SESSIONS & SPEAKERS
Alabama educators, join us for an informational meeting to discover how Fund for Teachers lets you design your own professional development journey for anywhere in the world! Hear directly from past grant recipients who will share tips on the application process and stories of their experiences.
NOVEMBER 19, 4:00 p.m.
Speaker:
Blake Busbin
K-12 Social Studies Specialist
Alabama State Department of Education
DECEMBER 2, 4:00 p.m.
Speaker:
April Chamberlain
Technology and Library Supervisor
Trussville City Schools
ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS
Blake Busbin is the Alabama State Department of Education Social Studies Specialist, a position he has served in since 2022. He previously taught at Auburn High School for fifteen years. He taught AP America Government and Politics, AP US History, and Grade 10 US History. In 2020, he applied for a Fund for Teachers grant to visit the major sites of Civil War memory – national parks, museums, graveyards, and capital cities. With COVID, this trip was postponed until 2021. Taking over 2,000 photos of monuments and other historical markers, he used the trip to create multiple learning opportunities while teaching the Civil War era to study historical memory. This culminated in students designing their own “National Civil War Monument.” Following this experience, he also pursued an Innovation Circles Grant to build upon this previous experience. This grant pursued a similar line of thinking, but focused on how slavery is remembered.
April Chamberlain began her career in education as a sixth-grade teacher in 1996. She taught various elementary grades and subjects before becoming the first technology lab teacher at Paine Intermediate School. She then transitioned to the role of District Technology Integration Specialist for Trussville City Schools, where she led professional development, co-taught with K-12 teachers, and developed resources for both students and educators. She is currently the Technology Coordinator for Trussville City Schools, where her passion for educating students continues as she guides the informational and instructional aspects of the department. She stays connected to the classroom by facilitating several in-school enrichment opportunities that support digital literacy and computer science standards. She is also active in local, state, and national organizations, sharing insights and learning from others through groups such as Alabama Leaders of Educational Technology, the Alabama Digital Literacy and Computer Science Course of Study Committee and Task Force, @TechBirmingham, and the International Society for Technology in Education. She is married with two sons who love Disney, Star Wars, and spending time with family.
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