Renee Jorae

Renee is a trusted leader in educational technology!  For years Renee has demonstrated and shared her knowledge not only with here students but also her colleagues.  Renee has a thirst for knowledge and has continually maintained her knowledge in a field of technology that is continually transforming and evolving.  Renee has managed to adapt and evolve with the technology.  St. Johns Public Schools is proud to have Renee as one of its technology leaders and mentors!

~ Jason Gnegy, Curriculum Director, St. Johns Public Schools, 2016

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Renee is the definition of a thought partner.  She receives and provides feedback graciously as a part of her professional practice and personal life.

~ Adel DiOrio, Principal, St. Johns Middle School, 2016

 

Dr. Patrick Dixson explained to our class at MSU, back in 2008, that knowledge involving technology is too great and changing too quickly for one person to master. He encouraged us to reach out to others for technical support, to collaborate, and to support one and other.  Renee Jorae is the type of leader in technology of which Dr Dickson spoke. Renee has offered her tireless patience to me and others st St Johns Middle School.  Always working long after the final school bell has rung for the day, Renee is found in her computer lab with several students and, very frequently, teachers as she addresses each frustration or confusion with gentle and understandable suggestions and approaches.  Her students participate in technology enterprises on a high level. She has given the gift of digital literacy to so many who otherwise may have been left behind.  Never hurried and always upbeat, Renee is a role model for all teachers in all disciplines.  I am very fortunate to have had her technological knowledge available to me over the years as I am fortunate to have observed her masterful ability to connect with and make people feel safe as they venture into the new waters of the technical world.  Renee Jorae is a rare individual. 

~Annette Lally, Special Education Teacher, St. Johns Middle School, 2016

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I have had the good fortune to work with Renee Jorae over the course of the last 6 years. We are educators at St. John's Middle School. Renee is an amazing teacher who is caring, compassionate and kind. Renee has high expectations for her students both behaviorally and academically. Renee was selected by our school's administrator to be an instructional coach for our building. Renee has been a wonderful support person in this role. Renee is known around our building as a technology "ninja". She is extremely knowledgeable in the technology field. She has shown warmth, understanding and patience in her guidance of other teachers. I am very thankful for the opportunity to have learned from Renee's high level of instrcutional knowledge and competency in the fields of technology and education. 

~Abby Brewer, Special Education Teacher, St. Johns Middle School, 2016

 

I have enlisted Renee Jorae's technology help and expertise many times as a colleague at St. Johns Middle School. She has helped me incorporate online graphing into my units. She is a Google expert in our building and had assisted me with Google Docs, Google Classroom, and all things Google. Renee has also aided me with online broadcasting and the use of a green screen. I wanted my students to make videos and she showed me how to use Windows Movie Maker. Renee is always willing to help at anytime with any technology issues and questions. She is our resident expert and I have yet to ask her a question about technology that she can not answer. I enjoy working with Renee and have learned many valuable tricks from her that I use on a daily basis.

~Jodie Fisher, Science Teacher, St. Johns Middle School, 2016 

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As a parent I am very impressed with the projects and progression attained by her students, including my son.  My son, under her guidance, has navigated the programs Alice and Scratch.  This has allowed him to be challenged on many levels as she over saw his work. Furthermore, I wish he could be under her watch at the high school level.  Mrs. Jorae's knowledge of the programs, application of the programs and her educational technique has made my sons experience extremely valuable. His success is a testament to her ability.
~David Stukey, Parent of Nick, 2016

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I have known Mrs. Jorae for the past 18 years as she and I teach in the same school district. Renee has also been a staff member for the Redwing Marching Band as a percussion instructor. Through these interactions I have had the opportunity to see Mrs. Jorae work with a wide variety of learners, abilities, and work ethics. Renee has been outstanding as a leader for these musicians. Mrs. Jorae works to develop a well-disciplined group. The students work hard for her because of her professionalism, and care for each individual. The drum line has made drastic improvements under her direction. Every year when the band as a whole is evaluated her ensemble gets the most compliments. While having high standards and work ethic Mrs. Jorae allows the students to be creative and have input on the show that they will be doing during their performance. Renee has the perfect balance of guided instruction and allowing students to be creative. As a human being you will find no one that is of a higher character than Mrs. Jorae. Renee is professional at all times. Mrs. Jorae works well with every personality and persona. Renee’s work ethic is outstanding. Many times late at night you can see her vehicle at the school in preparation for the next day’s lesson. For the aforementioned reasons I would like to give Mrs. Renee Jorae my highest recommendation.

~ Roy Davis, Colleague, Band Instructor, St. Johns High School, 2016 

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Renee is the smiling face I go to when I have questions or want to collaborate with educational technology.  

~ Jared Fromson, Middle School Art Teacher, St. Johns Middle School, 2016 

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As someone going into the field of teaching I hope to connect with my students the way the Renee is able to. I am always amazed at the amount of time and effort she puts into her teaching. She spends several hours before and after school helping students and giving them a place to come and learn. I am also impressed with the drive to constantly learn new technology so that she is giving her students the latest and greatest technology education. Renee is one of the reasons I want to teach because I want to make the same difference in my students lives that she made in mine. 

~ Zack Korienek, former student, pre-service teacher, 2016

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I have two children who have been in Renee Jorae’s technology classes during their middle school years. Both children entered Renee’s classes with an interest in technology, but they left with a new mindset that we are lifelong learners when it comes to technology! They learned so many great technology skills from being in her classes. They designed their own blogs through Weebly, where they could present their projects as well as their reflections about their work. They also learned how to build their own websites full of widgets, videos, and images which allowed me, as a parent, to visually and virtually experience what they had been learning in Renee’s classes. There were so many web tools that Renee taught them! I was blown away by seeing and experiencing their work and projects! Some of their favorites were the web 3.0/3D tools, Scratch, and QR codes. One of my children was able to participate in the MACUL student technology showcase. Renee provided a wonderful experience for my child as he presented his projects to other educators who engaged with him and deepened his learning experience! Internet safety and security is important to me as a parent and Renee did a wonderful job of instructing them on this as well as giving them opportunities to collaboratively reflect on it using web tools! I appreciate Renee for helping my children to behave responsibly when it comes to technology. They now have a better understanding of the importance of it as well as the steps to take to ensure their own safety. The lessons and projects Renee gave my children also allowed them to learn to manage their time wisely. She was careful to guide and oversee their work yet still allowed for them to express themselves creatively. As Renee and I met for parent teacher conferences, we would discuss each child’s progress as well as their pending projects. Out of the large number of students she had in her classes, I always felt like she personally understood who my children were as individual learners. As a mother, this encouraged me so much! She could see how one of my children needed to be encouraged to work collaboratively with classmates rather than isolate himself. She also saw that my other child needed to focus on getting his work done daily so that he could stay on track with project completion. I am sincerely grateful for a magnificent technology teacher like Renee! I plan on having my other two children enroll in her classes during their middle school years. She is committed to instructing students with current technology tools and applications as well as helping them to manage their individual and group projects. We are so fortunate to have such a fantastic technology teacher!
~Julie Gill ,Parent, 2016

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Renee and I have been colleagues for 12 years at St. Johns Middle School. Additionally, my children were in her class at the elementary level. Due to this, I feel I have a unique perspective on Renee as an educator. Renee has a strong commitment to her students. She devotes many additional hours of her personal time for the education of her students. As a parent of a child in her class, it was apparent that she cared for the development of my student as an individual, as well as academically. Her classroom was welcoming and she conveyed a sense of caring and respect for her students. My children still recall their year with her as one of their favorite. As a colleague, I have had the opportunity to work with Renee on various levels. In addition to sharing students in classes, at times, we have served on committees together. She has also served as an instructional coach for our building. Renee is considered our "go-to" person on staff regarding technology issues and I know she has provided assistance to our administrative team as well. Additionally, Renee as been an instructional coach to me personally. I found her to be patient with me, even with very rudimentary technology questions. I may have been embarrassed to ask other staff members my "easy" or "silly" technology questions. Renee, however, fosters an emotionally safe forum to ask questions. She was respectful in dealing with me as a colleague while providing instruction to enhance my skills as an educator.  She was knowledgable about technological issues, but also brainstormed with me ways to improve math instruction in my classroom. Renee is truly an exemplary teacher and serves as a positive role model to her fellow staff members. 

~Sally Harry, Mathematics Instuctor, Parent, St. Johns Middle School, 2016

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Renee Jorae is an inspirational instructor, leader, colleague, and advocate for technological advancement within our educational system and community. Renee puts in countless hours to further her knowledge and share it with others to best meet the needs of her peers and students. More specifically, she introduces students and colleagues to various new and invigorating programs that improve their skills in areas of creating videos with video editing, screen recording, green screen usage, basic programing and typing skills, beginning usage of robotics, blogs, ALICE programming, utilizing scratch with learning targets. Often one can find her assisting her peers on her own time outside of the professional work day. In addition, she encourages students to be responsible for their work while providing the needed instructional supports to meet each individuals learning needs at their own pace. Her use of technological resources promote student inquisition, engagement and enhanced learning. Her students have shown interest in exploring other technological avenues outside of the classroom utilizing technological tools such as digital editing programs that they received instruction on in class. Students were able and eager to extend their learning further. Renee Jorae’s dedication and commitment to learning and education with the technological arena have significantly impacted student learning as well as the professional growth of her colleagues.

~Krista Lehner -  Third Grade Educator & Parent 

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As fourth grade teachers in the St. Johns School District, we feel blessed to have the opportunity to work with Renee for many years.  Renee is organized, dedicated, and forward-thinking.  Her students benefit from her tireless work toward finding the best educational practices in whatever subject she is teaching.  Renee shines in her current position of middle school technology teacher.  Students are enthusiastically programming, blogging, and designing, while becoming aware of their rights and responsibilities as digital citizens.  In addition to her work with students, Renee is always willing to help other teachers expand their own knowledge.  She presents at conferences such as MACUL and inservices in our district, serves on committees, and her classroom is always open for peers to come in and learn with and from her. Our own children are fortunate to have had Renee for a teacher, and we were amazed by the advanced material they learned, the projects they produced, and their new awareness of their online presence. Her calm demeanor and work ethic are assets to our district, our children, and all of us fortunate enough to work with her.

~Dawn Kelly & Kris Ely - Fourth Grade Educators & Parents