Giselle Taylor, right, receives the Bright Light Award for her contributions to the Glen Cove City School District.
Photo by Anna Policastro
Giselle Taylor, who specializes in instructional technology, has been honored with the 2025 Bright Light Award by the Association of Suffolk Supervisors for Educational Technologies.
She began her journey in education as a teacher’s assistant in 2007. After gaining experience as an elementary teacher at Gribbin Elementary School, she transitioned to the STREAM department. STREAM stands for Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics, and emphasizes technology exploration in schools.
Today, Giselle works as the district’s tech specialist, collaborating with students and teachers across all schools. Her main focus is to foster a supportive environment where everyone can freely experiment with new technologies. She strives to “make technology as easy as possible.”
Drawing from her teaching experiences, she connects with faculty and students effectively. “I was once in their shoes,” she shared.
During her 18 years in Glen Cove, Taylor has witnessed tremendous growth in technology. A key part of her role is to carefully evaluate new tech tools before they reach the classroom. Recently, she attended an AI summit to explore how artificial intelligence can enhance teaching.
Taylor has looked into how AI tools, like ChatGPT, can be a valuable resource for teachers when planning lessons. She describes it as a helpful “think partner” for brainstorming ideas.
While she values AI, her most trusted collaborator is Jessica McKenna, a teacher at Deasy School who nominated her for the award. Their partnership spans several years, fostering collaboration both inside and outside the classroom.
The technology department at Glen Cove is dedicated and passionate. Taylor proudly describes the team as “small but mighty,” including Gayle Tullo, Chris Zammat, Anna Policastro, and technicians Dulce Jon-Stenger, Jen Angelet, and Ester Kim.
“I work with amazing people,” she said of her colleagues.
The Glen Cove City School District celebrated Taylor’s award, indicating it was a “well-earned recognition.” Taylor emphasized the hard work of all the teachers and staff in the district, stating, “There are many, many bright lights in our district.”
Read More: Victoria Wink awarded county’s Secondary Physical Education Teacher of the Year
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