Jeff Crews
TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION / GRANT WRITING / RESEARCH / ADJUNCT UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR
About Me
Jeff Crews is a passionate educator who believes in the power of education and the need to continuously provide transformational learning experiences for our teachers and students.
Short Bio
Jeff is a teacher who believes in facilitating opportunities for teachers and students in an effort to establish meaningful learning experiences. He strives to achieve this goal by working as a professional speaker, an educational consultant, and most importantly as a fellow teacher. He is co-founder of Beyond the Chalk where he works toward the goal of transforming education by continuously providing authentic learning experiences for teachers and students. Jeff highlights problem-based learning, Google Apps for Education, mobile technologies, cloud-based services, authentic assessment, and career readiness.
Jeff’s teaching experiences as a middle school teacher, a director of technology, grant writer, researcher, and adjunct faculty at the university level, provide him with a broad perspective to view the “world” of education. Jeff’s passionate and energetic nature promise to provide for an engaging experience for all.
Jeff’s teaching experiences as a middle school teacher, a director of technology, grant writer, researcher, and adjunct faculty at the university level, provide him with a broad perspective to view the “world” of education. Jeff’s passionate and energetic nature promise to provide for an engaging experience for all.
Long Bio
Jeff, co-founder of Beyond the Chalk, is a teacher who believes in facilitating opportunities for teachers and students in an effort to establish meaningful learning experiences. He received his undergraduate degrees from The University of Montana in Broad-field science and biology. Jeff completed his master’s in technology education from Lesley University and later received his Doctorate from The University of Montana in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on science and technology.
Jeff spent the early part of his career teaching middle school science and also served as the district technology coordinator. He spent his first 9 years working to develop inquiry-based and problem-based science lessons into his teaching practice. His students were involved in outdoor education projects (Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks), Science Olympiad, Odyssey of the Mind, Science Fair, and Expedition Club (a year long club that culminated with a week long trip out of state). During his early years of teaching Jeff quickly realized the impact technology had on his teaching practice, at a personal level and at the student level. This interest led him to the position of district technology coordinator, where he spent the next four years working to integrate technology into all classrooms within the district. Jeff was responsible in helping to bring several technology grants to the district and the resulting professional development following the implementation of these technologies experiences. Jeff’s experiences led him to The University of Montana where he served as the assistant director on the NASA EOS Education Project. This project was responsible for disseminating NASA remotely sensed imagery and other geospatial data to K-12 educators around the state of Montana. Jeff also served as the assistant director of science and technology projects within the Division of Educational Research and Service. These projects gave Jeff the opportunity to interact with teachers and students across the state and he continues to enjoy the many collegial contacts he made during this time.
Jeff has served as adjunct faculty for Lesley University where he travels to different location around the country to teach masters’ level classes to teachers pursuing an advanced degree. He also has served as adjunct for The University of Montana where he taught the elementary science methods and the instructional technology courses. These experiences have reinforced for him the importance of sound professional development within our teaching corps both old and new.
Jeff currently serves as a professional speaker, technology integration specialist, and an educational coach and advisor for districts across the country. He is a Google Certified Teacher, a Google Authorized Education Trainer, and Google Geo Certified Teacher, a member of Google Geo for Higher Education, and currently sits on the Google Geo Advisory Board.
Jeff spent the early part of his career teaching middle school science and also served as the district technology coordinator. He spent his first 9 years working to develop inquiry-based and problem-based science lessons into his teaching practice. His students were involved in outdoor education projects (Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks), Science Olympiad, Odyssey of the Mind, Science Fair, and Expedition Club (a year long club that culminated with a week long trip out of state). During his early years of teaching Jeff quickly realized the impact technology had on his teaching practice, at a personal level and at the student level. This interest led him to the position of district technology coordinator, where he spent the next four years working to integrate technology into all classrooms within the district. Jeff was responsible in helping to bring several technology grants to the district and the resulting professional development following the implementation of these technologies experiences. Jeff’s experiences led him to The University of Montana where he served as the assistant director on the NASA EOS Education Project. This project was responsible for disseminating NASA remotely sensed imagery and other geospatial data to K-12 educators around the state of Montana. Jeff also served as the assistant director of science and technology projects within the Division of Educational Research and Service. These projects gave Jeff the opportunity to interact with teachers and students across the state and he continues to enjoy the many collegial contacts he made during this time.
Jeff has served as adjunct faculty for Lesley University where he travels to different location around the country to teach masters’ level classes to teachers pursuing an advanced degree. He also has served as adjunct for The University of Montana where he taught the elementary science methods and the instructional technology courses. These experiences have reinforced for him the importance of sound professional development within our teaching corps both old and new.
Jeff currently serves as a professional speaker, technology integration specialist, and an educational coach and advisor for districts across the country. He is a Google Certified Teacher, a Google Authorized Education Trainer, and Google Geo Certified Teacher, a member of Google Geo for Higher Education, and currently sits on the Google Geo Advisory Board.
Presentations
- Taking it to the Streets – Problem-Based Learning through CSI
- IPads and Google Drive: Smashing Apps for Transformative Learning
- Transforming Your Classroom with Google Apps for Education
- Building a Paperless Classroom Using Google Tools
- “Efficify” your Teacher Workflow Using Google Tools
- Managing Your School’s GAFE to Maximize Learning
Preview My Content
What They Are Saying About Me
"Beyond the Chalk has been a great resource for our staff and, as a result, our students. Over the course of five months, Jeff and Dean have worked with our staff on three different occasions, each time differentiating hands-on learning experiences for the various skill and experience levels of our staff. From presenting sessions on introductions to iPads and App Stacking to introducing our staff to Google Apps for Education and Google Classroom, Jeff and Dean have provided relevant professional development to meet the needs of all of our teachers, from preschool to 8th grade, from math to art. This professional development has translated into meaningful classroom experiences for our students. Technology is in the hands of students, with knowledgeable teachers leading them to higher levels of authentic engagement, personalized learning, and student achievement."
Laurie Barron – Evergreen School Superintendent
"I attended Beyond the Chalk at the MT August Institute at the U of M this Summer with Dean and Jeff. I was so inspired that I came back and built my professional development plan for my current year teacher contract around some of their ideas. I offered to facilitate a “Tuesday Techies” group to our staff at our Pablo Elementary School. It is based on the “Slamdown” that was done at the closing of the TechKnowledgy workshop. I am out of my comfort zone and league with technology, but I am passionate that we need to be able to connect with our students and families in the manners in which they communicate."
Shon – Attendee
Laurie Barron – Evergreen School Superintendent
"I attended Beyond the Chalk at the MT August Institute at the U of M this Summer with Dean and Jeff. I was so inspired that I came back and built my professional development plan for my current year teacher contract around some of their ideas. I offered to facilitate a “Tuesday Techies” group to our staff at our Pablo Elementary School. It is based on the “Slamdown” that was done at the closing of the TechKnowledgy workshop. I am out of my comfort zone and league with technology, but I am passionate that we need to be able to connect with our students and families in the manners in which they communicate."
Shon – Attendee
Previous Engagements
- ISTE 2014 and ISTE 2013: Problem-Based Learning Google Tools
- NCTIES 2015 and NCTIES 2014: Problem-Based Learning and Google Tools
- FETC 2014:Problem-Based Learning (CSI)
- Montana August Institute 2011 – 2015: IPad Integration, Google Tools and Problem-Based Learning
- IntegratED 2012 – 2014: Problem-Based Learning (CSI)