“Be the change that you want to see in the world.”

Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948)

I love to tinker with technology and show others how to use it. These days you can do so much with technology for little or no money out of pocket. That’s amazing! It’s really fantastic. You can use technology to communicate, collaborate and network with others for fun and profit. You can. If you know what you want to accomplish, I can help you figure out which tools best meet your needs and show you how to use them self-sufficiently.

I’m a relatively recent newcomer to technology. I first started working with a computer when I started my career as a teacher in 1996. I taught first graders at the creative arts school in Flint, Michigan. My classroom had a computer… but I didn’t know what to do with it. It sat there the first month as an expensive “attendance machine.” Even then I preferred to mark absences on paper. It was easier.

Timeline of Experience

It wasn’t until someone showed me the Internet that I realized how useful a computer can be. Imagine writing a story that potentially anyone in the world could read. It’s the ultimate Gutenberg machine! I told my students about it and that was the beginning. They loved the idea and started writing stories to share. My cousin set me up with some web page software and away we went. Within a week the kids were publishing stories that their parents and family members could read. Granted most of the parents didn’t have computers, but we all have access to the public library and school computers.  There were parents out-of-state that would faithfully go to the library each month just to read their daughter’s and son’s stories. Sweet stuff. This was the beginning of a life-long fascination with the Internet.

With the encouragement of my magnificent wife, Shannon, I pursued and received a Masters degree in Educational Technology from Lesley University in March of 2003. The arrival of the degree was perfect timing.  The original director of the Department of Instructional Technology had heard about the way I infused my instruction with technology and asked me to apply for a new job posting as an Education Technology/Information Literacy Coach. Since August of 2003 I’ve been working with teachers, administrators and students on how to use technology to achieve their goals.

From 2006-2007 I worked as an Instructional Technology Teacher at a K-8 school. It was the school’s grand opening. It was great fun getting all of the technology up and running. I had great support from my colleagues at the school and in the district of course. Everywhere I go I seem to encounter incredibly helpful and talented people.

July of 2007 I re-joined the Department of Instructional Technology to become an Instructional Technology Coach. During this time, my favortie project was working on developing free and Open Source solutions for students, teachers and administrators. So much of the technology that we need to get our work done effectively and efficiently is free! Why not teach students how to utilize tools that they can use themselves?  Essentially I’ve been teaching students, teachers, and administrators how, why, and when to use applications such as WordPress, Moodle, Google Apps, Mahara, and a wide selection of other web 2.0 tools.

Begining August 22nd I’ll be working for the Telluride School District as a technology teacher and gifted and talented coordinator. I am super excited to begin this new position. There is nothing like seeing the pride of students that have worked through a challenge and now have a solution to present to a real audience. Joy!

The Internet has played a critical role in communicating information to students, colleagues, parents and administrators in my classroom and my career. With the trend toward ever easier to use applications, your ability to create, communicate and collaborate is greatly simplified. You can make use of these tools to enhance your personal and professional lives. I can help.