Feb. 21, 2006 issue
Teaching at EMU is a dream come true for
me.
My first experience here was as a graduate student
in the late 1980s. I
was drawn to EMU because of its exemplary teacher preparation
program. I
joined the post-bach program through the College of Technology.
As a graduate assistant, caring and supportive faculty,
who provided me an opportunity to teach undergraduate courses,
mentored me.
Through this experience, it became clear that I wanted to
continue my studies and become a professor in higher education.
Returning to EMU as a full-time professor has always been a dream
of mine. I've taught classes as an adjunct and full-time
instructor, and I eventually migrated to the College of Education when
a position became available in the Department of Teacher Education.
My
colleagues are one reason I love EMU. Although we are one
of the larger colleges, it feels like family. I enjoy the collaborative
spirit and the scholarly dialogues that support our diverse interests.
I'm very proud of the level of service we provide to schools and the community.
We all have a shared commitment to K-12 education and that is evidenced
through the many projects and programs that faculty are involved with.
My
specialty is in the area of educational technology and
I'm proud of the work we do to support effective integration
in schools. The University supports my work with the National
Science Digital Library (NSDL) and the Consortium for Outstanding
Advancement in Teaching with Technology (COLTT). Through
these organizations, I'm able to support technology in
K-12 schools. We were the first ED Tech programs in the
state to offer the educational technology endorsement for
teachers.
I'm really
a techie at heart, so I absolutely love what I do because
I have the best of both worlds. I'm able to mentor our
pre-service students (who are absolutely great, I must say) and help
shape how they will use technology in their future classrooms.
I'm also able to work in the schools with teachers as part
of their technology integration efforts. Plus, I get to
play with all kinds of cool technology tools!
But
most importantly, I'm a teacher and can think of no better
place to be than EMU.
