By: Asha Gandreti ’25
After a transformative summer connecting with educators and professors across the world, Mr. Ryan Keser, Ms. Patricia Knight and Ms. Vicki Spitalnick shared their experiences and insights gained from the University of Sheffield's International Symposium of Academic Makerspaces (ISAM) with the Pine Crest community. These Pine Crest teachers expanded their knowledge on classroom technology implementation and innovation while learning from other educators in this three-day immersive conference in Sheffield, England.
"Building a global brand for Pine Crest and marketing ourselves internationally means seeking the best professional development opportunities for our educators," said Dr. Lisa Ockerman, Pine Crest Vice President of Academics and Strategic Initiatives. "As a school, we have outgrown many traditional development programs in engineering, design thinking and maker spaces. To continue elevating instruction, it has become necessary to expand into the international community and collaborate with universities. Unlike K-12 institutions, universities possess vast resources and offer unparalleled opportunities for technological advancement. As London is known as a global tech hub, we prioritize sending our educators to professional development experiences linked to emerging technology, making ISAM an invaluable opportunity."
Ms. Spitalnick has been an Innovation Specialist on the Boca Raton campus for the past eight years. She works with pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students while coaching Lower School robotics and Middle School competitive engineering. Upon attending ISAM, Ms. Spitalnick noted, "ISAM is predominantly geared toward the university level, but because of the program we've developed for pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students, we are always looking toward improvement and making sure we are aligned with the future. Most importantly, we want to best prepare our students for experiences in their future."
One of the key takeaways from the visit was how university students operated and managed makerspaces. "I really loved that students ran the spaces because they had proven their mastery of the skills, software and machines. I would love to incorporate some accreditation process in the Upper School at Pine Crest, allowing our students to be more independent after mastering the skills they learn. Our goal is for our students to have greater freedom and flexibility in utilizing the Zimmerman and Mintz Family iLabs and the advanced technology available at Pine Crest," Ms. Spitalnick added.
Mr. Keser has taught at Pine Crest for five years, starting as a teacher in the science department before transitioning to the Zimmerman Family iLab as an Innovation Specialist this year. In his new role, he teaches students the fundamentals of engineering, manufacturing, digital design and more. “When I accepted this position after working in the Upper School science department, some of the things I immediately began looking for online were conferences and workshops for professional development. It’s something that all of us do here at Pine Crest as lifelong learners expanding our professional skill sets.”
After hearing about the opportunity to attend the ISAM conference at the University of Sheffield, Mr. Keser was excited not only to gain valuable information about how makerspaces are being developed and utilized at the university level, but to compare this knowledge with that of Pine Crest. “I was very pleased to be looking at these university spaces and see that at Pine Crest, we are way ahead of the curve.”
During the summer of 2024, under the leadership of President Dr. Dana Markham '18H, Pine Crest School formed a partnership with the London School of Economics (LSE), which led to the LSE Generate program team visiting Pine Crest this past January to host the Innovation Festival with Upper School students. The visit to ISAM complemented this initiative, as Pine Crest educators explored how students move from ideation to prototyping in entrepreneurial experiences. Dr. Ockerman explained, "When LSE representatives visited Pine Crest, they were impressed to see our students move so swiftly from ideation to prototyping. They had never seen students in an incubator stage take their ideas and immediately begin creating tangible representations using our iLabs."
She continued, "At LSE, students learn the theory behind entrepreneurial development and the phases of bringing an idea to market. A major part of that process is creating a physical representation of their concept. At Pine Crest, our students move from ideation straight to laser cutters, 3D printers and other prototyping tools in our iLabs. Everything the iLab Specialists saw at ISAM was based on research into how maker education enhances student engagement and learning—aligning perfectly with our curriculum's emphasis on critical thinking and problem-solving. The knowledge and network at ISAM provide our innovation specialists with connections that will help create even more innovative programs and collaborations, ensuring our students are prepared to leverage their skills in the future."
Dr. Ockerman also highlighted the connection between university-level maker education and Pine Crest's curriculum, stating, "Our faculty returned with ideas on how university professors are using these tools to drive student learning. It was reaffirming to know that Pine Crest is already implementing many of the same experiences. However, ISAM provided insights into how we can deepen that learning. At Pine Crest, we believe in backward design—starting with the portrait of a graduate and preparing students to meet that vision. The conference reinforced how universities value maker education, engineering and human-centered design thinking, and we are continuously looking at how to integrate those instructional methodologies into our program."
Ms. Knight, who teaches in the Upper School iLab with Mr. Keser, also started at Pine Crest in another department before moving into her current role. As an artist, Ms. Knight teaches students about 3D modeling and product design to best utilize the technology and tools found within makerspaces. Reflecting upon her experiences at the University of Sheffield, she valued the opportunities to collaborate with like-minded professors. “Hearing from professors on what they value in students at the college level in these makerspaces was insightful. We want to ensure that we equip our students with the knowledge, skills and curiosity necessary to succeed in makerspaces and beyond.”
“The students presenting at the conference were really amazing,” she continued. “As they were showing us some of their individual projects, they spoke about the types of machines and programs that they were most interested in, and that is definitely something that we will be considering for our students here.”
“These opportunities allow our teachers to learn, grow and take their instruction to a new level. We couldn't do it without the support of our generous donors and the support of our families, administration and Board of Trustees,” said Dr. Ockerman. Professional development of this caliber requires significant investment, and the commitment of our philanthropic community ensures that our faculty continue to have access to world-class learning opportunities. These experiences directly impact our students, as our faculty bring back the latest advancements, strategies and methodologies to enhance classroom instruction, allowing students to lead with excellence and inspire the next generation of thinkers and leaders.
With the rapid advancements in technology, artificial intelligence and the evolving skill sets needed for the future, professional development remains essential. "With how fast our world is changing,” said Dr. Ockerman, “it is a necessity that we send our teachers to professional development like this so that they are tailoring their curriculum to equip students with the thinking skills they need for the future."
Reflecting on the strength of Pine Crest's faculty, Dr. Ockerman shared a colleague's sentiment: "Working at Pine Crest feels like being on an all-star team. Our teachers are top-tier, incredibly talented and the most curious, enthusiastic learners you can hire. It is always wonderful to be part of something greater than yourself."