Fleming Named Technology in Education Award Recipient

Owasso 7th Grade Center Library Media Specialist Jamie Fleming was named the 2025 Technology in Education Award recipient by the Oklahoma School Libraries Division, it was announced recently. 

The award is given every fall to honor an Oklahoma school librarian “in whose teaching a twenty-first century model of technology integration is a vital component of their teaching.” Fleming’s nomination was reviewed by a panel of Oklahoma librarians, teachers and higher education members and judged based on: 

• Evidence of innovative use of technology that supports and extends the curriculum.
• Evidence of cooperative program planning and integration of AASL Standards for Learners in the form of an instructional unit submitted with the application.
• Evidence of professional involvement in both library media and instructional technology fields.
• Evidence of professional leadership in the area of technology staff development.
• Overall reaction to the application.

The panel reviewed Fleming’s “Fast Break Podcast” unit where students explored The Crossover by Kwame Alexander by analyzing its poetic structure, themes of family and identity, and the imagery of basketball. They then wrote, recorded, and produced a short podcast inspired by the novel, referencing one of the Basketball Rules, including character voice, emotion, and reflection. Students wrote their podcast as a poetry slam, using Kwame’s rhythm and energy, a sports reporter angle in the style of a sports news broadcast, or a character interview by interviewing a primary character from the novel.

Fleming then guided students through planning, recording, and troubleshooting their podcast recording.

As part of the nomination process, an administrator had this to say about Mrs. Fleming: “Technology integration to [Mrs. Fleming] means collaborating to create meaningful ways students can explore the tools and create something new in response to the text. Whether your fire for technology burns as bright as hers or you are more skeptical and don’t yet have a spark, she meets you where you are and lights the path for you to apply a new tool in your very next lesson.”

Congratulations to Mrs. Fleming on this outstanding achievement!