Maryland Society for Educational Technology (MSET) Maryland Outstanding Educator Using Technology Award It is my pleasure to nominate Mr.

Matthew Tack, 5th grade teacher at Fountaindale Elementary School for the Arts and Academic Excellence, for the Maryland Outstanding Educator Using Technology Award. Mr. Tack is extremely skilled in his use of technology as an instructional tool to increase student engagement. He is committed to using technology to engage his students in learning and to truly have his students, digital natives, experience a 21st century classroom. He uses a variety of instructional tools including (but not limited to) Gaggle, blogs, podcasting, Glogster, Stixy, Weebly, and wikis on a daily basis instructionally in his classroom. He successfully integrates technology into all content areas so that his students have an enhanced learning experience. Mr. Tacks students demonstrate an excellent working knowledge of technology as expected in the Maryland Technology Literacy Standards for Students. During the course of his instruction, his students transition from traditional class work to using technology with ease and they utilize a variety of diverse programs and equipment seamlessly. Beyond the walls of his classroom, he extends that experience to his co-workers and other WCPS staff by providing them with training on how to develop technology infused assignments and projects for their classrooms. Students love being in Mr. Tacks classroom and are thrilled at the increased use of technology that they experience. Mr. Tack uses several software programs to increase student engagement and their learning. Higher order questions are posted on Stixy that all fifth grade students can respond to, those responses are then posted to Edmodo and the students throughout fifth grade can then respond to each others thoughts and ideas. Mr. Tack and his students also use Gaggle to share math links between the fifth grade classrooms. Project based learning is a focus for Fountaindale, and it is embraced by Mr. Tack. He created a website for students that includes project cards and a product rubric. Students are familiar with the rubric and post their work again to Edmodo for other students to critique and comment on. The work is further refined by the students from this input and uploaded to the students portfolio which is housed on Weebly. Mr. Tack has his students forming their own research questions using a variety of online resources such as the WCPS subscription databases to obtain credible information to answer their questions and complete their projects. The students in Mr. Tacks class have benefited greatly from his use and knowledge of technology. Mr. Tack is very involved with local technology initiatives and has demonstrated his ability to have a positive and significant impact in promoting the use of technology in education. In addition to being a classroom teacher, Mr. Tack represents his school as a member of the Instructional Technology Leadership Cohort (ITLC) and a member of the 21st Century Skills professional learning group, both at the county level. These two groups are helping develop a systemic vision and plan for technology use and professional development in Washington County. His knowledge, expertise, and willingness to take on additional challenges are greatly appreciated within this setting. He has also presented various technology integration techniques for the classroom at numerous county professional development workshops. At the school level, Mr. Tack has presented to the Fountaindale Elementary staff on a variety of topics including Edmodo, Weebly, SIRS, and Stixy. Teachers have been provided with training and support to ensure effective usage of the technology to benefit all students in the school community. In summary, I believe that Mr. Tack has demonstrated leadership as an educator in the classroom and has made exemplary contributions to the implementation of technology in Washington County Public Schools. Respectfully submitted, Jona French Supervisor, Instructional Technology and Library Media Programs

Washington County Public Schools 820 Commonwealth Avenue Hagerstown, MD 21741 frencjon@wcps.k12.md.us 301-766-2945