Cordova, Md. -- The Maryland Society for Educational Technology (MSET) is proud to announce its December 2022 Digital Learning Showcase Recipient Rebecca Cullings, a kindergarten teacher at Chapel District Elementary School (CDES) in Talbot County Public Schools (TCPS).

Cullings has changed the culture of what learning looks like in her rural community as she promotes instructional technology daily for her young learners. Cullings’ willingness to reach beyond the traditional norms of the classroom makes her an exceptional asset to her school. During virtual learning, she was often seen at the forefront of new technology tools and continues to work that way today.

“Mrs. Cullings introduced new and innovative ideas, instructional strategies, and instructional technology that was able to transform our early childhood program to one of the best in the county and state,” Chapel District Principal Dr. Kari Clow shared about Cullings and her immediate impact as she joined her staff in 2020. “She serves as a mentor teacher to some of our newer Kindergarten teachers, and is one to answer any and all  questions related to anything technology. Mrs. Cullings is an advocate for her Kindergarten students and uses her background as a special education teacher, to truly differentiate for her students.” 

Leveraging her class tablets, Cullings often attempts to use her devices to allow students to scan QR codes to lead to instructional activities that support her school’s Science of Reading initiative. She makes learning about the standards and allows the technology to enhance the learning experience and her students have benefited greatly from her ambition. 

However, the magic doesn’t stop there. Cullings has been instrumental throughout CDES and Talbot County for her work as an InquirEd Inquiry Advocate, a new kindergarten social studies curriculum. Cullings has been her school’s lead with the online resources curriculum and often called upon to teach model lessons. Dr. Clow continues to consider her the “go-to person” related to the initiative.

Plus, Cullings’ leadership has allowed her to become her school’s FROG – the digital tool TCPS used to house its instructional technology, apps, virtual learning resources, and online assignments – representative.

“She is the first teacher to model new instructional technology, including new apps, for all staff,” Dr. Clow explained as she is becoming known across TCPS for her work and recently presented at the TCPS Equity Summit and integrated Jamboard activities to make her presentation fun and engaging for her colleagues.

About Digital Learning Showcase

MSET is taking the opportunity to highlight best practices in classroom teaching, leading, and learning with educational technology from around the state of Maryland. The goal is to spotlight innovations of members and nonmembers throughout different public and private school settings. Each month teachers, school leaders, and community members are asked to nominate individuals who support innovation and educational technology in a school setting.

MSET is non-profit organization with the purpose of promoting the improvement of the teaching-learning process through effective technology integration into all curricular areas as well as fostering and promoting excellence technology in education. MSET is an affiliate of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), a leading international network for technology professionals.