Lindy Hockenbary
K-12 Educational Technology Consultant at InTECHgrated Professional Development
E-Learning
Education: Montana State University - Boise State University
Bozeman, MT, USA
Biography
Lindy knows the educational technology market in and out as she has spent her career in various roles in the education field: classroom teacher with a 1:1 environment, curriculum designer, professional development provider, technology integration specialist, educational technology consultant, and professional learning manager. In addition to various roles, Lindy has worked in virtually every area of education: schools, education service agencies, non-profits, and EdTech companies. Her consulting work over the last ten years has taken her to schools across the world, both in-person and virtually. These experiences have given her a unique perspective on K-12 education. She uses these experiences to facilitate hands-on trainings for teachers, engage educators through speaking engagements, and provide product feedback and training solutions to educational technology companies. She is the author of “A Teacher's Guide to Online Learning” and holds several edtech certifications, including Google for Education Certified Trainer, Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Master Trainer and Expert, and Minecraft Certified Trainer.
Passion
I am passionate about education reform, specifically using technology to transform traditional education.
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
I generally get paid for speaking but make exceptions
Topics
Best Story
It's 2008. I am a first year teacher. I teach business education, so my classroom is a computer lab. Every morning at 8:45 I stand in the middle of my classroom, and I watch every computer shut down at the same time. It is like clockwork! The school had no technology support. It was a small, rural school in Montana. We were lucky to have computers at all!
You might think that after a few days of this interruption I would give up on the technology, but no. You see, the computers gave my students opportunities that they would never have otherwise. And it was a great lesson to my students to never give up! FAIL = first attempt in learning.
Origin Story
After teaching in a small, rural school and working as a technology integration specialist for a regional education service agency, I realized that the only way teachers were going to use technology as a learning tool was if they had support. And the majority of small schools have no instructional technology support. This is how InTECHgrated Professional Development was born.
Since 2014, I have supported educators on their technology integration journeys. A natural progression from this role was to work with EdTech companies to ensure their products meet the needs of K-12 educators.
Example talks
Dear Educators: You Need to Know How AI Will Change the World
You need to know how AI will change the world. Yes, the 21st century brought an era of unprecedented technological advancements. But nothing will be as revolutionary as artificial intelligence (AI). It's not just a buzzword or a fleeting trend; AI is here to stay, and its impact on our world will be profound. These profound changes are coming now; we can no longer talk about the future world of AI. The world of AI is here.
The Classroom Connection
Let’s dig to the classroom level and talk everything instructional technology: What changes did the pandemic prompt? What are the expectations of using technology as a learning tool? What should be on your school’s radar? What is the future of K–12 EdTech? What technology will change education as we know it?
The Human Advantage: Expanding the 4 C's of 21st-Century Learning
The 4 C's represent essential human skills, and with the advent of AI, we have an incredible opportunity to spend more time and energy cultivating these skills. This is a new world, and we must prepare students for that world! Let’s expand the horizon of collaboration to include collaborating with AI. Let’s embrace AI’s potential to reduce cognitive load, freeing our minds in order to focus on critical thinking. Let’s utilize AI to streamline tasks and use the saved time to nurture our creative abilities.
How Do We Revolutionize the Cognitive Landscape in Schools?
AI can bring about revolutionary advancements in the way we think, learn, and work. Humans are already learning how to utilize AI to save time and reduce cognitive load, thereby opening up more time to focus on nurturing creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Now, the challenge lies in empowering educators to implement this cognitive augmentation in traditional classrooms. Let's explore the pivotal question: How can traditional education pivot to embrace AI collaboration, unlocking new frontiers of human potential?
What if Every Student Could Be a Published Author?
Did you know that in a matter of minutes anyone can publish a book to Amazon using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)? Using KDP is an easy and low-cost way to turn your students into real-life published authors. Learning doesn’t get any more authentic than that! Even better, once students publish their books, family and friends can easily order copies directly from Amazon, making it simple and easy for the teacher/school.
Is Your Badge Smart? The Case for Open Badging
Badging has become common for professional learning. It is a great way to gamify learning, provide recognition, and share achievements. But most badges are digital badges, not open badges. Digital badges are purely visual symbols. Open badges take badging to the next level. Open badges include metadata about that achievement, including what was completed, time commitment, evidence, and expiration date. Open badges benefit both the recipient and provider. Learn how to make your badging program smart!
AI-mazing Modern Assessments: Assessing Learning in the Age of AI
How do you assess learning when generative AI can complete traditional assessments with a high level of accuracy? Every teacher in the world currently has this question! The answer: modern assessments. Modern assessments bring what students do in their spare time into the classroom. A modern assessment purposefully amplifies the human advantage by requiring creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving. And most importantly, a modern assessment can’t be completed by AI!
Full STEAM Ahead With E-Textiles
Imagine your shirt could monitor your heart rate or your running shorts could instruct you to run faster or slow down. These are only two examples of e-textiles, a unique addition to your makerspace or STEM/STEAM programs! E-textiles even has interdisciplinary integrations beyond STEAM as the e-textile industry is exploding with many career possibilities in fields such as fashion, medical, outdoor gear, and automotive.
The Gateway to eSports: Minecraft Education
Does your school see the benefit of eSports but is unsure of where to start (or which game to endorse)? Do you want only school-appropriate games for your eSports program? Maybe you are looking for an eSports game appropriate for middle and elementary-aged students? Enter Minecraft Education, which is one of the only eSports games that was built for educational settings. This is why Minecraft Education is the gateway to eSports; it often tips the scale towards starting an eSports for your school. It is the perfect eSports starter game for all ages. And if it couldn’t get better, all the work is done for you with Minecraft Education's pre-built eSports worlds.
The Future Has Not Been Coded
The future of education has not been written, or better yet, coded. In fact, the future of education is quite literally in the hands of educational leaders. But emerging technologies often leave school leaders with more questions than answers. So what do you do as a school leader in a time where technology is changing faster than ever? How do you make decisions that take into account students’ best interests, futures, and safety? Let’s explore how technology can be leveraged in your schools to prepare students for their futures.