English teacher Paula Johnson is September's TIG/APS Education Foundation Innovation Award winner, earning $100 in cash and $2,500 to spend on interactive classroom tools or training. 

English teacher Paula Johnson and representatives from TIG. 

September 13, 2012

English teacher Paula Johnson says the Promethean Board in her classroom at Valley High School has changed the way she teaches and also the way her students learn. Her smooth integration of the tool into her daily lessons has won Johnson the September TIG/APS Education Foundation Innovation Award for educators using technology in creative ways.

The award includes a $100 check as well as $2,500 to spend on a variety of ActivClassroom interactive tools or training to assist in the use of Promethean Boards for education.

TIG has partnered with the Foundation to create the Innovation Award that is presented monthly during the school year to a district teacher who is advancing education in the classroom through the use of technology including Promethean Boards.

Johnson, who also is the English department chair at Valley, said the Promethean Board has helped her students at all levels. For those struggling either with grade level comprehension or English as a second language, the visual reinforcement of the board helps them process more information far more quickly and deeply; for previously apathetic students, the use of technology is engaging; for all students, the lessons on the board utilize more senses and engage more parts of their brain.

“No more sit-n-get!” Johnson said. “Their long-term memory of the content and skills of the lesson has manifested in higher quality work and more students passing the class this year.”

Johnson said she plans to make all of her lessons more interactive.

“Using the Promethean Board every day in my classroom has helped more students to succeed. More students can see, more are engaged, and more stay with me for the whole lesson which deepens their understanding, leading to more completed analyses in class and higher grades,” she said.

“I especially appreciate how the board accommodates for special needs and different learning styles, on top of being highly interactive with the students. I don't think I could go one day with my board!”

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