about me
Teaching Experience
I am currently a Library Media Specialist with eleven years of experience in the Matanuska-Susitna School District in Wasilla, Alaska. I spent seven years at the elementary level before moving to a large middle school four years ago. Besides being a reading advocate (aka the book pusher), I teach information and media literacy plus digital citizenship skills. My other responsibilities include collaborating with teachers on research projects which opens the door to modeling the inquiry process and technology integration. I also manage the digital, media and print resources for the library. Prior to moving to the library, I taught high school drama, speech and social studies in Oregon for three years and drama in California for nine years. After starting our family, I took a seven year hiatus from teaching and we moved to Alaska for a slower pace of life. |
Experience with Technology
After testing a Promethean interactive whiteboard for my district eleven years ago, I realized the potential of technology to engage and enhance learning. I knew it was only a matter of time before pursuing my M.E.T. Along the way, I discovered Web 2.0 tools, the power of gaming @ your library, the necessity of teaching digital citizenship responsibilities, online teaching, and social media. My professional growth resulted in becoming integral in planning my school's adoption of BYOD, offering technology integration classes, being the school webmaster, and mentoring my principal and teachers in using new technologies for teaching, learning and communicating.
In the near future, I plan to establish a makerspace in my library to include Minecraft EDU and coding. In the long run, I hope to become an educational technologist in my district and begin designing and teaching more online courses.
Other Professional Experience
After testing a Promethean interactive whiteboard for my district eleven years ago, I realized the potential of technology to engage and enhance learning. I knew it was only a matter of time before pursuing my M.E.T. Along the way, I discovered Web 2.0 tools, the power of gaming @ your library, the necessity of teaching digital citizenship responsibilities, online teaching, and social media. My professional growth resulted in becoming integral in planning my school's adoption of BYOD, offering technology integration classes, being the school webmaster, and mentoring my principal and teachers in using new technologies for teaching, learning and communicating.
In the near future, I plan to establish a makerspace in my library to include Minecraft EDU and coding. In the long run, I hope to become an educational technologist in my district and begin designing and teaching more online courses.
Other Professional Experience
- National Board Certified Teacher
- Fulbright Scholar to The Netherlands
- Promethean Whiteboard trainer
- District Curriculum Council library media specialist representative
- Informational and Technology Literacy Standards writing committee member
- Alaska Association of School Librarians area representative
- Presenter for teachers on copyright and fair use
- Presenter at state library conference on new online tools
- University of Alaska FLT teacher of Integrating Technology into Teaching & Learning