Feb. 7, 2006 issue
When I began my career at EMU in 1999, I was excited about teaching technology
and its relevance to real life. My goal was to be the best possible assistant
professor that I could be. Today, as an associate professor, I continue
to believe this philosophy, and strive to do better every day so that
I can provide the students with the educational experiences they need
and deserve.
I enjoy working with students, seeing them explore their surroundings,
and increase their intellectual possibilities regarding
technology and its interactions with mathematics, science, art, history,
society, culture and the environment.
The primary concern I have regarding the students is that they understand
the importance of knowing that technology is much more
than just electronics and a computer. When I tell my students
that "technology
is everything we create to make our lives better, and has
been in existence for thousands of years," it really blows their minds,
because they are thinking technology is a computer — the
thing that they use every day. After I explain that people
in the 1850s thought that the train and steam engines were
high technologies, they begin to understand that their
perspectives are different. Although we still have steam engines and trains
today, we do not consider them to be "in front
of our face" all
of the time. So, we don't consider them to be "technology." In this way,
they can begin to understand the history of technological
change and the implications of technology on society, culture
and the environment.
Some of the more exciting activities we are currently working with include
photovoltaic and fuel-cell power for transportation and industry purposes.
I believe that the future economic success of the United States depends
partially upon the quality of our technology education teachers and their
ability to help young people understand the need to grow technological
change while understanding where we came from.
My prior experience includes a brief career in the automotive sector,
with time logged at GM, Ford and Chrysler dealerships,
and experiences at Toyota's headquarters in Torrance, California.
As such, I understand the Detroit region and its focus on industry.
During
my automotive career, I heard a friend tell me I should
be a teacher because of the way I made technically difficult things easy
to understand. A downturn in the economy encouraged me to make the career
change to education.
I like working with my colleagues. When I first came here in 1999, they
were very helpful when I asked questions about tenure and committee work.
I couldn't imagine working anywhere else.
