Welcome

It is an exciting time to be in education. New technologies, often used to create a high level of engagement and sometimes used to create greater efficiencies, are reshaping the classroom. There are many creative possibilities.

A Tour

What follows is a selection initiatives I’ve worked on and technology tools I have used in the classroom. The purposes of educational technology is to provide support for good instruction (not, necessarily, to become the instruction). This portfolio is not a demonstration of my class instruction, which is guided by curriculum. Rather, it is a demonstration of how such tools have assisted certain needs.

Professionally

I’m currently Oak Hills‘ eLearning Coach and Course Developer. The position involves designing online courses as well as assisting teachers in developing an online presence for their classrooms. It also features a good amount technical troubleshooting, programming, and design.

Prior to the eLearning position I taught American History in Oak Hills and the Houston Independent School District.

In addition to teaching students, I also held positions of leadership in the school. I’ve been the Social Studies Director (Chair) and school web master. During professional developments, I’ve held classes that assist teachers in integrating technology in their classrooms.

Background

I grew up in the wonderful town of Holland, Michigan (beautiful summer beaches and incredibly colorful autumns). A graduate of the University of Michigan, I’ve also spent time abroad in Chile and Brazil (thus a Latin American Studies Major to go along with the History). After graduation, I moved to Texas and substitute taught for a year. Enjoying the experience, I enrolled in a post baccalaureate education program at the University of Houston.

Due to the fact that much of my classroom moved online, I pursued and achieved a MS in Instructional Technology for the University of Nebraska.

Academically, I’ve always been drawn to the study of history. I carry this interest into the classroom. Knowledge of history is not only critical to understanding why we do things, but also to perceive where we desire to go in the future. P. B. and J. S. Medawar summarize it best:

“Human behavior can be genuinely purposive because only human beings guide their behavior by a knowledge of what happened before they were born and a preconception of what may happen after they are dead; thus only human beings find their way by a light that illumines more than the patch of ground they stand on.”

Other Interesting Things

My favorite past time is spending time with my wife and family. We both love to travel and have been to many parts of the world (her passion is for the Middle East, mine is for South America). In addition to traveling, I love to read, design and program websites, and camp.

In 2010 we adopted two beautiful daughters from the amazing country of Colombia. That adventure can be found at http://ardenlane.net.