Samsung Electronics America Hosts Professional Growth Meetups to Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week 2023

Samsung Electronics America launched the Urban Initiatives to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, which runs from May 8 to 13, and to acknowledge the incredible progress that our teachers have made. For teachers all over the country, the past three years were a turning point. They were tasked with teaching students in remote learning environments and quickly implementing new teaching strategies. We are aware of the tremendous stress that educators endure each day. This series of meetings is designed to assist teachers in enhancing their professional development and gaining fresh perspectives on the future of learning.

The Urban Initiatives, which were held in Irvine, California, New York, and Chicago, provided teachers from the surrounding metropolitan areas with the chance to gather with their peers and learn new classroom instruction techniques from Samsung Education Coaches, who are all experts in curriculum development and instructional design. In addition, participants were given a sneak peek at Samsung’s brand-new Interactive Display, which is based on Android OS, to see how the technology could be used in the classroom.

“Reflecting on the incredible efforts made by educators of all levels, Samsung is committed to shining a light on the importance of educator wellness and support,” said Dr. Micah Shippee, Director of Education Technology Consulting and Solutions at Samsung Electronics America. “Amid ongoing challenges with learning loss and education inequities, our teachers continue to go above and beyond to create safe and enriching learning environments for their students. As an educator who taught in K-12 classrooms for over 22 years, I am thrilled to lead our Urban Initiatives and create a safe space for teachers to be heard, feel supported, and learn from their peers.”

California schools focus on critical problem-solving skills

The first event was held on March 21 at Samsung’s Executive Briefing Center (EBC) in Irvine, California, in collaboration with the Certification and Career Pathways Readiness Group (2CPR Group). At the event, high school Career Technical Education (CTE) teachers from Downey Unified School District, Huntington Beach Union High School District, and ABC Unified School District discussed tools and methods for preparing their students for the challenges of the future.

Education Coaches Dee Lanier and Rachel Swanson led two workshops for students aimed at developing skills for the future by making use of Samsung’s Interactive Displays. Critical thinking, empathy, and creativity were among the skills that were taught in the design-thinking workshop. Teachers engaged in empathetic problem-solving and reflected on how their personal classroom experiences could inform new pedagogical practices through a series of hands-on activities using various apps on the Interactive Display.

The second workshop, “Solving Global Goals Using Solve in Time!” taught participants about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, a list of 17 goals for reducing inequality, tackling climate change, reducing poverty, and improving health and education. A deck of cards and a gamified design thinking activity were used in the session. Participants were able to collaborate and investigate potential solutions to a variety of global challenges in small groups during this fast-paced session, creating a model for the kind of interactive environment they can replicate in their own classrooms.

The event was coordinated by Angela Allison, co-founder of 2CPR Group, Dr. Micah Shippee, and Jenny Shull, Senior Key Account Manager of Education for Samsung. “Samsung’s commitment to providing industry-leading professional development for CTE teachers is commendable,” Allison said. “Their collaboration with us and the participating districts has created a powerful learning experience for educators, ultimately benefiting their students’ futures.”

New York City teachers interface and share new classroom ideas at Samsung 837

On April 20, Samsung held an exciting event in conjunction with the New York City Department of Education at its flagship store at 837, following the EBC workshops in Irvine. In Manhattan, teachers and administrators from the five boroughs met to discuss the current state of classroom teaching and the prospects for the future.

The event featured breakout sessions led by Samsung Education Coaches and local New York City lecturers. For example, Luisa Escalera, a special education teacher from District 75, gave a computer science session that talked about how important instructional technology is and how students in special education should be involved. Creative design, sketchnoting, promoting mindfulness, eSports, and the use of Minecraft in education were among the topics discussed in other sessions. Samsung Education Coaches Dee Lanier, Rachel Swanson, Monica Martinez, and Anthony Alexandre gave thought initiative and product support.

The event concluded with a guided tour through the highly immersive 837 stores, which offered teachers and administrators the chance to investigate Samsung’s different range of products, incorporating staggering displays used in schools around the world. Attendees were assisted in learning about all of Samsung’s Education offerings by Senior Manager Michele Gill Conte of Samsung Electronics America. Samsung covered off the night with after-party beverages and festivities at the Standard Biergarten under the High Line.

Chicago educators explore ways to bridge learning gaps in K-12 schools

Last week, Samsung welcomed local Chicago teachers to the Fulton Market Kitchen where they got instructional guidance on ways of embracing new teaching practices and learned how to integrate display technology that supports student engagement, increments knowledge retention, and cultivates classroom collaboration. All Jim Kuziela, Senior Key Account Manager, Education, Samsung Electronics America, engaged with the teachers and shared how their schools can get to Samsung’s Education products and resources.

The opening keynote delivered by Samsung Education Coach Dee Lanier was based on his best-selling book, Demarginalizing Design: Elevating Equity for Real-World Problem Solving. An award-winning presenter and TEDx speaker, Lanier stressed the significant role of teachers in tackling real-world issues like education inequity. He urged them to resolve these fundamental issues from the perspective of configuration thinking, an outlook, and an organized structure for distinguishing difficulties, gathering data, and producing potential solutions. Educators were encouraged to collaborate with their students, school leaders, and staff to co-design an equitable future where everyone can thrive during the thought-provoking session. During the event, Education Coach Rachel Swanson also led a thought leadership panel and offered product support.

The Samsung team will head to Honolulu later this week to host another Urban Initiative on May 11.