Amy Alvis, an educational technology coordinator for Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), is one of nation’s leading influencers in education.
Alvis was recently recognized by PowerSchool, the leading provider of cloud-based software for K–12 education in North America, as one of 100 winners of the PowerSchool Honor Roll Awards. The program celebrates and recognizes PowerSchool customers who have had an extraordinary influence on education and are committed to improving student engagement.
An educator for the past 25 years, Alvis exemplifies a passion for education. A former classroom teacher turned educational technology coordinator, she has a deep knowledge of Schoology Learning and serves as the go-to leader for all things PowerSchool within IPS.
As a PowerSchool ambassador, Alvis connects with other district leaders to contribute and share ideas and resources.
“I am honored to have been chosen as the PowerSchool Ambassador of the Year for my work with Schoology,” said Alvis, who received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Ball State University in 1995 and a master’s degree in educational technology from IUPUI in 2003.
“My love of the product started when I learned the district had chosen Schoology as their new learning management system. I quickly dove into learning as much as I could about the software,” said Alvis. “I soon realized that I would have loved to have used Schoology when I was teaching. It has so many cool features and functionalities that would have saved me time and allowed me to quickly differentiate learning for my students. Sharing what the system could do with the teachers in the district quickly became one of the highlights of my job.”
Educators were nominated by peers in their school districts across seven categories that showcase educators’ passion and knowledge of different PowerSchool solutions, and then those nominated were selected by committee.
In her role as district trainer for Schoology and PowerTeacher Pro, Alvis is the system administrator for Schoology, she develops districtwide training materials, provides classroom support for teachers in their use of technology, and coordinates both leadership and teacher professional development to provide educators with the necessary skills
and knowledge to support their effective use of digital resources and technology
Alvis started working in education in 1996 as a classroom teacher. After earning a master’s degree, she expanded her role to become a curriculum trainer for math and science and developed curriculum for computer science classes. Then she transitioned to IPS’ IT Department.
“I was always a user of technology both personally and professionally and the degree seemed a natural fit for me,” she said. “As much as I loved teaching (especially math), I felt like I could reach a wider number of students with a district role.
“I transitioned to what was then the IT Department seven years ago. The first year, I was the district software trainer. The next year, the former IT officer created the position of ed tech coordinator, which allowed me to turn my focus on working with teachers. I love going into schools and working with teachers on how to integrate technology into their lessons. An added bonus is that it also gives me the opportunity to work with students again. “