Brian Crosby, an upper elementary teacher for over 30 years, now facilitates STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education for teachers and administrators in six counties in northern Nevada. Coming from a background in outdoor education and educational technology, Brian fused his “at risk” students use of technology with field trips, art, hands-on activities and a problem-based approach, to build their schema of the world while at once connecting them to it.
Brian’s students are acclaimed for the “community service” projects they accomplish and he espouses, believing that if children are seen as the valuable public resource they are, while they do important work and learning, society will be more willing to invest in them. Building a wiki web site to leverage the learning at a local animal park, developing an advertising campaign for a non-profit that recycles bicycles, producing award winning public service announcements about diversity and bullying, including a classmate with leukemia utilizing video-conferencing and then producing an award winning video teaching others how to follow their lead, are just some examples.
Brian has been interviewed about innovative teaching and learning by Brian Williams of NBC News, the New York Times and many other national and local media outlets. He has co-authored a book about connected learning, “Making Connections With Blogging” and has mentored educators and presented about connected and STEM learning in person as far away as China, and virtually around the globe.
Brian believes strongly that providing exciting and motivating hands-on, minds-on experiences, although crucial, is not good enough for our students. They require the time to “Go Deep” and leverage their learning through all aspects of the curriculum including integrated, rigorous language arts, math, art and social studies work.
Contact info: learningismessy(at)gmail.com
Presentations:
TEDxDenver ED “Back To The Future?”
TEDxNYED “Is It Time For Real Innovation In Education?”
Keynote Speaker K12 Online Conference
Presenter K12 Online Conference – “Video-Conferencing, It’s Easy, Free and Powerful”
Presenter National Education Computing Conference, San Antonio, Texas
Featured Presenter Learning 2.008 Conference, Shanghai, China
Presenter National Science Teachers Convention, San Diego, California
Presenter Nevada State Technology Conference, Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007
Presenter Nevada Association of School Counselors Convention, Las Vegas, Nevada
Author:
Co-Author, “Making Connections With Blogging” – “Authentic Learning for Today’s Classrooms” by Lisa Parisi and Brian Crosby
Video conferencing, web 2.0 apps help distance learners feel included, eSchool News, March 25, 2008, by Brian Crosby
Co-Author: ” Making across the country feel like across the classroom,” Google Docs Blog, May 2008
Articles About:
Educational Leadership, A Digital Bridge to Homebound Students, Pages 92-93, December 2009/ January 2010 / Volume 64 / Number 4 by William M. Ferriter
Reno Magazine, Cover Story, The Visionaries: Interactive Education, Pages 56, 57 September 2008, by Scott Mortimore
Show and Tell, T.H.E Journal, May 2008, by Matt Bolch
Mind The Gap, NEA Today Magazine, March 2008, by Cindy Long
Promethean Planet “Teacher Feature” Teacher of the Month.
Teachers At Work, Energize Your Classroom, Visual Thesaurus, September 2006,
Awards:
The 2008 SIGTel Online Learning Award
Apple iLife Award – Video: Don’t Laugh At Me
Lumiere Film Festival Winner
Reno Film Festival Winner
WCTA Distinguished Teacher
Contact info: learningismessy(at)gmail.com