While technology can often be a male-dominated field, educator Tina Photakis is proving otherwise to her students as this year she is the recipient of the EdTechSA/ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Making IT Happen Award.

Selected by the EdTechSA Committee, comprised of educators across South Australia, Mrs Photakis, who has served as committee president since 2015, was recognised for her outstanding and ongoing contribution to the promotion of digital technologies in learning.

“In conferring this award, the EdTechSA Committee acknowledges Tina’s remarkable energy and enthusiasm to connect educators on a local, national, and international level,” said the committee.

“Her passion for making global connections, facilitating professional learning for others, and commitment and enthusiasm to ensuring that EdTechSA remains a world leader in educational technology learning and community are the primary reasons for awarding her this award’.”

EdTechSA supports learning and teaching with digital technologies from early childhood settings through to secondary learning environments.

Mrs Photakis is currently a teacher at Cowandilla Primary School where she has successfully embedded digital technologies throughout all her teaching subjects which include ICT, Modern Greek, Drama, Music and Geography.

Previously awarded 2011 Educator of the Year by the committee, Mrs Photakis’ commitment is evident not only in her growing collection of awards, but her pursuit of personal professional development, having attended annual ISTE conferences in the US for the last seven years.

Since 2004 she has been an online coach with the Oracle Foundation International ThinkQuest competition, and in 2005 her team took out second place winning a trip to San Francisco.

Said to have a knack for recognising international forward thinkers, Mrs Photakis has ensured that the South Australian education sector is kept up-to-date; organising state EdTechSA and national ACCE conferences featuring a broad range of speakers involved in education and technology from across the globe.

“Tina approaches her work in a very professional manner; she takes a lot of time to make sure that the association, the conferences, guest speakers and the international bodies are well informed,” her husband Peter Photakis told Neos Kosmos.

“I think she would have thought [the award] was a bit of a surprise, an honour, and in one way or another she didn’t really expect it, but she deserves it. She’s a person that puts her heart and soul behind the cause.”

As well as joining the ranks of a distinguished group of education leaders around the world, the Making IT Happen Award has also given Mrs Photakis greater recognition within ISTE, a one-year ISTE membership, and an invitation to the awards celebration at the 2017 ISTE conference in June to be held in San Antonio.

Since the program began in 1995, more than 500 innovative educational leaders have been awarded.