Education Innovators Series

Educate Maine, Thomas College, EdActionForumofME

Join us for the Education Innovators Series with speakers including Jason Swanson, Matt Drewette-Card, and Heather Whitaker.

The crisis of the nation’s COVID-19 pandemic has presented Maine educators with unprecedented challenges. True leaders see opportunities in crisis, and we believe that teachers across the state have risen to the challenge to adapt. Many educators have become remarkably innovative in efforts to personalize learning for each of their students. Although schools may reopen again once a vaccine is deployed, we are learning that education will not, and should not look the same as before the pandemic. We are launching this series to tap into the innovative mindset among educators and provide a forum to share good ideas and accelerate learning among those in the profession.The Education Innovators Series will engage regional and national thought leaders to share their views on the future of education. To bring their national expertise to our local environment, presenters are paired with Maine education innovators who will share their experience from the field. The series is made possible by a partnership with <a href="https://www.educatemaine.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Educate Maine</a>, <a href="https://edforumofmaine.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Education Action Forum of Maine</a>, and <a href="https://www.thomas.edu/cie/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Thomas College’s Center for Innovation in Education</a>. At the first event, we will hear from Jason Swanson who is the Director of Strategic Foresight at KnowledgeWorks, where he helps lead the organization’s research into the future of learning. An award-winning futurist, Jason develops forecasts, sensemaking guides, artifacts from the future, and immersive experiences. Jason is a frequent public speaker and workshop facilitator and holds a BA in Public Policy from West Chester University and an MS in Foresight from the University of Houston. He is a fellow with the Royal Society of Arts and is a member of the Remake Learning Council and Learn Life Alliance. In addition, we will engage two Maine educators to discuss the research and explore how educators can partner with government officials to explore these options for Maine’s families:Matt Drewette-Card is the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for MSAD #46, a small, rural school district in central Maine. Matt is also the President of Maine ASCD, the Maine CSTA Penobscot/Piscataquis County regional representative, a Future Ready Schools mentor, and host of the “Maine Education Matters” podcast. Matt has been in education for over 20 years, has a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Oregon, and has taught in Maine, Oregon, New Mexico, Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Matt lives with his wife, two daughters, three cats, and a three-legged dog named “Rosie.”Heather Whitaker is the Alternative Education Teacher at Gorham Middle School and the 2020 Maine Teacher of the Year. During her 18-year teaching career at Gorham Middle School, Heather has been a true advocate for combining learning opportunities with the needs of the community. She started her school’s garden, which donates over 800 pounds of produce for the local food pantry each year. She also was a founding member of the Gorham BackPack Program, which provides students in her community, experiencing chronic hunger, with food over the weekend. Her alternative education students are active volunteers for both programs. Heather is passionate about and experienced in using restorative practices and experiential learning. She believes in the power of relationships and that learning should be meaningful to students. Whenever possible, Heather takes students out of the classroom and has them engaged in the community.Heather graduated from Boston College in 2000, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with Moderate Special Needs. She later earned her Master of Science in Literacy Education at the University of Southern Maine.Heather’s biggest love is her family. Her husband, Marc, son Trent, and daughter Maeve inspire her daily. She loves hosting friends at her house, can be found in the mountains skiing during the winter, and is proud to be a “Maine-ah.”The schedule for the event is:3:30-3:50pm: Jason Swanson3:50-4:10pm: Matt Drewette-Card and Heather Whitaker4:10-4:30pm: Q &amp; A The zoom webinar link is available on the Online Event page accessible through your ticket link. A reminder with the link will be resent to you just prior to the event start time.Q&amp;A will be available live during the event. We encourage you to submit questions in advance for our panelists to ensure we hit on the topics important to our audience. Pre-questions can be submitted until noon on Thursday to info@educatemaine.org with the subject line Education Innovators Q&amp;A.

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Education Innovators Series

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Education Innovators Series

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