Campus Connection

’06 teacher is a driving force for using tech in the classroom

[caption id="attachment_40778" align="alignright" width="600"] Brian Puerling, director of education technology at the Catherine Cook School in Chicago, is one of five UW-L alumni to be honored in May.[/caption] Brian Puerling has always been interested in teaching. The West Bend, Wisconsin, native grew up in a house where his mother provided daycare in the home. “I wanted to be a teacher since I was in second grade,” recalls Puerling, ’06. Today Puerling, director of education technology at the Catherine Cook School in Chicago, is known for his innovative education using digital technology. Puerling is one of five UW-L alumni who will be honored commencement weekend in May for distinguished service and successful careers. Other honorees include: Susan M. Gapstur, '83; Theodore N. Knudson, '60; Theo Howard, '93 and '95; and Cindy Marten,'88. During college, Puerling did a clinical at the UW-L Campus Child Center for teacher education studies. He’s been hooked professionally since. “It was great for me to be able to learn from them right on campus,” he says. After graduating, he taught in Chicago Public Schools for five years. That’s when he started giving presentations about using new technology in elementary classrooms. When the iPad came out, Puerling presented on using one effectively in a classroom. “The teachers wanted someone to help them think differently about using technology in education,” Puerling recalls. He was invited by more schools to give presentations to their teachers. Eventually he started a tech support consulting business. In 2011, he became director of education technology at Catherine Cook School in Chicago. Puerling soon became a sought-out expert on the issue nationally and has written in numerous scholarly publications. He has worked with Sesame Street Teacher Council and Muppets puppeteers to improve their educational messages. He’s currently doing advisory work for Nickelodeon. And, he is an Early Career Fellow for the Fred Rogers Center for Children’s Media, working to create an app for children to explore art and communication. It’s important to balance traditional teaching methods and technology, says Puerling. “Drawing and working with paper are still important,” he notes. “But it’s important to be using technology for the experience it can provide, not just for technology’s sake.” For example, GoPro cameras, which are put on the students’ heads to get their point of view, can amplify a lesson. “It enhances the process or adds a component that they can’t get otherwise,” Puerling explains. The biggest challenge is when technology doesn’t work. “You need to have a back-up plan,” Puerling notes. “Technology needs to be a tool, not the only tool.” Puerling likes his current balance of working with children and the teachers. “The dynamic I have allows me to work with both,” he says.

Brian Puerling

• Accomplished educator, visionary in the field of education; known and respected for innovative work with teaching in the digital age.
• Published author of books and articles on technology and education.
• Received National PBS Innovative Educator Award and National PBS Teacher’s Choice Award, 2010.
• Director of education technology at Catherine Cook School in Chicago since 2011; formerly, preschool teacher with Chicago Public Schools.
• Author of “Teaching in the Digital Age: Smart Tools for Age 3 to Grade 3”; plans to publish a book on preschool and kindergarten in 2016.
• Holds a master’s in early childhood education from Erikson Institute, 2011; bachelor’s in elementary and early childhood education from UW-L, 2006.