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Welcome to my Instructional Technology portfolio.
I was born in Milton, Ontario. My parents migrated to the United States when I was two years old. I grew up in Franklin, PA. After living in a small town, I wanted a taste of the big city life. Thus, I moved to Raleigh, NC, where I attended NC State for two years. After spending two years immersed in city life and bricks, I decided to transfer to UNC-Wilmington, for the small town atmosphere.
At UNC-Wilmington, I started out as a marine biology major, but my love for history led me towards my B.A. in Art History where I gained my research skills. While completing my BA degree, I also worked as a substitute teacher. Substitute teaching encouraged me to work on and receive my certification as a special education teacher concentrating in the areas of Learning Disabilities and Mental Retardation. Upon completion of my teaching licensure, I took a position at a local high school as the Special Education Department Chair. In this position, I learned how to analyze a program, initiate and implement change, manage staff and projects, and design and develop a curriculum. In addition, having had a chance to identify and adopt various assistive technology tools. I was able to work with other special education teachers to design, develop and implement a new technology course for students with learning disabilities. During my tenure as a department chair, I also implemented a new course using Moodle Learning Management System for educable mentally handicapped students. This course provided an opportunity for mentally challenged students to use screen readers and other assistive technology tools to complete their assignments independently.
After teaching for 3 years, I decided to continue my education. As I was exploring various programs, I learned about the Instructional Technology Master’s (MIT) program. The program impressed me with its focus on technology and research as well as design and development of instruction. Later, as I ventured into the MIT graduate program, I was able to use my practical knowledge and skills in teaching to make a better sense of many of the theories and procedures that I learned in the area of Instructional Technology.
During my program of study, in addition to continuing to work as a high school teacher, I worked as a Graduate Assistant in the office of E-Learning, which later led me in my current position as the E-learning Instructional Specialist in the Information Technology Systems Division at UNC-Wilmington.
I believe, my instructional technology knowledge and skills combined with my background and experiences as a teacher have prepared me for any challenges that I undertake.
