Ashley Milnes- Innovate with Ash

The last 11 years in education has been an adventure! I started my career as an elementary ESL teacher in the Chicago area for my first four years. I taught 5th grade for three years and 6th grade for one year. Then, in a leap of faith, I took a position as a secondary level (6-12th grade) technology specialist on a military base in Germany. Then, I returned home to finish my masters and taught 7th grade Social Studies for four years. After winning the Golden Apple Award, I transitioned to my current role as an Instructional technology specialist for the past couple years.

I believe in collaborative learning using technology. My classroom is buzzing with conversation about their learning, while also maintaining structure using Chris Biffle's Whole Brain Teaching strategies like "Class, Yes" and "Teach, Okay". The technology piece has allowed me to completely flip my classroom teaching style using Google for Education and other tech resources. We also have a collaborative community using team building strategies and restorative circles to build classroom community.

IACTE's Outstanding Beginning Teacher Award Golden Apple teacher winner

Northern Illinois University- Elementary Education Ball State- Masters in Educational Administration American College of Education- Masters in Instructional Technology

My second passion to teaching is traveling! I have spent time in Mexico building houses and working in orphanages, traveled the mountains of Chile, fished the lakes of Canada, explored Germany's castles, many European landmarks and towns, and visited many states here in the US. I cannot get enough of how beautifully diverse our world is!