Professional Development with CBE of the Month Jeannine Freeman
Posted by cemignano on
We’d like to introduce you to June’s Certified BrainPOP Educator of the Month, Jeannine Freeman! Jeannine comes to us with an impressive teaching background and a unique perspective as her students are teachers. As a learning coach, Jeannine works with teachers on how they can implement BrainPOP’s resources and we think she’ll inspire you, as well!
What grade(s) do you teach? Subject area?
I am currently the Director of Digital Learning in Hays Consolidated ISD, but am in transition with positions. In July, I will become the Elementary Digital Learning Coach at Fort Sam Houston ISD.
How long have you been teaching?
I have been in education for 9 years.
What inspired you to go into education?
As a child, I always loved to play school. I taught my stuffed animals how to read, write and do math. I always asked for old consumables, posters, resources, etc… from my teachers. I was blessed in school to have amazing teachers. They fostered my love of learning by making learning fun. I enjoyed school and it was because of those teachers that I did. As I grew older I began babysitting and teaching dance and enjoyed every minute working with kids. I had two majors in college before I realized that I was trying to go into fields that I just wasn’t meant for. The most obvious choice based on my passions was to become a teacher and I haven’t looked back since. I’m now friends will all of the teachers that inspired me and have even had the pleasure of collaborating with my all time favorite teacher from Kindergarten. I can only hope to have the same impact on students, teachers and education that these role models had on me.
Which CBE class were you a part of? What do you like about being a CBE?
I became a CBE in February of 2016 at the TCEA convention. I have always loved BrainPOP, but knew I wasn’t using it for everything that I could be. Attending the CBE course, gave me a much deeper understanding of everything BrainPOP has to offer. I love the community that comes with being a CBE. I have learned so much from others in the community and continue to grow in my knowledge. I also love having the opportunity to give feedback on new things as they become available. BrainPOP actually listens to feedback and is constantly trying to make this digital tool better every day. I love that I can say I’m a part of that process.
What is one of the most memorable projects you’ve done with your teachers using BrainPOP resources?
The majority of my experience with BrainPOP since becoming a CBE involves training teachers. This gives me the opportunity to see how it is being used in many different classrooms. My favorite projects involve using a multitude of resources from BrainPOP culminating in student creation of a product. Specifically, I enjoyed a project on natural disasters. Students were able to choose a natural disaster that they wanted to learn more about. They watched videos, played games, read more information and viewed primary sources all from inside of BrainPOP. After they gathered all of the knowledge they could from BrainPOP, they were tasked with teaching the rest of the class about the natural disaster they researched through creating a movie, mind map, or coding. You really got to see the personality come out in each kid as they explained the same information in many different ways. I just love the ability to give students voice by choosing how they present information.
How has BrainPOP impacted a specific teacher (or group of teachers)?
The biggest AHA moment that I had with teachers came with the ability to create assignments with assignment builder that they could customize for different groups of students. This was a game changer because it made it so easy for teachers to differentiate instruction. This impacts all student groups tremendously.
How has becoming a CBE impacted you?
Becoming a CBE has opened doors for me to grow my professional learning network. I was fortunate enough to go to the BrainPOP Summer Learning Institute in New York last summer. I met an amazing group of educators that I know I will remain in contact with for the rest of my career and probably my life. The opportunity to collaborate with them, share innovative ways to use BrainPOP, and give feedback to the development and education teams has been priceless.
What are you most passionate about when it comes to education, technology, and your approaches to teaching?
I am most passionate about customization for each learner. Students, teachers, administrators, parents, etc… all learn differently. No two learners are the same. It is my passion to meet each learner at their level, provide them with the resources they need to be successful, help them to grow at their own pace, and giving choice in how they learn something and show what they know.
What’s on your BrainPOP wish list?
Collaboration. I’d love to see the ability for students to be able to collaborate on movies, coding projects, mind maps, etc… in live time similar to sharing a Google Slides Presentation.
