The Maryland Society for Educational Technology and Bluum were proud to surprise Irene Bal today as its 2021-2022 Outstanding Educator Using Technology Award Winner. A dynamic lecturer in Loyola University of Maryland’s Educational  Technology graduate program, Bal embodies educational technology in all areas of her professional life and exemplifies the MSET mission of advancing excellence in teaching and leading with technology. She is the consummate technology educator and a true academic.

Bal’s contributions to Loyola University Maryland, her students, and the educational technology community are unparalleled. She works tirelessly to not only incorporate technology into her lessons but to also improve the educational setting for all involved, including the communities of the schools in which her mentees teach.

“We are very excited to continue highlighting amazing educators who are innovators in educational technology,” Chris Cuppett, MSET’s Awards co-chair, articulated. “Irene pushes her graduate students to use technology to enhance learning opportunities at all levels. The ripple effect that Irene has started in her graduate students have no end.”

Bal’s professional accolades and support of instructional technology as a practitioner and researcher continues to shine brightly through her work. She can be found presenting at conferences such as the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), Common Ground Maryland, and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). She is becoming a global ambassador for instructional technology.

Outside of Loyola, Bal engages in many professional activities that she uses to impact her professional practice as well as those around her. Currently, she is serving as the Copy Editor and Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Technology Integrated Lessons and Teaching (JTILT). In addition, she is active in MSET’s new Higher Education Professional Learning Network initiative as well as member of MSET’s summer professional learning team.

“I am so ecstatic to have Irene as our Outstanding Educator honoree this year. She is the epitome of a hard worker and goes above and beyond to support high-quality instruction,” Brian Cook, MSET President, shared during today’s virtual presentation among the Loyola University Maryland faculty.

Bal will be honored throughout the upcoming year by receiving opportunities to participate in MSET business meetings, serve as featured speakers, and have her work highlighted. Plus, she will be receiving a banner to display at Loyola, a certificate, a complimentary registration for the upcoming Common Ground Conference, and a one-year paid MSET Membership. 

“MSET wants to give a special thank you our team who scored each of the entries,” Tracy Schoene, MSET’s Awards co-chair, shared about the team who works tirelessly behind the scenes to make these awards happen. “We are very fortunate to have dedicated members who are willing to volunteer their time in the Organization.”

About Outstanding Educator Award

In partnership with Bluum, The Outstanding Educator Award is given annually to an outstanding educator supports MSET’s mission of advancing excellence in teaching and leading with technology. Any educator in a Maryland public or private school whose primary job responsibility is the direct instruction of students in an Early Childhood through Grade 12 or Higher Education classroom may be nominated. The educator must be currently responsible for the day-to-day instruction of PK-18 students. A nominee for this award may include a library media specialist and/or technology integration specialist, if at least seventy-five percent of his or her responsibilities include the direct instruction of PK-18 age students. 

Educator Teams are Invited to Apply for Free AI PD!

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is now enrolling teams of three to six educators in the 2022 AI Explorations cohort – and you and your team are invited!

Supported by an ISTE coach, your team can collaborate to complete our free PD program focused on the latest in artificial intelligence for education that includes:  

• Access to the 15-hour Artificial Intelligence Explorations and their Practical Use in School Environments online course, March 7-May 1 ($224 value). 
• One year of ISTE membership ($85 value).
• Access to our AI online community and webinar series where educators can connect with other learners and experts throughout the year.
• Opportunity to provide input on future ISTE AI offerings. 

Educators are the key to preparing students to thrive in a world where artificial intelligence is an integral part of their lives and careers. Why not build a team and take part in this FREE training?

The application can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ApplyISTEAI2022 and should be completed by February 21, 2022. Applications for teams of preservice or inservice K-12 teachers and education leaders from school, district, county, regional, state or university organizations will be considered. Priority acceptance will be given to U.S. schools and districts serving traditionally underrepresented student populations in STEM, as well as to educator teams in Michigan, Texas and California. Any remaining spots will be filled by other qualified teams in the U.S., U.S. territories and U.S. international schools.

Application Link 

Questions? Email Nancye Blair Black at aiprojectlead@iste.org.

MSET will be offering two high impact professional learning opportunities this month -- Science of Learning: Using Technology to Reduce Cognitive Load and Computational Thinking Tools & Strategies in K-8 Classrooms.

The Science of Learning session will feature Frederick County Public Schools' Maureen Corio and Tammy Sander to host its February's  Event. The 30-minute session is slated for Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at 8pm. The session will address strategies to use technology to reduce cognitive load.

The Computational Thinking Tools & Strategies in K-8 Classrooms session will feature Senior Education Partnerships Lead at Tynker Daniel Rezac on Wednesday, February 23, 2022 at 8pm. The session will dive into different tools and strategies to support computational thinking in K-8 classrooms. 

Registration for both events is free. Go to our Events page to register today.

MSET is excited to announce its annual Outstanding Educator Using Technology and Outstanding Leader Using Technology Awards. Individuals wishing to nominate a high octane educator or leader for these prestigious awards can now do so at 

www.msetonline.org/edu-leader-awards.

Nomination Guidelines for 2021-2022

• All MSET members are eligible to nominate or to be nominated. Either the nominator or the nominee must be a MSET member. If you attended Common Ground 2020, you are automatically a member of MSET.  If you need to join, you can do so by visiting: http://www.msetonline.org/membership.html 
• Intent to Nominate: For the first phase of nominations, due February 10, 2022, only the nominee’s name and contact information is required.
  
• Nominations Phase 2: The nomination packet will be due by March 31, 2022. Nominators and nominees will work together to complete the nomination packet. The nominator will be responsible for writing the nomination statement based on the artifacts that the nominee provides.​ 

Time is precious and especially to educators. To meet the needs of educators, MSET is taking a speedy route to supporting educations with Speed Tech Professional Learning. Speed Tech events are five 5-minute snapshots of either an instructional technology tool or activity that can be easily utilized by an educator in their professional practice

This month's Speed Tech Event is slated for Thursday, September 16, 2021 at 8pm EST and focuses on tools support educators in the classroom. The five mini-sessions will be facilitated by University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) faculty as well as by ISTE Board President Rand Hansen. Other UMGC faculty include Brandie Shatto, Erica Ellsworth, Kelly Rippard, and Joe Wieczorek. 

Attendees can signup for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card from sponsor American College of Education.

To register for the free Speed Tech Event go to: https://umgc-edu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RdeVY6BJQU6fwDdFagPGxw.

Maryland Society for Educational Technology (MSET) is proud to begin utilizing Amazon Smile. Many rely on Amazon for everything from books to grocery items, especially during COVID shutdowns. As a public non-profit, MSET is eligible to participate in AmazonSmile. When you shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to MSET. Signing up is very easy!

What is AmazonSmile?
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support the Maryland Society for Educational Technology every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to the Maryland Society for Educational Technology.

How do I shop at AmazonSmile?
To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. You may also want to add a bookmark to smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile.

Which products on AmazonSmile are eligible?
Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages. Recurring Subscribe-and-Save purchases and subscription renewals are not currently eligible.

Can I use my existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile?
Yes, you use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also the same.

How do I select the Maryland Society for Educational Technology to support when shopping on AmazonSmile?
On your first visit to AmazonSmile smile.amazon.com, you need to select a charitable organization (Maryland Society for Educational Technology is a non-profit) to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. We will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation.