Before pursuing my master’s degree in Educational Technology from Oklahoma State University, I was a public school teacher for over sixteen years. While in the classroom, I had seen and experienced the evolution of technology in public education. I started my career with not even a telephone in my classroom. The last year I was in the classroom, I had a class full of laptops, an interactive whiteboard, and the majority of my students carry personal phones with more processing power than that stone age computer from my first years of teaching.  During my career as a classroom teacher, I have had the opportunity to work for the three largest and most prestigious districts in my area. In these three districts, I have observed millions of dollars being invested in technology each year without any subsequent and tangible increase in student achievement. Not only has it not “payed off”,  but many times technology has often become one more distraction for the student and even more frustration and effort for the classroom teacher who it is ironically there to assist. This dilemma is upsetting for me as a mentor, but even though technology will never replace one on one student to teacher experiences, when implemented correctly, technology can be a useful tool to better communicate with technology dependent students.

These issues surrounding technology were my motivation for returning to college and acquiring my Masters in Education Technology and later seeking out my current position in my school district. At the end of the 2012-2013 school year, I presented my job description to the incoming superintendent. She agreed that our district needs a person to help align the technology we purchase with the curriculum in our classrooms. In August of 2013, I started my new adventure as Director of Instructional Technology.

The knowledge and skills I have aquired with this program have allowed me to take my district much farther than was expected. Each course in this program included the theory and practice needed to move my school district forward in educational technology. The pages in this site will contain artifacts from the OSU Educational Technology program. Each of these components contributed to my understanding of the design, theory, and implementation of educational technology. Visitors will notice that the majority of projects were tied directly with my new position.