Local administrator goes to Google Academy

The Centennial School District?s instructional technology specialist is one of 50 teachers worldwide who?ve been invited to attend the Google Teacher Academy in Chicago later this month.

Philip Vinogradov and the others attendees will become Google Certified Teachers after an intensive two days of learning July 23 and 24.

?The other people who are in it are rock stars. I already knew their names just from being in the field,? Vinogradov said, adding that invitees include Jim Sanders, a Presidential Innovation Fellow at the White House.

As a Google Certified Teacher, Vinogradov will have access to the online community of teachers around the globe who have been certified by the Internet search engine, be involved in special events and have the right to post the Google Certified Teacher logo badge on his website and blog posts.

?It?s really world-class professional development. It?s really intense, really fantastic,? he said.

Academy participants are teachers and administrators who hold a range of jobs in elementary and secondary schools. The academy is designed to give them hands-on experience using Google tools, help them learn innovative instructional strategies, and give them resources to share with their colleagues, according to Google.

The academy is produced by Computer-Using Educators, a nonprofit educational corporation committed to advancing student achievement through technology. It?s a free professional development experience that teachers earn through a highly competitive application process that includes an original one-minute video.

Participants are chosen based on their professional experience, passion for teaching and learning, and their successful use of technology in school settings.

?I?ve applied once before and typically, a teacher might apply many times. ... It?s really hard to get into. ... It?s a really arduous application process,? Vinogradov said. ?What I?ve been told is that it will completely change your paradigm. You think you know Google apps, and you?ll come out completely knowing it in a new way.?

Centennial Superintendent Joyce Mundy said the certification will enable Vinogradov to build a network to support his use of Google technology and mentor and instruct other district teachers on using Google applications.

?It?s exciting. It takes him to another level of expertise,? Mundy said.

School board President Andrew Pollock said, ?He keeps doing wondrous things with technology and is on the cutting edge of a lot of innovations that are happening in high schools and in schools in general. He is a person that deserves this honor and it?s great for him and for Centennial.?

Vinogradov contributed to the school district?s 21st Century Learning Laboratory, a high-tech room that allows classes across the district to experience virtual trips, computer-based interactive learning and more.

Within a year after his certification at the academy, he?s expected to lead at least three professional development activities, develop a personal action plan outlining a project he will complete, and deploy a school onto Google Apps for Education, which provides free email and collaboration tools for schools.

Vinogradov said that he?s already gained a lot just from interacting with other academy educators before the training even starts.

?The other 49, as soon as we were accepted, we started talking and collaborating,? he said.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/52466807/ns/local_news-delaware_valley_pa_nj/

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