Faculty Member Recognized as ‘Apple Distinguished Educator’
Joy is a full-time instructor in the School of Health, Wellness & Public Safety here at CNM.

Faculty Member Recognized as ‘Apple Distinguished Educator’

Emergency Medical Services Instructor Joy Cherry will represent New Mexico at the 2019 Apple Distinguished Educators Conference in July.
April 25, 2019

In 1994, Apple created the Apple Distinguished Educators (ADE) program to recognize K-12 and higher-education pioneers who are using Apple technology to transform teaching and learning.

According to Apple, these educators are active leaders from around the world that are helping other educators rethink what’s possible in the classroom with the use of iPads, Macs and other Apple technologies.

Joy Cherry, a full-time instructor in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program at CNM, is one of those pioneering educators. She successfully implemented the use of iPad technology into her paramedic classes so that her students would be able to chart and log data more accurately and efficiently. In other words, students are gaining technology skills as they hone their life-saving skills.

“We needed mobile technology for our students to be able to enter data while they were in the program and while they were doing their internships,” Joy says. “There were some challenges at the beginning, but once we were able to develop a successful program using the iPads, I saw a growth in our students’ ability to apply that tech to the healthcare industry.”

In addition to using the iPads in class, once done with the course, our students get to walk away with the Apple technology to assist them in building résumés and applying to jobs. The cost of the iPads is built into student fees. Joy says that it is an investment that pays a large return in the long run by aiding accessibility to online applications and training tools.

“What we were seeing when we would just check out the iPads (from the CNM Library) is that some students didn’t have the tech resources to apply to jobs when the course ended. They were asking for paper applications, which we all know aren’t popular these days,” she says. “We are offering them another tool that will help them get jobs and succeed in their field.”

Joy_2.jpg

Joy is no stranger to Apple. She has been speaking at educator events for years and says that she learns something new at every conference.

“I’m very excited. Every time I’ve attended a conference for Apple, I’m inspired to come back to CNM and expand our use of technology in the classroom to make our students’ learning experiences more applicable to today’s tech savvy world.”

Joy says a huge benefit to the ADE program is getting to meet and learn from educators from around the world.

“I think the collaboration on an international level is amazing,” she says. “Representing New Mexico in this is very exciting because I get to come back and share everything that I learned with my colleagues and help integrate more technology into our classrooms at CNM.”

Joy will travel to Bethesda, Md., in July to represent New Mexico at the 2019 Apple Distinguished Educators Conference.

Learn more about CNM’s EMS Program.