Dixie Harper

I have been living my childhood dream of being an educator for 29 years. I had several roles in three different school districts in the state of Georgia. I spent 10 years in the classroom as a kindergarten, first and fourth grade teacher. I spent 12 years as an elementary school media specialist before joining the instructional technology team. I have facilitated professional development for 7 years and am comfortable and confident working with student and adult learners that have various technology skillsets.

My passion is collaborating with teachers to create engaging, problem-based learning activities that incorporate technology in a meaningful way so that the love of learning is ignited in their students. Being an Instructional Technology Specialist has allowed me to feed that passion. I have worked with teachers and students at the elementary, middle and high school levels, while also serving all of the district office staff. One of my proudest accomplishments in this role has been developing an on-demand, personalized professional development and technology challenge program that allows teachers to earn points and badges for taking courses and submitting evidence of technology use in their classroom. I have found a strength in developing content that is logical and easy to understand which has led to the success of the program.

I am a former Teacher of the Year, a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, Minecraft Global Mentor, Flipgrid Certified Educator, Adobe Level 3 Educator, Apple Teacher, Promethean Certified Teacher, SMART Ambassador, BrainPOP Certified Educator, GoGuardian Coach, and a Nearpod Certified Educator. I have presented at several conferences and programs both in-person and virtual.