Niles New Tech Entrepreneurial Academy is one of nine New Tech schools in the nation chosen to be part of a national video resource service designed to show other New Tech educators how to effectively teach using the project based learning method.

New Tech Director Jerry Holtgren said it is a big honor for the Niles school.

“It means our teachers are executing the (New Tech) model with fidelity and that we are meeting our vision of creating projects that are meaningful and engaging for kids,” Holtgren said.

Why was Niles chosen?

Lydia Dobyns, president/CEO of the New Tech Network, which is comprised of 167 schools nationwide, said the nine schools chosen as national filming sites have teachers who excel creating and delivering effecting learning experiences for their students.

Current Niles New Tech seniors also recorded a composite ACT score of 21.2, according to results released by the Michigan Department of Education in the spring. That score is nearly two points higher than the state average of 19.8.

Representatives from the New Tech Network interviewed four Niles New Tech educators Wednesday and filmed them going about their daily teaching routines.

“I am honored by it honestly because it is a lot of validation for us doing what we are doing,” said BioArt facilitator Matt Pagano, one of the educators who was filmed. “It is recognition that we are doing it well and they want to demonstrate that and use it to teach other people across the country how to replicate what we are doing.”

Holtgren said the instructional videos would be used to populate a “teacher channel” that will go online sometime in the near future. Teachers within the New Tech Network would then be able to watch the short videos to get ideas and advice about effective ways to help students progress.

“It is like online professional development,” Holtgren said.

Niles New Tech High be featured in instructional practice videos that focus on relevant projects that model skills students will need in the real world. This process will highlight teacher led workshops, research protocols and assessment strategies and will be shared with more than 5,000 educators and leaders nationally.

New Tech facilitators Courtney Dwyer, Maria MacGilvra and Kristin Adams-Bondy also were filmed as part of the project.