The (future) Doctor is in...ABOUT ME...

I'll start off with a caveat... a blogger, I'm not. Sharing personal details, stories, opinions, etc...NO THANKS...

I'm giving this a go as part of fulfilling the course requirements for my doctoral degree in Educational Technology. I understand I might not "like" every possible resource I come across, but they're all things I can add to my professional "bag of tricks," as it were. Just maybe, something like this might appeal to one of my students or colleagues, Just maybe, it's one more way of doing a formative or summative assessment... or maybe, it's just fun. We'll see....

The essentials:

Personal: Married to my wonderful wife Laura, heading into year 10 after first meeting way back in the dinosaur age in high school. It took us a minute, folks! She had a career change during the pandemic, and now teaches third grade ESL. She's fantastic at it, and inspires me with her dedication to her "littles" as she calls them.

We make our home in Woodbridge, New Jersey, where our two cats, Orangecita and Chiquito, "help" around the house. We both enjoy cooking and are known to whip up some yummy meals. We also love movies and reading.

Professional: High School English Teacher, halfway through year 20. Sure it's challenging, demanding, and a profession the public seems to love to hate at times, but I still think I can make a difference out there. I also serve as the Teacher Leader for the English department, doing budgets, ordering, curriculum work, holding the monthly meetings, and all that jazz. I also hold an administrative certification in instructional supervision, but you'd still have to drag me out of the classroom kicking and screaming at this point.

Educational Technology in the classroom:

I have worked to try to take my own understanding of the "mechanisms" of technology- the "how" it works, which I get, and try to provide meaningful, authentic, and relevant ways to incorporate it into the teaching and learning that goes on in my classroom. As an English teacher, I do try to make sure my students are familiar with the basics and essentials of what they'll need for college or career after high school: Google Docs and Slides, Prezis and other interactive presentations. My students have had the opportunity to create podcasts, videos, use Google Draw, among other creative outlets. I'm working on trying to incorporate more authentic technology experiences that don't simply take something on paper and substitute a digital version of the same assignment; it should be so much more than that.