Introduction to EME 5207 community

For those who already know me from EME 5405, not much has changed in the last couple of weeks, so my posting is repetitive to that of January, except for the addition of "experience with curriculum" which is that I have had experience being on curriculum committees at the college level, developing curriculum content for a 9th grade Career Research and Decision Making class (based on State standards, of course, but no textbook), and designing content for EME 2040. I have also been involved with inter-disciplinary curriculum writing teams (high school level) with an emphasis on technology integration and/or career focus.

I am delighted to once again be participating in an Educational Technology online course (completed four, so far!) through UF!! I look forward to interactions and learnings that will provide continual challenges in my ongoing journey of life...

Unlike many (probably even most) of my classmates in this course, I am "old" (at least in chronological years)...I have been in the business of education for almost 30 years. My experience ranges from teaching to counseling to administraiton with a variety of ages/levels: 9th grade through adult (both basic education and graduate teaching). I currently work full-time (not in the classroom) for Collier County School District in Naples, FL at our post-secondary technical center, which will offer a on-site high school with a career education emphasis, beginning next year. I also usually teach EME 2040, Intro to Educ Tech at our community college, but not doing so this semester.

I earned a doctorate in Educational Administration nearly 20 years ago and have continued to learn via formal or informal education settings since - the epitome of lifelong learning - it works for me! My master's was in Guidance and Counseling and my bachelor's in Psychology, so teaching is something I added on with certifications.

Using as much technology as I can on a daily basis, I consider it a necessary and vital tool - how did we live without it! I am always interested to learn more, but time is often an obstacle. Thus, this class, I hope, will help me to focus on pursuing additional educational technology integration and applications. Focusing on the curriculum design with technology infusion will be a great foundation for me as I work with teachers and students alike.

Between work and classes, there's not much time for other priorities, but I do volunteer at our Neighborhood Health Clinic and am in the continuous mode of remodeling the house. Sheitan, my 14-year old Husky, and wellness workouts are part of the daily routines. As a result of blogging in the last two months, I took it to a rather large and dispersed extended family for a virtual reunion blog - it's catching on!!