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Lexington Teachers Win 2012 National Teacher Innovator Award

For Immediate Release
May 14, 2013

South Carolina can proudly claim two of the ten teachers to win first-place prizes with the PBS LearningMedia and The Henry Ford's 2012 Teacher Innovator Awards. 

The ten nationwide winners were selected for their work utilizing technology in innovative ways to inspire and educate young minds.

The two South Carolina winners are: Lynn Dempsey from Lexington Elementary School, Lexington, S.C., and Lori Russell from Meadow Glen Elementary School, Lexington, S.C., both of Lexington County School District One.  SCETV President and CEO Linda O'Bryon will present the two awards at the Lexington County School District One Board of Trustees meeting on May 21, 2013. 

Dempsey's 4th grade class developed an election ballot using Google Docs. A mock election was then held for grades 3-5 using iPads. Afterwards, students analyzed the data to view voter results and compare those results to national numbers.

"I use many services PBS and SCETV offer.  The lesson I submitted with our Mock Election required us to collect data about the national election.  My students could watch the news on ETV and I knew they would receive the information we needed in a safe environment," said Dempsey. "Students learn best when actively engaged and PBS and SCETV offer me both hands on learning and digital learning opportunities.  When students have digital media and active engagement, learning happens.  Digital learning provides students with ways to get information, to solve problems and to communicate their understanding.  PBS and SCETV provide me with the tools to give those opportunities to students."

Russell incorporated digital media in a first grade classroom as a way to stimulate group and individual learning. Students employ Kindles, iPods, iPads, MP3 players, and laptops to read, listen to and illustrate stories, and interact with other students.   

"ETV StreamlineSC allows me to fulfill the vision of our school on a daily basis by engaging students and enhancing instruction with research based media. As an educator committed to motivating minds, I am thrilled to have access to a resource which provides digital media related to all content areas and standards our 21^st Century Learners are working toward mastering," said Russell. 

In recognition of their efforts, Dempsey and Russell will receive a weeklong "Innovation Immersion Experience" at The Henry Ford, a free online professional development course from PBS TeacherLine, an award plaque, and a gift bag from PBS and The Henry Ford.

SCETV has been providing educational services using technology for over 50 years. Recent SCETV educational services include the web portal Knowitall.org, which provides a variety of free education material designed for students K-12, and the website StreamlineSC, which makes over 10,000 educational videos and corresponding lesson plans and quizzes available to every public, private and home school in South Carolina. 

"ETV and ETV Radio have a proud history of supporting education in South Carolina, and we're delighted to help recognize the work of these two outstanding teachers. Their ingenuity and creativity shines a bright light on innovation in South Carolina classrooms," said Linda O'Bryon, President and CEO of ETV.

“Across the nation, educators at every level of school are embracing digital media more than ever to engage students in the arts, math, reading, science and social studies to inspire higher achievement and better performance,” said Rob Lippincott, Senior Vice President, Education Strategy and Partnerships, PBS. “PBS, our member stations and forward-thinking partners at The Henry Ford are proud to recognize outstanding educators for their innovative approaches to advancing learning in classrooms nationwide.”

About PBS LearningMedia

 As America’s largest classroom, teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS LearningMedia, a partnership of PBS and WGBH Educational Foundation, is a free media-on-demand service available to educators nationwide. It brings together the best of public media and delivers research-based, classroom-ready rich media experiences that engage students in exploring curriculum concepts that align with National and Common Core State Standards. Drawing from critically acclaimed PBS programs such as NOVA, FRONTLINE, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and PBS KIDS programs like SID THE SCIENCE KID, as well as content from organizations including The National Archives Smithsonian, NPR, and NASA, the free service offers teachers access to more than 20,000 videos, images and articles to enrich classroom instruction. Nationwide, more than 850,000 teachers have registered access to PBS LearningMedia. More information about PBS LearningMedia is available at www.pbslearningmedia.org, or by following PBS LearningMedia on Twitter and Facebook.

About The Henry Ford

The Henry Ford, in Dearborn, Michigan, is the world’s premier history destination and a National Historic Landmark that celebrates American history and innovation. Its mission is to provide unique educational experiences based on authentic objects, stories and lives from America’s traditions of ingenuity, resourcefulness and innovation. Its purpose is to inspire people to learn from these traditions to help shape a better future. Five distinct attractions at The Henry Ford captivate more than 1.5 million visitors annually: Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, The Ford Rouge Factory Tour, The Benson Ford Research Center and The Henry Ford IMAX Theatre. The Henry Ford is also home to Henry Ford Academy, a public charter high school which educates 485 students a year on the institution’s campus and was founded in partnership with The Henry Ford, Ford Motor Company and Wayne County Public Schools. For more information please visit the website thehenryford.org.

South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television and eight radio transmitters, and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.

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