Administrator Highlight with Christine Voigt
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hristine Voigt, Director of Curriculum and Instructional Technology, was first connected to Bishop Dunne in 1995 through the GeoTech Conference. Later, in 2000, she began working part time at the school, assisting with the GeoTech Conference, grant writing around educational technology, and providing professional development for faculty. As the use of technology in education grew, so did her role at Bishop Dunne. Some of the innovations she has helped to implement include: • 2000 Learning management system and digital gradebooks for all classes. Creation of the first Bishop Dunne website • 2001 Assisted in creation of the Bishop Dunne GIS lab • 2005 SMART Boards and teacher desktops in every classroom • 2008 iPod 1:1 program for students and faculty. Teacher created lesson podcasts • 2008 Originated the school’s social media accounts • 2009 eBook integration • 2010 BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), No snow day policy • 2018 Integration of Office 365
When asked about the impact of the pandemic on education in general, Christine stated, “There were no experts on educating during a pandemic, no research or ideas, but there were lots of possibilities. Often we stated the fact that this is our ‘first day of teaching’ no matter how long we have been educators. Over the summer we defined what teaching and learning would look like. We discussed schedules, student engagement, community, health and safety, and communication. It was not all about technology, it was about instruction and ways to continue building connections with our students and families. The pandemic has forever changed teaching and learning, presenting us with a ‘new normal’, not just for Bishop Dunne, but for the world. Bishop Dunne will continue to be one of the leaders of innovation and teaching.”
Today, we take things like this for granted, but early on, Bishop Dunne was on the cutting edge for many of these innovations. Christine is an award-winning educator and author receiving recognition from the Texas Alliance for Geographic Education and the National Council for Geographic Education. She has a Master of Science in Computer Education and Cognitive Systems from UNT, and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from SMU. During her 29 years as an educator, Christing has taught English, literature, science and social studies from grades 6-12. She is wife to Brian and proud mom of two Bishop Dunne Falcons, Robert ’18 and Anthony ’25. She chose Bishop Dunne as a parent for the same reason she was attracted to the school as an educator; its diversity, dedication to social justice, and preparation for the real world. Bishop Dunne was recognized by the Diocese of Dallas for being well-prepared, easily pivoting to online learning in March 2020, while other schools were still trying to figure out how to make it happen. Technology is so infused in Bishop Dunne’s day-to-day instruction, it is expected. Throughout the pandemic, Bishop Dunne was able to persevere and continue moving forward without losing any instructional momentum. WWW.BDCS.ORG
JULY 2021
CONNECTIONS
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