Jo Newell
Apps for Good Teacher of the Year 2020
Jo's 2020 Story
Jo Newell from Harris Academy Bermondsey is our pick for Apps for Good teacher of the year this year, due to her tireless work delivering our courses across year groups
Jo is an experienced Apps for Good educator who has delivered a variety of our courses over the years. Jo is extremely passionate about inspiring her students through technology and has successfully led many student teams to the Apps for Good Awards.
Her passion and determination to inspire her students has helped them produce many innovative problem solving technologies. She has also utilised many opportunities for her students to see the use of technology outside of the classroom and has partaken in many engagement days with Apps for Good including visits to our corporate partners Spotify and our Design an App in a Day workshop with LEGO
What are the key skills that you and your students have developed by taking part in Apps for Good courses?
My students have developed skills in team work and resilience. They have an increased awareness of how technology plays a big part in the real world. They really engage with being able to own the creative process and develop something that is relevant and important to them.
What does entering the Awards and making it to the finals mean to you and your students?
Entering the awards means a huge deal to me and my students. It's an all girls' school so it's important to me that they know that they can be a valuable part of an increasingly changing industry, where once it was more traditionally thought of as only for men. When my students get through to the finals I see the change from 'I might be able to do this', to feeling empowered to realise just how far they can go (or further).
It's an all girls' school so it's important to me that they know that they can be a valuable part of an increasingly changing industry, where once it was more traditionally thought of as only for men.”
Jo Newell, Computer Science at Harris Academy Bermondsey
What has been a highlight of your Apps for Good journey?
What hasn't been a highlight?! Seeing my students get excited about projects they have worked on; feeling so ridiculously proud when they stand up and pitch to industry experts; a student last year practically running around the market place and charming industry professionals into listening to her idea and giving her advice on how to get into tech beyond school; having incredible opportunities such as Lego come and run workshops in our school - the list of highlights is so long!
Supported by:
