Flower Hill’s Allison Conlon Honored with Tech Award

Western Suffolk BOCES recently presented Flower Hill Primary School teacher Allison Conlon with the organization’s Teacher Technology Integration Award during a ceremony held to celebrate innovative educators across the region.

Joining Ms. Conlon at the ceremony were Superintendent Beth McCoy, math RTI teacher Christine Lofaro, district instructional technology specialist Marybeth Robinette and Flower hill Principal Cindy Siegel. Their presence reflected the district’s shared commitment to innovation and excellence in education.

“We were thrilled to be there to honor Ms. Conlon’s achievement,” Ms. Siegel said. “This is so well-deserved. Her creativity and dedication continue to inspire students and colleagues alike.”

Ms. Conlon received the award for her exceptional math lesson, “Tech Pathways: Unlocking Learning with Innovation.” Her third-grade students used Screencastify to create digital presentations that showcased their learning and reflections, demonstrating how technology can empower student voice, deepen engagement and support meaningful learning outcomes.

“Utilizing Kami and Screencastify to complete exit tickets has been extremely engaging and successful for our students,” Ms. Conlon said. “Students are eager to talk through their strategies and become more confident using academic vocabulary in their explanations. They have also loved watching their own videos back, as well as their peers. It has also been beneficial to us as teachers. It allows us to listen to their thought processes, pinpoint any breakdowns in understanding and provide immediate feedback through comments/conferences.”

A member of Huntington High School’s Class of 2009, Ms. Conlon obtained an undergraduate degree in elementary education and middle school at the University of Delaware in 2013. She earned a master’s degree in literacy at American College of Education in 2018.

The teacher worked as a permanent substitute teacher and leave replacement before being hired to a full-time position. She received tenure in 2019. This marks Ms. Conlon’s tenth year in a Flower Hill third grade classroom. She is also the varsity field hockey team’s assistant coach.

Ms. Conlon’s students love using technology in the classroom. “Kami and Screencastify helps you practice solving a problem by yourself and lets you talk instead of just listening,” third grader Henry Launer said. “It’s really fun.”

As a student, Ms. Conlon attended kindergarten during the era when the program was based at Woodhull School. She went on to attend Jefferson for grades 1-3 and Woodhull again for grades 4-6 after the building was converted to an intermediate school. She later attended Finley and finally, the high school.

Feedback from students using the technology platforms is overwhelmingly positive:

• “I like it because it helps us be more social and use our voices more and be more confident,” Gia Spagnoletti said.

• “It’s one of the best tools we use because you can see your work better when you’re talking it out,” Jay Harris said.

• “It helps you because it lets you talk though your strategies and catch your mistakes,” Brody Burke said. “It’s fun because it makes you feel like a famous YouTuber.”

• “It helps you learn a lot and helps you explain your thinking,” De’Sean Robinson said. “It also helps you catch your own mistakes.”

• “I love showing my strategies because they help me with my questions,” Chris Perdomo said.