Rick Robb
Outstanding Technology Educator Winner 2006
River Hill High School
English Teacher
Howard County

"[Robb] worked tirelessly to disseminate what we learned at River Hill through appearances in local, state, and national media outlets and publications."- R. Scott Pfeifer, former principal of River Hill High School

"When using LCD projectors and PowerPoint presentations was something many teachers thought was a tool used more in the world of business than education, Rick was incorporating such technology into his lessons on a daily basis with entertaining and educational lessons on film analysis." - Nicholas Novak, teacher, River Hill High School

For more than eleven years, Rick Robb, an English teacher at River Hill High School in Howard County, has been on the cutting edge of integrating technology into the classroom. This alone would be a noteworthy accomplishment. But he also is distinguished by his relentless search for ways technology can help staff with analysis of student achievement. A strong advocate for integration of technology into education, he has traveled the nation in search of technology solutions for a school setting.

Robb's interest in educational technology was no accident, but rather a natural outgrowth of his previous experience. He worked for roughly 15 years as a computer professional, first as a mainframe operator and later as a software engineer.

Since becoming a teacher, he has pioneered multiple programs. When he noticed that seniors couldn't afford computers for college, he sought donated computers that would go to seniors who had been accepted to college. He wrote grants with the goal of providing one-to-one computer access for students. A technology plan he drafted after talking to supervisors from successful university, school, and government programs was distributed to principals nationwide. Additionally, he became a model for business partnerships. Through an agreement with Mindsurf Networks, his class became the first in the nation to routinely use wireless handheld computers.

In the classroom today, Robb's students can be seen using laptops, a SMART Board and iPAQs. His lessons often incorporate text and video. For one project, his students created a page about Emily Dickinson that included hyperlinks to supporting materials. He posts his lessons on a server where other teachers can access them.

His vision for technology in education has benefited educators beyond access to lessons. As principal of the county's summer school program, he set up on-line registration for courses and systems for school reporting. He is currently managing a database he created of AP English materials and student information. This effort has had measurable success: when Robb came to River Hill High School, only 27 students took the AP English exam. This year, 221 students took the exam, with 86% of students scoring a 3 or higher.

A Snapshot of Achievements: