"Mini-course" for STEM teachers

This is our final project and it has many components.  I created a mini-course using Web 2.0 tools in Math and Science classrooms.  My basis for creating a course for this subject is that the topic of STEM education is being pushed by the Obama administration in order to ensure that our students do not lag behind the rest of the world in these important skills. I used the Bundles seciton of My Big Campus to create the course.  As an incentive for the teachers, they will earn Badges that can be used for Industry cetification, plus 5 PGPs towards license renewal.

I used the Badge concept that an applicant to the Digital Media and Learning Competition suggested http://dmlcompetition.net/Competition/4/badges-projects.php?id=2938.  This was supposed to be in collaboration with Mozilla.

I also created collage of tools and resources, using Symbaloo EDU, 

http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/web20tools-resources, for the teachers who attend this course.  They can use this resource to access educational magazines, blogs, or tools. They can add their own as they grow in their professional development. 

Finally, I created a new page in my blog to advertise my course and share the link to it from My Big Campus. The organization that I created to host this course is named MTI STEM.

Will emerging technologies change my profession?

Whether we like it or not technology is here to stay, and all of us have to find our own way of embracing it and making it fit into our lives and professions.  Mobile ways of communicating, like emails and cell phones, are now the norm, and social networks seem to be emerging as the easiest way of exchanging and dissiminating information.  The world has become digital and if the goal of education is to prepare students to succeed in it, then we must teach them how to use technology in a way that will benefit them.  Just like any other tool, if used properly, it can add value and enrich the experience of learning. Since students are already very engaged with texting, facebook and online games, they are very comfortable with the use of various applications and have no fear of experimenting with new ones.  This interest and ability can be chanelled by using applications that engage their minds into online projects that seemlessly bring in the concepts and vocabulary of the subject. As stated by Dede (1996, p.2),"Expanding traditional definitions of literacy and rhetoric into immersion-centered experiences of interacting and information is crucial to preparing students for full participation in 21st century society". If we don't bring technology into the classroom, as an essential resource, the cost will be that our students will not be prepared for the new type of job market.

Our role is to redifine"how we communicate and educate by using new types of messages and experiences to be more effective" (Dede, 1996, p.2). It is hard to break out of our old patterns of traditional "teaching by telling"but as pointed out in Ravitch: The toll of school reform on public education, "the pattern on the rug" is becoming apparent. Unless we want to become outdated in our job skills we will need to learn this new method of teaching. Our students are used to accessing information whenever and wherever they want, but many do not know how to stay on task and end up wandering the internet from one site to another. We need to teach our students how to filter through "a plethera of incoming information"(Dede, 1996, p.2) and discover patterns of knowledge and then learn to use this knowledge in ways that address real world problems. This type of learning helps them to retain the information because they are "learning-through-doing"(Dede,1996). Hopefully, this will help them get better scores on their standardized tests and make our jobs more secure! I hope the picture is not as gloomy as Ravitch states that "computers will replace teachers".  I guess I just can't see that happening.  We will always need teachers, just in a different capacity.  Just because information is available does not mean it makes sense, or that children will not need someone to guide them in critical thinking. I still think you need the human element in this model of teaching for it to be effective. I can see where Game-Based learning and simulations can give the student real world experiences, but we can't forget that the underlying purpose of the whole experience is to learn the skill to engage other humans in science exploration, business, medical or military work. Teachers will still be needed to guide students in exploring the new world of information, in learning critical thinking, and in facilitating collaboration.As Dede states,"Technology-mediated communication and experience supplement, but do not replace, immediate involvement in real settings" (Dede, 1996, p.24). 




Works Cited:

Ravitch: The toll of school reform on public education

Emerging Technologies and Distributed Learning

My experience with Digital Game-Based learning

For the second part of this Module 9 we had to play a game, and analyze what we learned.   According to Prensky (2006), there are two categories of games. The first is Mini games, or Edutainment games, that can be played in less than two hours, with one to two players. They are learning games that involve repetitive type of problem solving. The second category is complex, or serious games that can last for days and can involve many players.  They can take hours to master various levels and can use alternate identities for the players. The game I picked is called Virtual Village 4: The Tree of Life.  I would classify this game as a beginning level serious game. In this game the Island life is dying and the Chief of the village picks five villagers to help him revive the island. The player gets to pick their own five villagers based on what skills you think will be necessary for survival.  The villagers do not have the skills when the game starts, but the player can help them learn these skills by moving them to various places on the board to do certain tasks.  The tasks involve learning to build huts, research, healing, farming, etc.  As the villagers learn skills, the player earns points that can then be used as cash to purchase various items for the village. I thought it was funny that, if you leave the game for a while, your villagers continue to learn and grow with the skills you left them with, and you can come back and add more skills.

Since this is the first time I have played a game, I wanted to select a game that was a little slower pace, but still involved multitasking. In this game, I had to keep an eye on all the villagers, and help each build the right individual skills for the village that would help them survive. As stated in Hung (2011), my “learning occurred in a “spiral” in which players are exposed to increasing degrees of complexity and gradually get to learn the total system” (p.14).  Being a beginner at games, at first I was really confused as to what to do, and then through trial and error, I learned what I needed to do to get the villagers to learn skills.

My challenge was being new to the whole environment of Digital Game-Based learning (DGBL).  I had to get over my fear of pressing the wrong button, but just like my villagers, I too learned that persistence and experimentation does pay off.  I used to think that these games were just wasting the time of children and all they do is teach kids to shoot at each other constantly. Through my experience and the reading from this week’s research, I have come to appreciate what the possibilities are in this tool. With DGBL, students can learn to think through a problem, use experimentation to investigate, multitask, and parallel process (Prensky, 2006, pp.8-9).  So it took me some time to coordinate and understand how to move the players, where to move them, and figure out what they needed to learn and achieve.  I thought I did not have the ability to get the hang of the game, but I surprised myself.  I experimented with something I did not feel comfortable with and began to understand the fascination and pull that these games have for kids.  I can understand now how once you get involved in a task of a game, you become so committed that you have to finish it, or achieve the next level, even if it takes hours. 

Prensky (2006), states that there are component in games that keep kids engaged. These include “leveling up” or going up levels as you master them, the game adapting to the abilities of the player, worthy goals, and making decisions.  If these components can be included in the games we pick for our classrooms then learning can be enhanced.  By picking games that embed the knowledge of concepts in the games “learning occurs in meaningful and relevant contexts,…and is more effective than learning that occurs outside of those contexts, as is the case, with most formal instruction.  This principle is situated cognition” (Van Eck, 2006, p.4) or learning.  As they play a game they become aware of all issues that come into play in decision making and actions.  They would learn the language of the subject and the use of the tools in investigating and analyzing.  According to (Klopfer, Coulter, Perry, and Sheldon) students should develop their reading skills as they play these games, and because the games make them focus on a goal they learn to “filter the relevant from the non-relevant”.  They also learn to tap into the experiences of a pool of people by collaboration among many players.

Here is a picture of me attempting to play Virtual Village 4.

  

 

Works Cited:

Prensky, M. (2006).  The really good news about kid’s games.  “Don’t bother me Mom, I’m learning!” : how computer and video games are preparing your kids for twenty-first century success and how you can help! (pp. 7-15). St. Paul, Minn.  : Paragon House.

Prensky, M. (2006). Complexity matters: What most adults don’t understand about games.  “Don’t bother me Mom, I’m learning!”: how computer and video games are preparing your kids for twenty-first century success and how you can help! (pp. 55-63). St.  Paul, Minn.  : Paragon House.

Klopfer, E., Coulter, R., Perry, J. and Sheldon, J. “ Discovering Familiar Places: Learning through Mobile Place-Based Games”. In Press for S. Barab, K. Squire and C. Steinkuehler.  Games, Learning, and Society: Learning in the Digital Age. Cambridge University Press.

Hung, A. C. (2011). Serious games and education. The work of play: meaning –making in videogames (pp. 10-29). New York: Peter Lang.

Van Eck, R., (March/April 2006), Digital Game-Based Learning: It’s Not just the Digital Natives who are restless… . Educause, Vol. 41, no.2 ,1-16.

Creating a playlist for your class

This weeks assignment involves working with games as a medium or tool to learn how they can be used in the classroom to enhance learning of concepts.  As part one of this assignment, we worked with a program called Mentormob to create a playlist for a topic of interest. I chose the topic that I am teaching so that I can use this next school year. The playlist I created will cover the first semester of Chemistry.  It has videos, games and demonstrations that can be used to introduce, teach or review a topic.  Here is the link to my playlist  http://bit.ly/HI0WlI. The Mentormob program is a very helpful way to put all your videos, lectures, games., quizes in one place.  The students can then access all of them whenever they need to.

Reflection on Pencil Me In

For this week's assignment, we had to read the book Pencil Me In by John Spencer and in our reflection answer the following questions.

1. what is the point of Pencil Me In?
Spencer (2011) states, "Pencil me in, because life is temprary, a vapor, in constant flux, in tension and harmony"(p.146). I think his point is tht life is everchanging, and we are not meant to stay stagnant in our knowledge. Humans will always use their knowledge to invent tools to make life easier.
Nothing is permanent like ink; for that matter, even the pens are no longer the same. Over the years every tool has been changed, or made better, or replaced with better ones. They have been "erased", so to speak, and rewritten.
But the fundamentals of why those tools are used,have not changed. If a wood fire was used to cook food in the past and now an electric stove is used, the purpose of the tool is the same. As applied to teaching, the tools of pen, pencil, computer, may change but what subjects need to be taught have not. Spencer(2011) makes the point that teachers need to be trained so that they combine their "expertise on padagogy with...expertise in the new tools....it is less about tools and more about quality craftsmanship" (p.49)

2. Describe your reaction to the book. What are your take-aways from this book?
The book is very thought provoking. I especially like that in the end he seems to come to the conclusion that everone has to find their own way to blend new tools into their lives. "We'll do this journey together at our own pace" (Spencer, 2011, p. 174). It is not a one size fits all approach. You have to acknowledge the talents that all people bring to the table, even if they are not proficient with the new tools. Each can learn something from the other. Even if it is just a reminder to check our own thinking and question it.

3. What role did social media play in the book's dissimination and dialogue?
In the blog, Good.is, Pencil Chat, it was mentioned that the Twitter site #PencilChat became popular because of a response by Spencer to a Tweet sent to him about the book. The sharing of opinions and thoughts on the site probably generated the interest to purchase the book.

4. As Spencer compares computers to pencils, what paradox or terminology would you create to describe a technology or pedagogical stance in today's classrooms? (images taken from Google images)

I would compare land line phones to cell phones/smart phones. We started with landlines connecting us to people we knew, having one-to-one conversations, and sharing information in this way whereever there was a landline phone. But now cell phones connect us while we are moving, and what is more, with the social network apps we can share information with many people at one time. Information can even be dissiminated as soon as an event happens. The idea is communication, and as technology evolves, communication is no longer just one-to-one but global.

5. Would you recommend Spencer's book? Why or why not?
I would definitely recommend this book to teachers and administrators. It shows the many perspectives of people as they are introduced or required to use new tools. I also like the underlying theme of respect and humility in seeking and transmitting knowledge (Spencer, 2011, p.162)

6. Has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?
The book was very informative to me in how to use tools to restructure teaching to be more engaging, with a focus on the concepts to be learned and not just using the tools. It has made me think about redoing some of my lessons.

                                                    References:

        Spencer, J. T.(2011). Pencil Me In. A Journey in the fight for graphite.

                         Cartoon of man on phone asking about email

                                               social network icons

                                                     communication

Using Mobile technologies

This week we had to research the use of mobile technologies and create a List/portal to apply to our curricular needs.  Since I am teaching Chemistry this semester, I decided to use this opportunity to find the apps that I have been looking for to apply in my course.  It is hard to get the right demonstrations or chemicals in the school labs because of lack of money or proper storage for the corrosive chemicals that are sometimes used.  It is also hard to demonstrate the structure of atoms and how the electrons move.  The apps I selected address planning, grading, and teaching chemistry. Click on the URL below to see my list of applications.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/86566379/List-of-Apps-to-Use-for-Chemistry-Curriculum

Blending 21rst Century Literacies with Bloom's Taxonomy.

This week we had to pick some Web 2.0 tools to address a specific need in our school, classroom or district.  I chose to address the need of English Language Development in all levels at our school.  Over the last two years we have had a large number of students join our school who are either ESL, or ELL.  We also have native speakers of English who are not proficient at their grade level.  Since Indiana Department of Education is instituting a new way of grading schools on how the students perform in ISTEP and IREAD, there is great pressure on the schools to make sure that there is improvement in the child from one year to the next. If there is no improvement, then schools are graded down, and funding for voucher schools can be affected. 
This is a great opportunity for schools to ensure that every child knows how to read at grade level, as they progress from grade to grade.  Reading and comprehension affect all subjects, from English, Social Studies and Science to Math.
I looked at Bloom's Taxonomy and the 21rst Century Literacies to see how they are similar and different.  I feel that just as we use paper and pencil to accomplish all the criteria in Bloom's Taxonomy, we can use the Web 2.0 tools to do the same.  The added skills that come with 21rst Century Literacies include collaboration and ethical resposibilities. The following are the criteria I used to develop my plan:

•  Remembering and Understanding lead to proficiency in a task, so I picked sites where students could build vocabulary, spelling, and grammar skills.
• Along with these skills, reading sites were picked for developing not only reading but comprehension as well.
• To develop collaboration skills I picked sites where students could work on ideas together to share and apply their understanding of their readings.
• Analyzing and evaluating tools were then picked to develope critical thinking skills.
• For Creativity, there are so many tools. I picked one that would allow collaboration to be used also.
• Ethics can either be approached in a lecture format or we can introduce issues and educate the students, and then have them educate their peers.  The second option would allow creativity, critical thinking and collaboration.

For a guide to my plan to address Engish Language development click

http://www.scribd.com/doc/84850040  to see my power point presentation.

It is important for students to learn the basic skill of reading to succeed in their eduction.  As they advance in school they are expected to go from fun reading to reading informational texts in High School.  According to the TPACK model,, this teaching needs to be done by merging technology with the content. It is not a learning of the technology, but using the technology as a tool to learn the concepts and apply them.  It would be much more engaging for students to do interactive learning with the Web 2.0 tools for building their vocabulary and reading, than to go through flash cards or reading out loud in class.  Creating and collaborating with technology also allows students to participate, where otherwise they would  be silent.  Infusing technology into learning will help our students acquire knowledge and develop skills that will be useful in their college education and careers.

Learning Redifined by Technology

This week I explored using Windows Movie Maker to create a movie explaining how technology has redefined learning.  I was able to create the video but had difficulty saving it.  Once I copied the files to a new project the problem was solved.  I was able to add a sound track and then upload it to Youtube. Watch my movie at this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QAKNxdgik4&feature=youtu.be

Learning redifined by Technology

I guess I am going to date myself as I write this, but when I was in High School the only technology used was in the lab, when we used microscopes. The use of computers was just starting in introduction of writing programs.  That was a while ago!  Yes, technology has redefined learning.  Computers are now a necessity in every classroom, even if as in some schools, they are only used by teachers to communicate and prepare lessons.  But for those schools, which have the resources, it can be used to enhance teaching.  It is amazing how some teachers have created curriculums, using the tools of technology, to not only teach important concepts but help their students form collaborative communities that work together on projects that interest them.  A social studies class can be transformed from a place where you just learn about another country to virtually visiting a classroom in that country and interacting with students in that classroom on common projects. Click  http://youtu.be/oVni_HBCzg8  to see how Stumpenhorst uses technology in his classroom.

He has combined all the NETS standards ( http://www.scribd.com/doc/82866030/NETS-S-Standards )in developing his curriculum.  The students learn creativity and Innovation, communication and collaboration, research and information fluency, critical thinking and problem solving, digital citizenship and technology operations. Lavasseur (2011)  Says, “The teacher shifts from sage on the stage into more of a coaching role.”  Coaching the students through working as a team to learn content and develop their 21^st Centrury Skills.  If “perception and thinking are altered by the technology we use” (Lavasseur, 2011), then helping kids actually experience interactions with students from other places, instead of just reading about it, may actually open their minds and alter prejudices, and that is the end goal of education.

There are people who disagree with the idea of using technology in the classroom, and are not convinced of its benefits. Some schools, like the Waldorf School in Silicon Valley, have even gone so far as eliminating technology use in school.  Their students seem to be doing well and they have a 100% graduation rate. Rauterberg (2004) discusses the debate on the pros and cons of technology especially in the games children play.  The author states that “most of the Western societies tend to believe that the best way to a common goal is by rigorous and often aggressive dispute.” The debates are just beginning, but hopefully educators and parents can evaluate the results with proper research. The study did show that “Cooperative tasks promoted higher achievement than individual tasks in 108 studies, while 6 found the reverse, and 42 found no difference” (Rauterber , 2004, p. 54).

Cooperation or collaboration in doing a task is better than individual efforts.  This was definitely evident in the project assigned for this week’s module.  We used Typewithme to share our ideas on the pros and cons of technology use.  Click http://typewith.me/p/Technology_Titans to view our contributions to the debate.

References:

1. Video on Josh Stumpenhorst, 2012 Teacher of the Year. Retreived from        http://youtu.be/oVni_HBCzg8

2. Lavasseur, A. (Nov 10, 2011), Teaching without Technology? Media Shift.

3. Rauterberg, M. (2004), Positve Effects of Entertainment Technology on Human Behavior. Building the Information Society. pp. 51-58. R  retrieved from http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CEkQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fciteseerx.ist.psu.edu%2Fviewdoc%2Fdownload%3Fdoi%3D10.1.1.108.5480%26rep%3Drep1%26type%3Dpdf&ei=5lFKT4zxOub10gHXg5WDDg&usg=AFQjCNGiCj4lfF2G4rNAMZI4-NJFpNNqRA

Merging the two lives of Digital Citizens

We have to prepare our children and our students to be fully engaged citizens in the digital world, but in order to do this we as teachers cannot shy away from working with technology and teaching it. We also have to understand that simply expecting our students to stay focused on boring lectures instead of engaging their interest by using tools that are of interest to them, is not going to prepare them for real world situations. After all what is our purpose for educational institutes, if not to prepare students for careers and citizenship in the world.

Digital citizenship means character education for the Digital Age. It is to balance the individual empowerment of digital technology with a sense of personal, community, and global responsibility. (Ohler, 2011).  Our children should not be taught that technology has no part in their academic lives,and only plays a role in their social lives.The challenges to this approach starts with the school  itself.  In our school, parents as well as administrators feel all internet access should be blocked and any other form of technology use is not allowed except in the computer lab or if teachers are using it in their presentation of their lessons. Their fear is that students will abuse it in inappropriate ways.  In fact that is exactly what is happening.  From my research it is clear that our problem is our fear, and that fear will not help our students if we don't educate ourselves and empower them with the proper knowledge.

Click on this link follow an action plan for education students to live safe digital lives.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/82644766/Merging-Two-Lives-of-Digital-Citizens

In this power point presentation, I walk through the steps it will take to bring a community together to solve this problem.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/82126506

New Web Literacies

http://www.scribd.com/doc/80502249

Digital citizens navigating the "Divide"

the new digital world

“In the information and network society, relative differences in getting information and lines of communication become decisive for one’s position in society, more than in every society in history before.” (Dijk, 2003)   To be truly involved with the new age of ICT, every citizen will have to acquire some skills of digital and media literacy.  These citizens are part of an internet world, not any geographic country, and the skill sets needed include hardware and software components.   The hardware basics needed do not necessarily mean all the wires and connectivity issues, but the ability to use different devices to access the internet.  The software component includes the ability to use applications in not only consuming information but also generating information. The new trends in exchange of information will change every aspect of our lives, from the way we manage our finances, how we find jobs, to policy making in government. We have to teach our children to live and navigate in this new world.  They will need to learn these new communication skills.  Every subject in school should incorporate some technology usage, whether it is learning to create games in math, analyzing the authenticityof information in an article or blog posted on the internet, or communicating their own thoughts and ideas to share with anyone who is logged on.

This week we did a class collaborative project on our understanding of the digital divide using the voice-thread tool. I think this tool could be a lot of fun to use in class to create a variety of presentation.  Students of all ages could really enjoy this.  I also think it would be a wonderful  tool for someone who has difficulty writing.  Whether they are disabled in some way or someone who does not know how to type. They would just have to load some pictures, record their thought, and present!

<img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://c.gigcount.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEzMjc3NjA4NTc5MjEmcHQ9MTMyNzc2MDg4NTA2MiZwPTIwNjQyMSZkPWIyNjY1NjM4Jmc9MiZvPWNiNjM4YjQ1OTNh/NzQzYTBhODI3OWRkNjIwNTQyZTQ2Jm9mPTA=.gif" /><object width="480" height="360"><param name="movie" value="https://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=2665638"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="https://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=2665638" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="480" height="360"></embed></object>

References

Dijk, J. v. (2003). The Digital Divide as a Complex and Dynamic Phenomenon. The Information Society, 19, 315-326.

Digital Native vs. Digital Imigrant

From my reading it seems to me that a Digital Native is a person who is familiar with the use of technology.  It is as familiar to them as their native language, and they can use it or learn to use it easily.  They are exposed to it as children and adapt to its uses as new technologies come to the market (Prensky, 2001). A digital immigrant is a new learner of technology. It is like a second language to them and is mastered with more effort. The two terms do not only apply to generational differences, but how each uses technology (Helsper & Eynon, 2009). Even within each category there are subdivisions “based on breadth of use, experience, self-efficacy and education” (Helsper & Eynon, 2009).

While there are no current studies done on the brains of teenagers physiologically (Helsper & Eynon, 2009), experience in the traditional way of teaching, shows that students learn better if taught by methods that they consider fun, i.e. Playing games, showing visuals, or singing songs.  Since the advent of technology, the use of interactive games, graphics, and sounds can become so real that the student actually experiences the learning. This experience internalizes that learning and at the same time makes it fun and engaging.  If the student is exposed to this form of perceiving, learning and socializing (Networking, or playing internet games with friends), that is rich and lively in presentation, then naturally he/she will be bored or disengaged when learning without it. This generation expects to access and be presented with information whatever, whenever, and wherever (WWW) they choose (Rosen, 2011).  Technology has changed how we can capture the attention of our audience or learner.

Educational environments should adapt and motivate learners, but there are many ways to use technology and not all schools have the monitory means to provide technology in every classroom.  Teachers will have to be creative in how and when to use the technology.  Not every class subject is suited for games, but some kind of interactive software should be used to make the subject more interesting. Practice of learning concepts and design of software is important (Prensky, 2001). Math classes for instance, could use software which can be accessed even at home, where the student gets instant feedback on homework or quizzes, and if they master a concept their next assignment will be more challenging.  Biology classes could use U-tube videos to show how DNA is replicated instead of just showing diagrams.  Keep in mind that “They like to parallel process and multitask. They prefer their graphics before their text rather than the opposite” (Prensky, 2001).

Using creative ways to incorporate technology in the classroom should help prevent a digital disconnect between students and traditional schooling. Students are still going to have to learn the basics of  subjects like math, reading, science and social studies.  They are still going to have to memorize things like the times tables, and facts in science and social studies, but how they understand the concepts and apply  these facts in testing and real world scenarios can be made clearer by application of the many tools in technology.  We should keep in mind  “the foundational belief that new technologies are nothing more than tools that can be used to teach the kinds of old-school skills that have been important in the academic and social growth of all children, regardless of what generation they were born in” (Ferriter, 2010).

References

Helsper, E. (2011, January). Digital Natives: Where is the evidence?. LSE Research Journal, 37, 1-18.

Prensky, M. (2001, December). Digital Natives, Digital Imigrants, Part II Do they really think differntly?. On the Horizon, 9, 6.

APA formatting by Ferriter, W. M., & Garry, A. (2010). Teaching the igeneration: 5 easy ways to introduce essential skills with web 2.0 tools. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

rosen, l. (2011, February). Teaching the iGeneration. Educational Leadership, 68, 5.




Go to this link to see how a  fellow teacher can help another.

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12922373/helping-a-fellow-teacher" 

About Me

I was born in Pakistan, but have lived in Indiana since I was 5 years old.  I attended Butler University for my Bachelor degree and worked at St. Vincent Hopital for 15 years.  For the past 5 years I have been teaching at the Islamic School of Indinapolis, MTI as a Biology and Chemistry Teacher.  I also do administrative duties along with teaching.
Since I work full time, I thought it might be easier to manage my time by taking an online course.  I hope that I can do it.  I have always been interested in using more technology tools in my classes, but I am not familiar with many of the latest tools, like this blog!   I have enrolled in the Learning by Design masters in Education program. 

I am not sure where this course of education will take me, considering the job market. But, I am hoping it will give me skills in both teaching and managment.