Meet Our Learning Luminary, Allen Schagene!
What is Edge•U Badges?
Edge•U Badges is an instructional learning system designed by former teachers, for teachers, aimed at providing meaningful resources to directly impact student success. Edge•U Badges directly impacts student learning through microcredentials (badges), each crafted to support educators in all areas of technology-based learning. With over 290+ badges, the opportunities for expanding your PD are unlimited!
What are Learning Luminaries?
We are proud to highlight our valued partners of Edge•U Badges each month, celebrating their dedication and creativity in utilizing the badges they’ve earned within their instruction. Featured monthly, we are delighted to share the IMPACT of our badges, showcasing the positive outcomes for both educators and their students. By sharing their success stories, we aim to inspire others and foster a community where educators can find support, ideas, and JOY in their professional journey.
Allen Schagene is the Director of Innovative Learning at The Shlenker School in Houston, TX.
Allen learned about our Edge•U team from the TCEA National Conference in 2023 and has used the platform regularly. He gladly states, “As I manage my own professional learning, I try to learn in multiple ways, such as reading, participating in badging programs, watching videos, attending conferences, and more. These endeavors have helped me gain confidence in sharing my voice and experiences with others! This has led to the creation of a weekly podcast that explores different ed-tech tools and ways that teachers around the world can use them in their classroom.”
Edge•U has been a tool he uses to keep accountable for the learning and growth that comes with education. Each week, he carves out some time to learn a new skill and does his best to try it out and implement the knowledge. He adds, “ …and I’m able to do this on my own time!” That solidifies our ‘any space, any pace’ vision for Edge•U!
One of his favorite badges he recently used in the classroom is the Apple Garage Band badge! He says, “This showed me how I could make songs using different instruments. This badge is now something I will implement with our PreK-4 learners next week after TCEA to add to our Kibo Robot Lunar New Year Parade!”
Fun fact from Allen: “I enjoy it when you’re learning something, and the lightbulbs begin to go off for how you can implement the skill or idea into something you already do. I also enjoy working out!“
Allen’s enthusiasm for learning is contagious! He continues to thrive as he determines how these newly learned tools + strategies can enhance his practice and create student engagement with his littles.
His one piece of advice to a new Edge•U participant would be to “Take each badge one at a time. As educators, we are constantly growing and managing multiple things, thus I would say pick out a skill and learn it across a week. At the end of the year, you can tell yourself that you learned 52 new skills, and at the same time you are modeling for your learners what it means to constantly evolve and grow.”
Thank YOU, Allen, for lighting the way for other educators with a spark of joy! Keep shining brightly – you are a great inspiration!