Eric Balak

Passionate About Inspiring Others

Eric Balak ●  Elizabethtown, PA  ●  717-327-1202 ●  eabalak@gmail.com

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Summary of Skills:

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A highly-skilled, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic team player who envisions twenty-first century learning through the use of a rich array of instructional strategies, resources, and technologies with the ultimate goal of enhancing instructional practices at the classroom level while also raising the level of student achievement. Expertise includes: interpersonal, problem-solving, and organizational skills to facilitate coaching and professional development involving all stakeholders (administration, staff, parents, students), the analysis and use of data for instructional decision-making, as well as the ability to design high quality instructional content mediated by current and emerging technologies within a standards-based education system that is aligned with current education reform.

Education:

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• East Stroudsburg University

  • Instructional Technology Specialist Cert (September 2018)

• Penn State University 

• • M.ed in Learning, Design, & Technology (May 2017)

• Millersville University 

  • B.S. in Elementary Education (December 2012)

  • B.S. in Special Education (December 2012)

Work Experience:

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• Lampeter-Strasburg School District (August 2013 - Present)

• Extended School Year, IU-13, June 2016  (August 2016)

• Community Services Group, July 2009 (January 2013)

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Certifications:

• ISTE Certification (In Progress - hope to acquire by August 2019)

• Instructional Technology Specialist Certification (September 2018)

• 2017 Keystone Technology Innovator Award 

• Level 1 & Level 2 Google Certified Educator (2016 - Present)

• Passed Google Certified Trainer Exam (December 2016)

• Certified Edpuzzle Coach (July 2019)

• Flipgrid Certified Educator

• Flipgrid Ambassador

• SeeSaw Ambassador

• Remind App Connected Educator

• Pennsylvania Level II teaching Certification

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Professional Experiences:

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• Internship with Ken Zimmerman at the Lebanon-Lancaster IU13 (July 2018 - August 2018 (120 hours))

• Designed & Developed websites for Elementary Technology Conference,  Secondary Technology Conference,  and Edcamp Lancaster website for the Lebanon_Lancaster IU13.(August 2018)

• Designed & Developed Promo Videos for Discovery Ed and Brainpop for the Lebanon_Lancaster IU13.

• Active Member in the Professional Development Committee of PA Association of Education Communication & Technology - PAECT -  (2017- Present)

• Presented Launching to the World with (New) Google Sites as Digital Portfolios at the Elementary Technology Conference at the IU13 (December 2018), LS Innovation Day at Lampeter-Strasburg School District (October 2018), & the Google Summit at the CAIU in Harrisburg, PA (March 2018)

• Keystone Technology Innovator (July 2017)

• Co-planned, co-developed, and presented face-to-face and webinar sessions for PAECT as a member of the PD committee: Let’s Code! (December 2018), AR/VR: Unbounded Classroom including AR-based field trips with HP Reveal, Mergecubes, and Google Expeditions VR in Allentown, PA (May 2018)

• Presented face-to-face workshops on year one/two hybrid rotational model and flexible seating at the IU13 Lancaster-Lebanon IU13 (September 2018).  

• Interviewed and recorded for video for Innovative Teaching & Learning 2018 

• Co-Presented Rotation Instructional (Blended) Model at PCTM (August 2017)

• Presented at multiple building-wide technology professional development faculty trainings (Google Forms for Everything (2016), Web 2.0 in the Classroom (2013) & individual coaching with colleagues

• Co-teaching and team-teaching experience (2015 - present)

• Implements hybrid rotational instructional model of teaching and learning in 1:1 setting with Chromebooks and iPads (2015 - present)

• Member and grade-level representative of Building-level Technology Committee (2013 - Present) and District-level Innovative Teaching & Learning Committee (2017-Present)

• Students maintain(ed) digital portfolios through various platforms, and data monitoring sheets and graphs to record and monitor evidence of student achievement in the classroom (2013 - Present)

• Raised Brook Trout in the classroom and released at Lititz Run (2017 - present)

• Coach in STEM Bowl (2018)

• Experience with basic web design (HTML5, CSS, JS), databases (phpMyAdmin), and graphic design (adobe illustrator) 

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