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Chris Lehmann | Outstanding Leader Award
Chris Lehmann is perhaps best known as the founding principal of the Science Leadership Academy (SLA) in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, USA. SLA is an inquiry-based high school that
works in partnership with the Franklin Institute to provide
a rigorous, college-preparatory curriculum with a focus on
science, technology, mathematics, and entrepreneurship.
It was a bold undertaking to start the public school back
in 2006 in a challenging urban environment. But seven years
later, the school is such a model of success that the Philadelphia
community has asked Lehmann to replicate the cutting-edge,
tech-focused school at other locations.
Lehmann was not interested in starting a STEM school or a
tech-focused school. His dream was to develop an inquiry-based
school where ubiquitous technology allows students to research,
create, collaborate, present, and share their work with others by
taking full ownership of their learning.
As if that wasn’t enough of a contribution to education,
Lehmann also founded EduCon ( educonphilly.org), a school
reform conference based at SLA that marries progressive
pedagogy with digital age tools. In 2012, the conference drew
more than 600 educators from 43 states and four countries.
Thousands more attended online. He also founded The Beacon
School, named the top high school in Manhattan, New York,
USA, in 2003 by Blackboard Awards.
Given that résumé, it’s obvious Lehmann is a visionary and astute
leader. But listen to those who work closely with him, and you’ll
learn that he’s so much more than an administrative superstar.
“I have seen him time and time again identify a person’s raw
talent and pull the best out of them,” writes Marcie Hall, SLA’s
technology coordinator. “He does this with kindness and
care and without a hint of hubris.”
He’s more than an authority figure to SLA students
as well. “I don’t know how he does it, but he knows
everyone’s name and at least one or two things
about them—everyone,” said former student
Dylan Cordivari. “I think that is amazing.
It makes me feel like we are all important,
like we all belong here.”
Watch his TEDx Philly talk:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS2IPf WZQM4
Read his blog, A Practical Theory:
practicaltheory.org/blog
Follow him on Twitter @chrislehmann
Nicholas Provenzano | Outstanding Teacher Award
As it turns out, Nicholas Provenzano, a technology curriculum specialist from Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan,
USA, was named ISTE’s 2013 Outstanding Teacher. But
he might just as well have won an Oscar for an ambitious English language arts project that he produced. He
helped organize 150 students across two states to create
a full-length film based on Shakespeare’s play Romeo and
Juliet. The students blogged, Skyped, and collaborated on
the script using Google Docs and wikis. They used digital
video cameras and MacBooks to film, iMovie to edit, and
Twitter and Facebook to promote the finished product. So
much for reading the play aloud in class and completing a
book report.
In two months, his students, working with a class from
Van Meter, Iowa, USA, produced an 80-minute film that
was much more than an assessment of content learning.
“Not only were students able to explore Shakespeare, but
they were able to learn about their new friends as well,”
Provenzano said.
Provenzano said he carefully considers what technology
he uses, and he focuses on content first. “Once I have created a lesson, I look to see how technology can add to the
lesson in different ways,” Provenzano said. “I always use the
NETS when considering what type of technology I want to
introduce and the impact it can have on the lesson.”
