When she was a child, Jenny Collins never would have thought that she would become a tech specialist for Frost Middle School. She played sports and rarely had time for technology. But apparently, life had other plans…
Ms. Collins was born and raised in Ireland, and when she was older, she went to the University of Limerick to study history. Afterwards, she decided to move to the United States.
Moving to America was difficult, but she was determined to inspire the next generation. Once in America, she studied education at George Mason.
After graduating, Ms. Collins spent 13 years working as an elementary school teacher. “I’ve always loved working with children,” she explained.
As the years went by, though, she found a new love for technology. She thought that a teacher should channel their students’ love for technology, rather than immediately refusing to let them play games, or watch videos on the Internet.
“My goal was to enable students to be a creator and not a consumer,” she said. To do this, she gave common games an educational twist, like Kahoot, Quizizz, or Minecraft.
She found that she wanted to change teachers’ perspectives on computers. She thinks that teachers, just like students, should have the mind of someone who creates and inspires rather than someone who simply consumes everything on the Internet. She wants to help students utilize educational technology, and wants to bring fun to learning while doing it.
After reflecting on her various years as an elementary school teacher, she realized she wanted to pursue her passion of technology by becoming a tech specialist. “I think it’s important for people to do what they love.”
Ms. Collins expressed how she is enjoying her time at Frost, saying that everyone she meets is very respectful, and that the environment is fun and engaging.
