Spotlight 4 Success
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Spotlight 4 Success
Breaking Barriers at AIDB
Family legacy meets professional mission in this heartfelt conversation with Marian Wilson, MIS Coordinator at the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB). Recording from the Alabama Educational Technology Conference in Mobile, we explore the unique intersection of personal connection and educational technology that has shaped Wilson's remarkable 24-year career.
Spotlight 4 Success: Spotlight 4 Success
Welcome to Spotlight for Success by American Book Company. I'm Devin Pintosi, your host. We are here at the Alabama Educational Technology Conference in Sunny Mobile, alabama, and we are here with our special guest, marian Wilson. Marian, thanks for joining us today.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me today.
Speaker 1:Wilson. Marianne, thanks for joining us today. Thank you for having me today. Marianne joins us. She is the student specialist, student data specialist with AIDB, the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind, and we are so happy to have you here today, marianne, thank you. Can you tell me a bit about what you do and what brings you here to the AATC?
Speaker 2:So I am currently the MIS coordinator at the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind in Talladega. My current position is MIS coordinator, so I am responsible for all of our student systems, particularly the power school system, which is our student information systems, and so I am here to kind of grow that skill base, you know, to learn more about what power school offers, and that's been my focus since I've been here. But there's been so many other opportunities to learn and do different things while I'm here, so it's always a wonderful learning experience. I've joined the AETC about three years ago that I've been coming to their conferences, so there's always an opportunity to learn something here and I thoroughly enjoy it every year.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's great. But this year your focus was really those power, school integrations, those power school courses yes.
Speaker 2:Those things that we can add on, we can use to enhance our student interaction Wonderful.
Speaker 1:As well as our teacher interaction.
Speaker 2:You know, those things that will help our teachers do more, give more to our students as well as help our because it's also a system where our students can use it and our parents can use it. So those things that will assist them in doing things that they do. It makes their life a little bit easier, you know.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's so great. It's so great that you're involved in that and can you tell us a bit about you've done this for four years now, I understand. Is that right? I've?
Speaker 2:been the MIS coordinator for about four years.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:But I've been with the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind for 24 years.
Speaker 1:That's wow, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So I initially came to AIDBN 2020. And so I came in as a computer tech. Okay. So, I was a computer technician where I did the hardware work, which kind of was the fun part of it because I was able to go out more and interact with our students.
Speaker 2:Oh, nice so when you're doing computer tech, when you're doing the hardware side, you know you're able to go out to a classroom and assist a teacher with a printer problem or things like that. So you get to kind of be more involved with the students and so that was a wonderful experience. But you know, of course, as we go and as we learn, you know we kind of want to advance our careers. So I was able to move up a little, but I do mostly now it's kind of in the office, which is sad because you don't get to see the students anymore. But we still take opportunities to go out and be with our students and interact with them with their programs and things like that. We do a fun field day with them just out at the IT department and go out and interact with our students. So it's always fun to be at AIDB.
Speaker 1:Oh, that is wonderful, marion, and tell us a bit about your journey. Why did you choose for your career path? Working for the Institute for the Deaf and Blind for 24 years?
Speaker 3:Yeah, Thank you for watching Spotlight for Success. I am Devin Pintosi, chief Operating Officer of American Book Company. We are located here in our headquarters in Woodstock, georgia. All of our materials are printed in USA. We have course books, e-books and online testing in grades K through 12 in mathematics, ela, science and social studies. These materials are all designed to help students achieve higher scores on their state-specific high-stakes assessments. We guarantee score improvement. You can get free samples of our materials either in print or in electronic formats at abck12.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
Speaker 2:So AIDB has always been a part of my life, literally always been a part of my life. When I finished undergrad, I did go to the classroom for a year. I taught at a local high school for a year and I loved it. It was an amazing experience, but AIDB was where I wanted to be and so an opportunity came up and, after some prayer and, you know, talking with my family, I decided that, you know, that was the best move for me at the time. So I went to that position but, like I said, it's been a part of my life for all of my life. I had grandparents who were visually impaired. Both my grandparents were blind.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So and I had aunts and uncles and cousins who had visual impairments, so they attended the Alabama School for the Blind. My grandparents and aunts and uncles worked at the Alabama Industries for the Blind, which is also a part of our institute as a whole. Okay, that's our manufacturing facility and they do sewing, they do government contracts and things. So they were always there and so as I was growing up as a young girl, you know I remember going to pick granddaddy up from work and those things. So it always made an impact on me to see those people with disabilities function at such a high level. You know, and interact with my grandparents and you know seeing them continue to go on with life's journey in spite of so it was always weighing on me. So when I got the opportunity to go back to AIDB, it felt like home.
Speaker 1:It was just right. That is so inspiring.
Speaker 2:And I love what I did.
Speaker 1:What a great story. That's fantastic. Do you have anything you'd like to share with the AATC community associated with this conference?
Speaker 2:Yeah, aetc community associated with this conference. Yeah, I think. Like I said, I think AETC has always been a benefit to anyone in the education facility. I've even talked to people like because I said like AIDB is not just K-12. We have adult facilities where we have adult learning programs. We have a business side where we do sewing programs, work programs.
Speaker 2:So, there's so many different avenues. We have retail stores, and so it's always such a learning opportunity here at AETC and again, I was able to even talk to people here who were able to offer me some insights on things that we're doing on the business side of the house, so it's not just education. You know, there's so many opportunities here that we can tap into, you know, and, like I said, it's been wonderful.
Speaker 1:Oh, that is wonderful. Great to hear. So once again, this is Marian Wilson, with the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind.
Speaker 2:Located in Talladega, alabama, but we also have facilities in regional centers throughout the state of Blind. Located in Talladega, alabama, but we also have facilities in regional centers throughout the state of Alabama.
Speaker 1:Oh wonderful, wonderful, and she is the student systems coordinator for the area, working with power schools right now. Yes, and thank you so much for joining us today.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much, it was my pleasure.