It is very tough to pin down artifacts that provide a snapshot about me. I am building this blog environment to incite me into action. Over the past few years, I have had some serious personal issues in my family life which has challenged my efforts to take what I consider the steps necessary as a wife, a mom, a sister, a friend, an educator, and as a civic steward.

I am a teacher, a learner, a technologist, a curriculum designer, a researcher, and a writer whose professional  purpose is to bring new clarity to others who teach using technology. That clarity begins by integrating new knowledge into the needs of learners…all learners!

I love to learn about current technology. I have had the advantage of leading efforts in enterprise-wide implementations of technology into teaching environments. At New Mexico State University, for example, I led just-in time training efforts to migrate from Webct to Blackboard which affected over 4000 courses, 500 faculty, and 25000 students. I wrote the RFP and served as the initial project manager for the university-wide registration system for staff and faculty; And, I led efforts to develop user roles and guidelines for a university-wide tool called Centra–a web conferencing system. I then developed and conducted its campus-wide training.

Being familiar with technologies and having the benefit of knowing how important user needs are, I  find it a natural practice to integrate practical solutions into online teaching through leadership, technology implementation, program development, and curriculum design.  My experiences in industry and education has given me a breath of knowledge in both worlds. While writing in a learner-centric way in both  the business and technical world, I find myself grounding my contributions in a relevant and practical manner; it is also what incites me to learn as much as I can about learner needs.

I have traveled considerably both nationally and internationally. The route has been mixed. I have demonstrated software, evaluated programs, sat with map makers who were migrating from hardcopy maps to digital ones, and conducted workshops about online teaching and technologies.  I have written technical manuals, constructed technical documents, authored helps system using object-oriented concepts, created databases, and produced professional development training for projects I no longer remember. I have led exceptional teams and experienced the worst in teamwork.  Throughout my professional travels, I have always worn my teaching hat in the classroom and online.  Hence, all of these experiences have led to challenges and personal growth for which I am grateful; it is the myriad of experiences that make me who I am today.

I am currently an educator at New Mexico State University where I wear multiple hats: I teach a graduate online course on Universal Design for Online Courses. My students are usually teachers or becoming teachers/trainers. In this course, I learn from them as much as or probably more than they learn from me. I also lead efforts campus-wide to ensure quality in online course design. And finally, I prepare faculty to address accessible issues and inclusive practices in online teaching. I am fortunate to have my normal day filled with meeting up with faculty  who wish to integrate quality and technology into their online courses.

Experiencing a full life both personally and professionally, I am grateful for my life purpose today.  I am passionate about ways we can practice ‘inclusion’ to reduce barriers in the curriculum for all learners.  I am also passionate about educational opportunities for the disadvantaged. This is what fuels me daily.

 My Mantra: “It is everyone’s responsibility to look at the margins in everything we say and do.” 

You think the only people who are people
Are the people who look and think like you
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger
You’ll learn things you never knew you never knew  

(Excerpt from “Colors of the Wind” Pocahontes, Disney…yeah Disney 😉