A 3D Salute

Kristin Donley,
2012 Colorado Teacher of the Year
and 3D Educator

Described by students as "better than an encyclopedia and the Internet," Monarch High School biology teacher Kristin Donley was recently named the 2012 Colorado Teacher of the Year.

Why is this important in the world of 3D? You see, Kristin, was one of the nation’s first 3D educators. She was a lead teacher in the BVS³D case study, a lead teacher informing the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) See Well, Learn Well report, and has provided captivating presentations at ISTE and technology conferences over the last two years.  She is a talented and influential force in shaping what the 3D classroom is and ought to be. This honor is doubly important. It confirms that teaching with 3D is not a fringe activity—it is a technological tool used by our nation’s best, brightest, and most creative teaching professionals. Kristin represents the long line of creative teachers who have been drawn to the promise of 3D in teaching and learning, not to mere hyperbole or technology fads.  Megan McDermott, a Colorado Department of Education spokeswoman, agrees: "The award is quite prestigious—the recipient becomes the Colorado nominee for National Teacher of the Year."

Monarch students honor Donley
in an all-school assembly.

Kristin Donley received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in molecular, cellular and developmental biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder and has been teaching for 17 years, with 10 of those years at Monarch High School, in picturesque Louisville, Colorado. She is surrounded by many equally talented peers, but we take this time to honor her singular talent and dedication. Congrats!