SHENANDOAH COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) — Mrs. Kathryn “Kat” Staton of Ashby Lee Elementary School in Quicksburg, Va. has become one of only 750 educators around the world to be a certified International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) educator.

The ISTE Certification Program was developed because of the significant changes in today’s classrooms, according to a news release from Shenandoah County Public Schools.

“It was a challenging process, but I was able to connect with some great educators, I did a lot of self-reflecting and learned quite a bit,” Staton said.

The ISTE website describes the certification as focusing on “using technology to transform learning in meaningful ways,” and says that it “helps PK-12 educators rethink and redesign learning activities with technology to engage students in real-world, authentic, active learning.”

Mrs. Staton has held the position of Technology Teacher at Ashby Lee Elementary since 2013 and facilitates the Coding and Robotics Club. She has received over $20,000 in grants that have helped her bring new technology into her classroom.

Copyright 2020 WHSV. All rights reserved.