The Distinguished Educator Panel, a group that will form the nucleus of The Educator Network, met for an orientation meeting on April 26. The Panel will advise and communicate with TDLC scientists on issues surrounding translation of research into the classroom. All of the educators on the panel are exemplary educators and were appointed because of their expertise in classroom instruction and school leadership. The first meeting was kicked off by Gary Cottrell who gave a “who and what is TDLC.“ Andrea Chiba and Javier Movellan were also present to meet the group. Doris Alvarez, The Educator Network Director, presented goals and objectives of the network and asked for suggestions and advice on future activities. The group was asked to advise on strategies to enlist more membership on the social networking site which presently has 52 members, and suggest what content would be beneficial to its members. The Panel received A TDLC baseball cap decorated with the TDLC logo and The Educator Network label. Putting on their” thinking caps”, they brainstormed various roles the panel would undertake. Suggestions such as forming a blog for teacher journals, hooking up with Facebook, and involving UCSD EDS students for collaborative opportunities were made. The panel also made more far-reaching suggestions such as forming a school focused on education using brain research. A more complete compilation of their suggestions will appear later.

The group proposed meeting with scientists early in the summer to hear details about present research. As a result of the meeting, High Tech High’s Chief Operating Officer, Ben Daley, signed on as a partner of TDLC. Janet Burton, a second grade teacher at Darnell Charter School, along with her principal Cinda Doughty, were interested in working with Gary Cottrell on his study of the interactions between visual and auditory interventions in reading. Also present in addition to the panel were Jake Whitehill, TDLC trainee, and Carolan Gladden, TDLC Database Administrator. Please click here for a directory of the Distinguished Educator Advisory Panel.