Donnie Piercey is the 2021 Kentucky Teacher of the Year and has been teaching at a public school in Kentucky since 2007. Donnie specializes in using technology to promote student inquiry, learning, and engagement. He runs a podcast called Teachers Passing Notes, that is produced by the Peabody Award winning company, GZMShows. He was the recipient of a National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship to Antarctica, and he also represents Kentucky on the inaugural National Geographic Teacher Advisory Council. He was the first North American lead for the Google Earth Education Experts Network, and he was the first teacher in Kentucky to become both a Google Certified Innovator and a Google Certified Trainer. In 2017, he co-authored The Google Cardboard Book: Explore, Engage, and Educate with Virtual Reality based on virtual experiences he created for his students.
Donnie's recent work in AI and Edu has not gone unnoticed, earning him multiple appearances on Good Morning America, the Associated Press, and PBS. His book, "50 Strategies for Using AI in the Classroom," published by Teacher Created Materials, is written for educators looking for practical classroom approaches to using AI to revolutionize their teaching methods and enrich their students' learning experiences.
Donnie has been invited to keynote and present at conferences and schools in thirty-three states and on five continents.