I am currently teaching computing and computer science at a preK-12 independent school for girls as well as working with the faculty there to integrate technology into their courses. I’m very excited about this new chapter in my life. I am able to draw on my previous skills integrating technology and build new skills teaching computing to a younger generation. I’m excited at the prospect of encouraging young women to pursue computing and computer science careers.
For two years, I’ve worked as a consultant through my own company, Emerging Technologies Consulting, helping faculty and students learn new technologies and use them effectively for teaching, learning, and professional development. Some of what I’ve done can be found in the Presentations section here and on my business site linked above. My specialty is social media, applications such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs, social bookmarking and more. I also have experience working with video and web development. I build all my own web sites, primarily customizing Word Press templates. For years, I did this from scratch.
My background is in teaching writing. I earned my Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition in 2007 from the University of Arkansas. I believe that many forms of technology in use today are a form of communication, and often work with faculty and students with that in mind. Developing a web site, even software, requires considering audience, tone, style, organization and other things that one considers when creating a written document. I’ve had the privilege, too, of having a wide variety of experiences that have given me skills and knowledge far beyond my formal training. I’ve worked with students in a Multimedia Development Program at Bryn Mawr College, teaching them the skills of web development, video editing and production, flash animation, and more. Many of those students have gone on to use those skills in their careers. Students from the program now work at places like Twitter, Media Matters, libraries and schools, all using their skills to forward their careers. I continue to mentor many of them as they make career transitions and it is a joy to still be part of their lives. I’ve also worked with future high school teachers, helping them learn ways of using technology in teaching science courses. While I am not trained in science, I found that the technology lessons my students needs to learn transcended discipline and I enjoyed applying those lessons in a discipline far from my own. It was wonderful fun to work through biology games, build molecules, and travel through a 3-D version of a cell. We discovered many things together. For more of the things I’ve done, have a look at my full CV.