For the past 18 years, I have worked in Technology. Of those years 15 of them have been in a full time dedicated position to Educational Institutions, with the remaining 3 split between corporate work and volunteer services.  I have dedicated roughly half my life to understanding technology but more so, understanding its impacts on education.  I’ve seen and been a part of failed initiatives, I’ve seen investments in products not live up to their promise, I’ve seen the next big thing replaced with the next big thing before the first big thing even had an opportunity to be put in the hands of the students and faculty intended to use them.

But I’ve also been witness to great achievements.  To pushing boundaries of innovation to better meet the needs of the staff and students.  I’ve seen the standard educational model flipped on its head, and products considered toys, or distractions, become integral components to a robust educational experience.  I’ve seen my (then) 3-year-old daughter type her name before she had the motor function to hold a pencil and write it.

For the first 10 years of my experience in educational technology, I worked as part of a shared services program.  The position had me move from school district to school district bringing order, uniformity, and foresight in its use of equipment and the structure of its networks.  But in every school, whether it be Blue Ribbon institutions, or newly installed charters, making its way through an opening, I’ve seen that the crux of education comes not from the access of technology, but the accessibility of communication.

It is my goal to see that not only are the channels toward greater education developed through the practical accessible implementation of technology but that careers in educational technology itself, be treated as a more structured value driven commodity that fosters greater productivity and continued excellence in education.