Makerspace Director & Technology Teacher

Summary:  

Blue Ridge School is an all-boys, all-boarding college preparatory school for 180 boys on a stunning 750 acre campus along the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Blue Ridge is only 20 miles from Charlottesville, Virginia, a vibrant community and home to the University of Virginia.

Blue Ridge educators gain the added satisfaction of working with students inside and outside the classroom which gives them a greater influence in shaping a student’s mind and character. Our teachers have the opportunity to lead athletic and outdoor activities based on their own passions.

The school provides an interactive learning environment in which teachers have a great amount of autonomy in their classrooms and still have the support of a collaborative faculty.  Using a college-preparatory curriculum with a high-degree of individual support, teachers can better prepare their students for college and careers in the 21st century.  

Most teachers live on campus in homes provided by the school. On campus housing helps give our safe, family-oriented community the sense of a small village in which students and families live and work together.

The Makerspace Director’s primary role is to serve as the “point person” for all of the technology in the school’s Makerspace which includes extensive audio-visual equipment and software, 3D printers, laser cutters, and more. As Blue Ridge teachers integrate more Project Based Learning into their classes, this equipment is increasingly important in helping student to produce authentic and high-quality final products that showcase their learning. The Makerspace Director will be an advocate for the use of this technology and will proactively work to connect teachers to it, and use and understand it. The Makerspace Director will be a resource for and a partner to the School’s teachers and will help them use the available technology to help their students have impactful academic experiences.

The Makerspace Director will also teach two sections, preferably in technology disciplines, including programming, audio visual engineering and production, STEM, or robotics, in a supportive and positive manner. There is flexibility within this position, as we don’t expect the person to be an expert in all of these areas. The most important qualification will be a willingness to learn and a willingness to support teachers and students. Blue Ridge will encourage and support extensive professional development for the Makerspace Director in order to gain expertise with the different Makerspace tools.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assist faculty with increased use of technology in the classroom; regularly visit classrooms to observe use of technology and suggest ways in which technology enhances instruction

• Coordinate with the IT Administrator on technology initiatives

• Engages regularly in professional development in order to stay current on new and emerging technologies and practices in learning, technology and faculty development

• Perform advisory duties including but not limited to student support, counseling students with academic problems and providing student encouragement

• Participate in extracurricular activities such as social activities, sporting activities, clubs and student organizations

• Participates on weekday and weekend duty teams

• Attends on-campus special events, such as Registration, Parents Weekend, Alumni Weekend, School sponsored mixers, etc.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• n/a

Physical Demands and Working Conditions:

The usual and customary methods of performing the job's functions require the following physical demands: occasional lifting, carrying, pushing, and/or pulling; some climbing and balancing; frequent stooping, kneeling, crouching, and/or crawling; and significant fine finger dexterity. Generally the job requires 40% sitting, 40% walking, and 20% standing.  The job is performed under minimal temperature variations and under conditions with some exposure to risk of injury and/or illness.

Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree, required

• Experience teaching technology subjects, preferred

• Excellent interpersonal, effective verbal, writing and listening skills

• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, strong work ethic and ability to multitask between multiple projects