The Minnesota Google Summit

Our team from EHSI. We went to the first annual Google in Education Minnesota Summit. It is a one day, hands-on conference that focuses on integrating Google Apps for Education in K-12 and Higher Ed learning environments. All presentations were from the Google Apps for EDU team, Google Certified Teachers and Google Apps for Education Trainers. I went to two sessions on You Tube in the Classroom and how to use Google sites as an content management system and a learning managment system.  All the sessions were awesome and practical and dynamic. 

I applied to be a presenter at the Google Summit.  I was not chosen, but someday I will be!

Here is my application:

Lynnea West will present on how to use a Moodle course and Google Apps together for differentiated, reflective, creative learning.

Last spring, a group of teachers wrote content and process for the Minnesota History Project, a collaborative curriculum project facilitated by District 287.  This 2012-2013 school year, the digital social studies content is being piloted by Lynnea West.  Sixth grade students have an opportunity to participate in a hybrid model of learning with technology and traditional textbook materials.

The curriculum that is being developed for the Minnesota History Project presents students with multiple authentic opportunities to take in diverse perspectives, to think critically about past events, and to communicate their own understanding in a variety of formats.   In this model, the student is an active participant in the social studies classroom, fully engaged in their own learning.

Google Apps are providing the tools to engage and collaborate on projects in the Moodle course and provide the platform to create an online portfolio of learning.

Lynnea is a teacher as a profession, and also a parent to two Spanish immersion students.  This position is the grand intersection of where her heart is and her head and hands work.

Lynnea has always enjoyed working with children, families and learning in her previous positions as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali, West Africa and working as a project coordinator at Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Minneapolis.

Lynnea finished her Masters of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of St.Thomas with her thesis on Literacy and Technology.

Lynnea has many years teaching in public schools.  She taught first grade, second grade, fourth grade in a looping program and third grade English Language Arts at Normandale French Immersion School.  Lynnea has been the English Language Arts PLC team lead in third through sixth grades for five years at Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion School in Eden Prairie.

This year she is adding 6th Grade Social Studies Teacher to her repertoire by piloting a collaboratively created digital curriculum with District 287.

Lynnea is married to another educator and they have two beautiful daughters.  The girls keep them awfully busy with school activities, guitar lessons, dance classes and many adventures. Otherwise, she loves to go to yoga classes, knit, eat sushi, and read books for her book club.