkit-grades-5-8) for instructional use in our district. We are purposefully aligning the social studies curriculum so it complements English Language Arts, Common Core State Standards in an intentional and purposeful way. Currently, the Central Valley School District is piloting these OER lesson plans in five different elementary schools. Data from this pilot will be utilized to strengthen the curriculum and further the deployment of OER throughout the district.
* What is one strategy you use to have a more productive workday?
I utilize multiple email and calendar accounts for separate parts of my life. I have separate accounts for work/school, personal life, and educational consulting. I schedule everything into my digital calendars. I have the ability to look at each of my digital calendars separately, but most often I show all of them together. I also have all of my accounts synched to each digital device that I use. That way I don’t have to log into separate accounts to check email. Everything is one click away and in the same location.
* Name one thing your “Mama always told you”?
“Learn from your mistakes, and live your life without regret.”
* When you “unplug” – what do you like to do?
Read, sashiko, sew and take cooking classes.
* Where was your last training for NCCE? Tell us about it?
I presented “Reading like a Historian: Using digital primary sources for inquiry based learning” at the Washington Library Media Association (WLMA) conference in Yakima, Washington. Participants learned how to utilize primary sources documents available through the Library of Congress (LOC.gov) and Washington State Digital Archives (digitalarchives.wa.gov/) to create inquiry based lessons for students in grades 4-12.
Thank you! We are excited to highlight our trainers and appreciate ALL you do for NCCE!