I grew up in West Virginia,
in Pottery Country across the street from the largest
teapot in the world and about a mile from the
pottery that makes Fiesta, the colorful dinnerware. I used
to dust Fiesta in my grandparent’s pottery store. Today,
I collect Fiesta and other kitschy stuff. As a child,
I loved reading and drawing. I wanted to be an artist
or a scientist or a writer. Looking back, I recognize
that my interests had a common element, the gadgets...the
microscopes and telescopes, tools and art supplies.
I was a middle school English teacher when a gadget
called Macintosh lured me out of a classroom and into
the Library Media Center. A library media specialist
helps students connect ideas and information and give
them the means to communicate their understanding.
Technology helps do both.
My philosophy about technology and learning was shaped
by my early work with Apple Computer, Inc. I was lucky
to be an Apple Core Trainer in the early days of Apple
Education. I learned the ropes of educational technology
at the "Mother Ship" (AKA: Apple, Inc. Corporate)
in Cupertino, CA. Dr. Martha Rolley, of Apple Education,
taught me one of my core educational values, “It's
not about the technology, it's about learning.”
My final ten years in teaching were spent as the Coordinator
of Learning Resources at Saxe Middle School in the
New Canaan Public Schools. In this amazing job, I collaborated
with classroom teachers to design challenging lessons
and units which use technology to support learning.
Along the way, I taught educational technology at Fairfield
University and presented countless workshops and teacher
training. From software to technology integration,
my experiences have left me with a wide range of expertise.
PAST AWARDS AND HONORS
During my teaching career, I was a Celebration
of Excellence award winner from the State of Connecticut
and an ASCD Network Publications award. I was honored
to be designated a Master Teacher and receive a Golden
Apple award from WNET/13 for my work with instructional
video in the classroom. I was nominated for Teacher
of the Year my district (Westport, CT). I was proud
to receive the Rheta A. Clark Award from the Connecticut
Educational Media Association (CEMA) for outstanding
contributions to the library media field.
I was honored to have been a consultant to the Peace
Corps and their philosophy of inquiry-based learning.
As a member of the Connecticut Association of Independent
School's Technology Council, I was a presenter at the
CAIS Technology Institute for many summers. I have
been on the staff at Camp Apple, a summer technology
camp for teachers, sponsored by Apple Education. After
Camp Apple ended, I worked with friends from all over
the country as we staffed edVentures in Technology,
a summer experience for teachers and administrators.
These professional development opportunities have allowed
me to work with some of the country's best educators.
CURRENTLY
In June of 2003, I retired from public education.
My 30 years of teaching both students and teachers,
left me with some pretty amazing skills. I can create
websites and do desktop publishing, presentations and
databases...but even more importantly, my work with
teachers and kids gave me a deeper understanding of
how people learn and communicate. Rainbowtech Designs
is all about communicating... with design and through
it.
I am now self-employed as a graphic and website designer
and live in St Petersburg, Florida. I also work
part time at the Apple Store in Tampa as a
One-to-One
trainer. When summer comes, my partner and
I return to our beautiful Sylvia
Lake in Northern New York, where I've created and
manage an online community.
As it turned out, because
of the gadgets in my life, I am able to stay connected
and be creative, and make art that communicates...
no matter where I am.
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