Episode #129: Transform Education by Making Learning Sticky with Debbie Tannenbaum

          <br />Debbie Tannenbaum is a School-Based Technology Specialist in Fairfax County, Virginia who is in her fourth year in this position and twenty-second year in education. She shares with me how much she loves learning as a speaker, coach, and author. Debbie is passionate about helping students and teachers use technology as a tool for creation to activate and amplify learning.<br />Your WHY – let’s talk about your passion for transforming learning<br />For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be an educator. Not only do I love learning, but I love helping others learn. I was the one in front of the Raggedy Anne chalkboard, teaching my sister, her friends, cousins, and even some stuffed animals. My younger sister had a learning disability and I remember wanting to help her learn in better ways. Later in high school, I got involved in leading services at my synagogue for preschoolers and loved that too.  But when I discovered technology in my first year of teaching, that changed everything.<br /><br />Why are you so passionate about integrating technology in the classroom?<br />I remember during my first year of teaching being exposed to the power of technology in the classroom. I was working with our school’s computer teacher and discovered Scholastic.com and the Trailblazer Hall of Fame. Students got an opportunity to nominate a famous African American to the Trailblazer Hall of Fame. As I introduced this activity to my students, magic happened. They were so excited about using the technology not only to learn but to share their ideas with an authentic audience.<br />A lot has changed in the past 20 plus years since that happened, but I continue to be amazed every day by the opportunities that technology provides our students. Technology offers both students and educators opportunities to learn that were not possible without this technology. I love helping both students and educators discover this and empowering them to use technology in transformative ways. As a lifelong learner, I love this st