By Barnett Wright and Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
When South Hampton K-8 School Media Specialist Tambra Clark was invited to speak at this year’s Ed Farm’s 2025 Future of Learning Summit (FOLS) she was more than willing to share her experience of embracing technology to enhance education.
That’s because Clark, who will become Technology Integration Facilitator for Birmingham City Schools beginning July 1, has become a model in the region where technology intersects with education.
“Today I’m here to talk about a good thing,” Clark told an audience last week filled with area leaders, educators and students as she helped kick off Day One of FOLS. “Something that I found within Ed Farm.”
Ed Farm, a tech and education startup nonprofit based in Birmingham, hosts FOLS, which is a professional development experience in Birmingham that brings educators together to reimagine learning through technology and future-focused curriculum.
Clark was named last month to Business Alabama’s 2025 Women in Tech list that honors 25 professionals across the state whose achievements are shaping the future of industries from biotechnology to infrastructure, cybersecurity to advanced manufacturing.
As the Library/Media Specialist and Technology Leader at South Hampton, Clark spearheads the integration of technology applications into K-8 curricula, collaborates with district leadership on technology initiatives, and partners with Ed Farm to implement best practices for innovation and challenged based learning.
In 2020, Ed Farm in partnership with Birmingham City Schools introduced the South Hampton Innovation Library, the organization’s first learning space designed through its “Spaces” initiative.
When Clark began with Ed Farm she only had “one computer cart to code with to have a coding club. I had 20,000 books, I had two computer labs with about 40 Dell computers, and that was it,” she said.
Today, Clark said her library not only includes a 3D printing lab, but students have access to, “Oculus and we have equipment for students to make music with. I have robots, Legos, and drones. They have access to Kindle Nooks as well as “Bulldog Talk on the Edge,” a student-run podcast. This innovative podcast brings students together to discuss current and relevant societal issues and live streamed on Apple and Spotify.
During her opening at the ELOS she spoke of her appreciation for Ed Farm, a tech and education startup nonprofit headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.
“Ed Farm has changed my life,” she said. “It has transformed my life. From the very beginning the support, the resources that they poured into us, you know, it was always a phone call away. They are truly my tribe. They are truly my cheerleader, they truly are cheerleaders because they want us to strive in that tech world by embracing technology and showing us how to enhance education with technology,” said Clark.
A Valuable Asset
Clark, 43, is a mother of four sons and has been married to Ketry Clark, an alumnus of Miles College, for 19 years. Her academic achievements are impressive. She pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha under the Chapter of Gamma Pi in 2005 at Miles College followed by obtaining her first degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education in 2006. She went on to obtain two master’s degrees: one in Curriculum and Instruction: Technology from Grand Canyon University (2011) and another in Library Media Education from Alabama State University (2015). In 2021, she earned her Educational Specialist degree in Instructional Leadership from Samford University.
Currently, Clark is a doctoral student at Samford University majoring in Educational and Organizational Leadership. Her leadership and innovation in education have been widely recognized. Clark is an Apple Distinguished Educator, an Ed Farm Teacher Fellow, and has established the first Student Fellows pilot program through the Ed Farm partnership in Birmingham City Schools.
Clark is the first sponsor to introduce drone clubs at the middle school level in Birmingham City Schools and has been featured in Business Alabama, Birmingham Times and in Ed Farm’s new SPACES documentary, which premiered at the Red Mountain Theatre in Birmingham showcasing her visionary approaches.
She is also a CSTA/MITRE Pre-service Teacher Leader Mentor for local HBCU students and recent graduates while serving as a regional and national facilitator specializing in educational technology. Clark’s passion for education, combined with her extensive experience and academic background, makes her a valuable asset in shaping the future of education through innovative teaching practices and technology integration.
She is a member of Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, pastor Dr. Michael Wesley.
“Library Of Innovation”
At South Hampton, Clark said her “library of innovation just really flipped the script” for education. “It became more of a tech and stem-based library. My students have been able to compete on a national level because of that space, because of the resources,” said Clark adding. “They’re not intimidated when they walk into other rooms or other schools or compete with other kids … because guess what? They’ve already been exposed to those resources. They’re already acclimated, and they’re just ready to transform whatever initiative or whatever program that they’re working on.”
Her Intro to Innovation class reaches students from across the building, making her one of the highest-touchpoint teachers in the school. From general education to special education, and from STEM competitions to summer planning, Ms. Clark is showing what’s possible when immersive tools are used with purpose and consistency.
And under Clark’s leadership South Hampton’s K-8 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics team was selected as the Alabama winner in the 2024-25 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition.
The students received $12,000 and advances to the National Finals
Their project was Hygiene Hub, which upcycles donated clothing into sustainable hygiene products and diapers.
“The students thought it would be a relevant topic to discuss because of the stigmas around period poverty and diaper insecurity,” Clark said.
The students previously won $10,000 in the Altec Innovation Challenge for a variation of this project also called Hygiene Hub, a vending machine for donated hygiene products.
Clark’s students recently completed Kai XR’s Create a Bridge Adventure, where they were challenged to design bridges for their communities. Using engineering principles and critical thinking, they built 3D models to create solutions for tomorrow’s infrastructure.
Two students receiving special education services collaborated to build a full 3D model of the planets. They stayed focused, encouraged each other, and completed the project.
“They were motivated, collaborative, and proud of what they created,” Clark said. “And their final project was one of the best in the class.”
