Full Name
Donnie Piercey
Title
2021 Kentucky Teacher of the Year
Speaker Bio
Donnie Piercey is the 2021 Kentucky Teacher of the Year and a full-time classroom teacher at Ashland Elementary School in Lexington, Kentucky. He always tries to make sure that his lessons focus on student inquiry, creativity, and engagement.
Throughout his 20 year teaching career, Donnie has worked to create opportunities for students in Kentucky to connect with the world beyond their classroom. While remaining a full-time teacher, he has been invited to present, keynote, and lead professional learning in 35 states and on six continents. In 2021, he was invited to the White House to meet with President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden. He is a National Geographic Explorer Education Exchange member and is currently working with National Geographic, Columbia University, and MIT to help develop space-focused learning experiences for Appalachian students in grades 3–8. In 2021 he was selected as a National Geographic Teacher Fellow to Antarctica, where he explored how extreme environments on Earth can inform classroom learning.
Donnie’s recent work at the intersection of AI and education has been featured nationally on Good Morning America, PBS NewsHour, the Associated Press, ABC News, and KET. He is the author of 50 Strategies for Integrating AI into the Classroom (Teacher Created Materials, 2023), a practical guide for educators looking to use AI thoughtfully and responsibly with students. He is also the co-author of The Google Cardboard Book: Explore, Engage, & Educate with Virtual Reality, based on immersive experiences he created for his own classroom.
In addition to his classroom teaching, Donnie serves in leadership and advisory roles with organizations including National Geographic, Google for Education, and Adobe for Education. He hosts The Partial Credit Podcast (http://partial.credit) and was named a Kentucky Colonel in 2023. While his work has taken him around the world, Donnie remains rooted in the Bluegrass, keeping his professional focus where it matters most: his students.
Throughout his 20 year teaching career, Donnie has worked to create opportunities for students in Kentucky to connect with the world beyond their classroom. While remaining a full-time teacher, he has been invited to present, keynote, and lead professional learning in 35 states and on six continents. In 2021, he was invited to the White House to meet with President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden. He is a National Geographic Explorer Education Exchange member and is currently working with National Geographic, Columbia University, and MIT to help develop space-focused learning experiences for Appalachian students in grades 3–8. In 2021 he was selected as a National Geographic Teacher Fellow to Antarctica, where he explored how extreme environments on Earth can inform classroom learning.
Donnie’s recent work at the intersection of AI and education has been featured nationally on Good Morning America, PBS NewsHour, the Associated Press, ABC News, and KET. He is the author of 50 Strategies for Integrating AI into the Classroom (Teacher Created Materials, 2023), a practical guide for educators looking to use AI thoughtfully and responsibly with students. He is also the co-author of The Google Cardboard Book: Explore, Engage, & Educate with Virtual Reality, based on immersive experiences he created for his own classroom.
In addition to his classroom teaching, Donnie serves in leadership and advisory roles with organizations including National Geographic, Google for Education, and Adobe for Education. He hosts The Partial Credit Podcast (http://partial.credit) and was named a Kentucky Colonel in 2023. While his work has taken him around the world, Donnie remains rooted in the Bluegrass, keeping his professional focus where it matters most: his students.
