Krista Albrecht

Position: Instructional Technology Specialist

School: James H. Boyd Intermediate School

School District: Elwood School District

City, State: Huntington, New York

About the Nominee: Krista Albrecht was nominated by her principal, Denise Toscano.Ms. Albrecht's vision for technology in the classroom is to break down classroom walls and give the students access to information outside the textbook and physical constraints of traditional schooling. She is well informed of the latest research on instructional technology strategies to enhance curriculum and depth of student learning. She provides highly effective demonstrations in the classroom, which increases student engagement. Ms. Albrecht has played a vital role in implementing the rollout of the Chrome Book 1:1 initiative at the Elwood Middle School and John Glenn High School.On a daily basis, Ms. Albrecht collaborates with teachers in grades K-12 to enhance lessons that utilize technology. She coordinated the district-wide “Hour of Code” incentive, which reached even primary-level students. At the high school level, she implemented an online learning portal for students to gain access to course work not offered by the district. Last year, she worked with the Director of Technology in creating a district-wide Maker Faire to enhance engineering and STEM activities for students. On her school website, she offers resources and support to students and parents. She helps teachers bridge communication with parents regarding curriculum and student engagement through software subscriptions such as Voicethread and Seesaw.Ms. Albrecht demonstrates leadership abilities in that she provides real-time professional development for teachers and staff. Her work with vendors to bring in new software initiatives is an asset to the district. Due to her strong working knowledge in technology, she has assisted teachers in grant writing to continue to bring technology funds to the district. Designing after school and summer session courses, such as Google Camps and GSuite for teachers at all levels of proficiency, shows her commitment to professionally developing teachers. Technology truly has the ability to reach all students as learners and having such a dedicated, innovative instructional technology specialist is the definition of a LifeChanger!

[nominee_videos nominee_email="kalbrecht@elwood.k12.ny.us"]