ARCHIVED—Wes Mueller
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Year: 2009 – Province: British Columbia
Certificate of Achievement Recipient
Arthur Hatton Elementary School
315 Chestnut Avenue
Kamloops BC V2B 1L4
Principal: Gloria Hall
School Tel.: 250-376-7217
School Fax: 250-377-2238
School Email: ghall@sd73.bc.ca
School Website: http://ahatton.sd73.bc.ca
Subjects and Grades Taught: Grades 6 and 7
Wes Mueller's innovative use of technology has transformed the instructional environment at his school and brought many benefits to the various members of the school community. He has demystified information and communications technology for students, teachers and parents. He has provided collaborative classroom activities to facilitate students' social and emotional growth. He has ensured that students from all walks of life are able to reap the rewards of using technology at school.
Teaching Approach
Mr. Mueller employs a collaborative, student-centred approach to learning in his classroom. He is very comfortable using multimedia tools for knowledge creation and sharing. He involves students in their learning and recruits others to help. For example, he set up an online novel study project and invited student-teachers to coach his students. He engaged other students from classrooms around the world in collaborative global citizenship projects. He also investigates and uses materials created by others, putting considerable time into researching and vetting web-based resources, instructional technologies, and online learning platforms.
Outstanding Achievements
- Mr. Mueller successfully sought funding from the school district to introduce a technology-enhanced classroom at the school. He outfitted the classroom with wireless laptops, a SMARTBoard, projector, teacher computer, router and printer, all of which are in daily use. One noteworthy outcome of this project was that there was an immediate and significant (50 percent) drop in absenteeism in Mr. Mueller's class. Student achievement also increased, not only on provincial standardized tests but also on class marks.
- One noteworthy outcome of this project was that there was an immediate and significant (50 percent) drop in absenteeism in Mr. Mueller's class. Student achievement also increased, not only on provincial standardized tests, but also on class marks.
- Mr. Mueller takes great care to make sure that students understand the risks associated with the Internet and the importance of using this resource ethically and responsibly.
- Mr. Mueller has empowered students to become comfortable and effective communicators, introducing them to social collaboration tools, including online forums, wikis, blogs and multimedia tools. He uses powerful virtual manipulatives on the SMARTBoard daily to engage students in hands-on, interactive and multimodal ways.
Rave Reviews
"Wes is a remarkable example of a teacher who has changed the landscape around himself to better serve the needs of students and society at large." Colleague
"As a principal, I am very much aware that it takes more than money and state-of-the-art technology to create a productive classroom. It takes a talented and dedicated teacher like Mr. Mueller who shares his knowledge with his students and contributes to the profession and community." Principal