Waukee Teacher of the Week: Erica Douglas, Brookview Elementary

Erica Douglas might be a fourth-grade teacher, but she could also be considered the Steve Jobs of .

That's because Douglas, 28, had a vision that featured students at the West Des Moines elementary school using technology in their everyday studies. Thanks to her vision, learners in kindergarten through fifth grade at Brookview now use Apple iPod Touches and iPads to learn, grow and develop in their daily curriculum.

It was three years ago when Douglas says she first came up with the idea of incorporating the technology into teaching.

"I was realizing that I had students who were struggling to read or just didn't have the stamina to read a whole book," she said. "I wanted to start getting books on tape so they could actually listen to them but the more I did the research, the more I realized that the price of one book versus the price of the iPod...it just made more sense because you could do so much more with the iPod."

Thanks to Douglas' research and a $7,000 grant from the Waukee Community School District Foundation, Brookview acquired 30 new iPod Touches and a charging cart in time for the 2010-2011 school year.

Now nearly two years later, Douglas says she's beginning to see her vision at work. Students in the elementary school are using the devices to learn reading, writing, math and everything in between. They've been so popular, in fact, that the school has purchased an additional 20 iPod Touches and 30 iPads that travel from class-to-class whenever teachers need them.

"Every grade is using them," Douglas said. "Some teachers are more comfortable than others, but everyone is interested. It takes time and training to be able to use them effectively."

Douglas stressed that the iPods aren't for playing games. The applications loaded onto the devices are for learning (see attached PDF).

Brookview Principal Terry Hurlburt said Douglas has been instrumental in moving Brookview's students and teachers in the right direction.

"Erica is one of our leaders," he said. "She helped put us out there, but we have several great teachers that make that magic happen. It doesn't just take one person."

Hurlburt and Douglas agree that the technology Brookview students have access to is helping prepare them for their future, more precisely, futures that will no doubt be embedded in technology.

"We're preparing our students for jobs we don't even know exist," Hurlburt said. "Erica is helping us down that path. We've gone from being a school wanting and needing more technology to having as much technology and using technology as any other elementary school in the area."