Week 4 Leadership Role Model Reflection

TechHelper's EdTech Hero: Meg Ormiston

Meg Ormiston
Published with permission

I met Meg Ormiston about six years ago at our annual conference and workshop, Week of the Young Child. The conference is conducted and hosted by the Middle Grades Department, College of Education, at Armstrong Atlantic State University. Each year the conference is held for pre-service teachers or teacher candidates to be introduced to a myriad of educational and academic related topics. One year we invited Meg as our Keynote Speaker and boy did we get a KEYNOTE speaker!

Meg is passionate about transforming teaching and learning thorough the power of digital tools. She is a high energy, animated, and motivating speaker captivating everyone within the sound of her voice or mesmerized by her podium presence. She addresses large and small audiences with the same enthusiasm. I have seen and auditorium with over 200 participants engaged in learning activities as though they were in a small group activity. Participants with eye wide-opened, hands flying up to indicate acknowledgment or an answer, and adults flying out of their seats in anticipation of a correct response. Her keynotes are full of content, examples, and information. No one that I know has gone into her workshops and has not come away with something useful in their own personal teaching library.

Meg travels nationally and internationally empowering educators through her dynamic presentations focused on creating positive change in the classroom. She has researched how curriculum aligned to the common core state standards can be delivered through the use of visual images, simulations and multimedia, coupled with real-time assessments. Meg has authored five books with the most recent winning the prestigious Book of the Year 2010 award. Its title is, Creating a Digital Rich Classroom: Teaching and Learning in a Web 2.0 World. What’s more exciting is that she is developing online professional development to engage staff anytime and anywhere.

In this blog post I wanted to look at individuals or organizations that I admired and spell out what it is that attracts me and how I might incorporate this [attraction] into my own leadership style. I did not have to look too far or hard. Ever since I met Meg and seen her every time thereafter I have admired the work she does using her talents to make her positive mark on education. That’s what attracts me to her. I desire to use my talents with that same burning passion to ignite teachers and educational leaders to “think outside the box” when it comes to technology integration and adoption.  To quote Meg, she says, “I’m not about technology, I’m about teaching and learning” and to it I add my personal phrase that I’ve said for years, “I’m not a techie. I’m and educator.” Meg inspires me to be a passionate educator in using my technology skills and I'm proud to know someone like her.

"Role Model" a definition:   

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