Technology is a daily fixture in the lives of children and teenagers, with cell phones, tablet computers, and game consoles providing new ways to play, network, and share information with others. That innate fascination with entertainment and communication tools can be a powerful influence, and it’s something that Leslie Perry has been capitalizing on as the technology integration specialist at the Whitby School in Greenwich, CT - the oldest Montessori school in the United States and an authorized International Baccalaureate School at the PYP (Primary Years) and MYP (Middle Years) levels.

Leslie is a 2010 graduate of Full Sail’s online Education Media Design and Technology program, and began reaching out to the Whitby School near the end of her degree – just as the administration was looking to hire someone to help their faculty implement new learning systems into their middle school classes.

“They had been planning to open up a position devoted to technology, and I graduated at just the right time to make it a perfect fit,” she says. “They seemed particularly excited about the Action Research Project I did at Full Sail, which is a year-long research project you have to do in order to graduate. My project was about working with a teacher who had not used technology before, and finding ways to make it more relevant to them, and engage them with a different style of education. That was exactly what the school was looking for, and it’s cool that my project helped get me the job.”

Eager to apply the ideas she developed while in Full Sail, Leslie’s first week saw her meeting with the faculty to discuss their curriculum needs, and develop ways to meet them using different applications. Less than six months later she has already incorporated a number of programs that are resonating with both teachers and students. This includes helping artists build digital portfolios for their work, having English students create and submit monthly book reports through Glogster, create an online magazine with Calameo, a virtual museum with Museum Boxes in Science, and even develop their visual literacy by studying the film version of To Kill A Mockingbird alongside reading the book in English.

“I jumped in right away and within the first week the kids were already building iWebs, I was just so excited,” she says. “It’s all been a whirlwind since then, and I’ve even started to move into helping some of the kids who have different learning needs using technology. A few examples of this include creating clickable PDFs that have prompts for taking notes. or making a podcast for, a visual learner where I read the chapter out loud so she could listen to it. There’s so many different ways to reach these kids, and I love helping them find what works best for their learning style.”

Helping students understand and use these new tools is only part of Leslie’s challenge in promoting a technology program at the school. She has also put a lot of effort into guiding the teachers as they became acclimated to the same platforms, and taking special care to make sure not to overcomplicate the curriculum.

“The thing I really wanted to do was make sure I was always there to support the teacher in the classroom,” she says. “I’m lucky because the school I’m at is very forward thinking, so even if a teacher is not necessarily savvy with technology, they’re all very willing participants in the ideas that I have. I also try to look at what will work for each individual project, so that it’s relevant and doesn’t take away from what they’re teaching. I believe that technology should always make sense for the situation, and that it’s going to be the best use of time for the students.”

With all the enhancements she’s been able to add to the courses at the Whitby School, Leslie is only just getting started on her goal of bringing new learning platforms to the classroom. Speaking to her about her position, and the opportunities for technology to inspire students, it’s obvious that there’s as much potential for passion and creativity in education as there is in any other media industry.

“It’s very rewarding because it’s so creative,” she says. “I have to keep coming up with new ideas, and I’m challenged constantly. I read blogs, I’m up on the latest research, I’m always looking at emerging tools – I really have to be aware of what’s going on out there. And what’s great is to have teachers appreciate that, and to see the kids so excited about it, and actually learning. I’m at a point where the teachers have seen a lot of excitement in the classroom, and their kids are really engaged, so now they’re the ones coming to me. I feel lucky that I’m able to have the flexibility with the school to try all this great stuff. It’s a very nice match.”