Kari Ann Tilson

Hello to everyone - My name is Kari Ann Tilson. I'm currently pursuing a Masters in Educational Leadership & Policy and am a Graduate Assistant for Leadership Training for PSU's Student Activities & Leadership Programs.

Training and development has always been the focus of my career. I've worked in both higher education (Baylor University Career Services, Academy of Art Advising, and now Portland State University Student Activities) as well as corporate HR (Celanese Chemicals, Ernst & Young LLP, and Lucy Activewear) focusing on developing training in each role.

Initially, advising online students at Academy of Art sparked my curiosity in e-learning. Then later I developed online new hire training for Academy of Art which furthered my interest. In my current role, I will be creating a series of leadership trainings (both online and classroom) for PSU's student leaders. I would like to come away from this course with a feel for which topics are more/best suited for e-learning formats for the wide breadth of topics student leadership training will cover. As e-learning is increasingly prevalent, I want to stand out as someone with expertise in engaging students in a variety of contexts and formats. I am also interested in learning more about the function of e-learning in the context of globalization.

On a more personal note, my husband and I moved to Portland two years ago. I'm originally from Florida and Texas but prior to Portland we lived in New York City. In my free time I enjoy water and snow skiing, running, music, and travel.

Laura McCray

My name is Laura McCray, and I manage the Cooperative Credit Program in the Continuing Education department of PSU's Graduate School of Education. I work with agencies throughout Oregon and nationwide to offer PSU graduate credit for K-12 educators' and administrators' professional development activities.

I got my MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from PSU and spent several years teaching ESL (working for PSU, PCC, and various community organizations). I went on to do online software training for a start-up in Seattle where I was able to marry my love of teaching with my love of technology. After several mergers and acquisitions, I left the start-up world and went back to academia as the manager of the internship program at Bellevue College. I continued to teach online and in person, and I began to expand my knowledge of instructional design. 


In my current role, I work with a lot of organizations that are making the (sometimes painful) shift from the traditional to the online teaching environment. I want to be able to communicate with them about these changes in a well-educated manner. My knowledge of e-learning thus far has been a little willy-nilly. I want to learn about best practices, and I want to improve my own ability to shape information in a way that can be digested by and engaging for a wide array of people.

Kate Lopresti

Hey everyone, my name is Kate Lopresti and I'm currently a technical writer for a Portland software company. My work focuses on creating online help and reference guides for car dealership applications (accounting, inventory, service, sales).

This past year I have been helping the Training Department move their instructor-lead classes to online learning. Unfortunately, it's been mostly a 'cut and paste' operation. I hope this class will help me improve the materials' effectiveness.

I'm also a student in PSU's Multimedia Professional Program. My goal is to improve my technical skills for career advancement when and if the economy recovers.

When I'm not at work or school, I'm biking, baking, or putzing around the yard.

Greetings from Allison

Hi, Everyone!

My name is Allison Bradley, and this course is going to be a real adventure for me. I haven't done an online course in over fifteen years!

In terms of background, I've worked in settings from domestic violence crisis intervention to outdoor adventure-based education. I completed a doctorate in Theoretical Quantum Physics applied to Social Systems (say that 10 times fast...) in the late 1990's, and then decided to go into private practice, integrating this background in to an approach to holistic counseling.

After over 10 years in this line of work, I am closing the private practice and shifting to a more educational approach. In preparation, last year I completed a year in the LECL/LSE graduate program at PSU, which emphasizes Leadership for Sustainability. Currently, I am engaged in the Waldorf Teacher Training Course. I'm unclear if I will be focusing on children or adults as things move ahead, but it's a time of transition for sure. We'll see what the next year or two bring!

The reason I'm taking this course is that clients have been asking me for years to develop an online option for distance involvement with the personal growth/holisitic learning and sustainability emphases of consciousness work. As a "nature girl" rather than someone with technological focus, I put this off for a long time. Now, as my private practice concludes it turns out that someone has offered me a radio program. So, the hope is to explore the development of an online learning experience to coordinate with, and support, this audio. The emphasis will be connecting personal and planetary consciousness.

Can this happen via a computer? Good question!!! Your guess is as good as mine, but maybe we can all learn about this together.

Thanks, and I look forward to learning adventures with all of you.

Introduction

My name is Marty Havran. I am a recently retired National Board Certified public school teacher in Arizona. I taught mostly 7th grade social studies and reading. Teaching is a second career. I previously worked for 30 years as a supervisor, then manager for the State of New Jersey. I retired from the school district a few years earlier than expected because of the fiscal situation. Arizona was already 51st in per pupil public school funding before the recession. I took a pay cut last year and they anticipated another cut this year. This may sound selfish, but I gave so much of myself to teaching, that I didn't think I deserved another pay cut and so I took early retirement. While teaching full-time, I also owned a small farm in Yuma where I raised miniature donkeys. My goal now is to reverse that ratio and farm full-time while teaching part-time. I bought 100 acres in West Texas and am currently in the midst of re-locating. I will be traveling back and forth between Arizona and Texas for the next few weeks, so I may be out of touch for a day or so now and then. One of the advantages of distance learning is that I can be moving and still attend the class. I took an Intel Essentials course online with Portland State last year. I also acquired my second masters degree online through the University of Phoenix. The online program required more work than a previous masters program that I completed in the traditional classroom format. The area of Texas where I am moving is very sparsely populated. Thus, there is not much opportunity for classroom teaching. I hope to obtain a certificate in distance learning and resume teaching that way. By the way, does anyone want to buy a 5 acre farm in Yuma, Arizona? Don't worry about the fact that we had a temperature of 114 degrees last week. You'll get used to it.

Greetings Colleagues –

My name is Kelly Mix and I am happy to be engaging in this 10-week undertaking with you. I am hoping to learn a lot from each of you, and I hope that perhaps I can pass a long a little something too as we travel along.

A little about me... I’ve been a manager with the state of Oregon in various agencies and positions for the past 18-years. I am currently a fiscal manager with the department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS). In case you never heard of DCBS, we house a conglomerate of functions including Oregon OSHA, Insurance Division, Bank Examiners, Building Codes Divisions, and on and on. I hold a B.S. in Social Science and a Master’s degree in Public Administration, both from PSU.

So, why am I in this class and what do I hope to gain? I am in this class for two reasons: First, due to the fiscal constraints state agencies are under, I need to learn a new way to deliver much of the training I used to go around the state and deliver in person. We are looking at e-solutions to commence in 2011, and though I won’t be the developer, I want to be an educated user and facilitator of online training / learning. Secondly, I am in the midst of something of a mid-career course correction. I am looking to begin a slow transition from being a public manager to being an instructor of adult learners in areas of political science and management. To do that I need to understand how to present information, etc. in ways that inspires students. And, in the modern age we live in, that certainly involves e-learning.

So, that’s why I’m here and what I hope to gain along the way – thanks in advance for all the insights I know you all will share.

Regards!

Hi. My name is Karen Sorensen. I'm a Masters of Education (PACE program) student, and I currently work as a Web Developer at Portland Community College.

I love the power of technology to enable students to learn something from potentially the best source of that information, though they live at a distance from that source.

I wanted to take this class to learn more about how to motivate and really engage students online. For example, what replaces the classroom discussion of ideas? A bulletin board just doesn't do it for my Active Engagement learning style (Kolb's Learning Styles). I like to hear and see the instructor and my classmates. How do you replace that online? With virtual communities like Second Life? Video conferencing? I don't know. And maybe it is an area that will continue to lack in the online environment, but maybe there are other ways to engage different learning styles online and collaborate with one another. I want that for myself as a student, and I want to be part of creating that experience for my learners.

Thanks for "listening".

Mary Fran Anderson

My name is Mary Fran Anderson. I have been a teacher of the visually impaired and blind for many years. As a teacher of the blind and visually impaired I have witnessed the struggles that this population faces accessing the computer. That led me to learn about assistive technology and eventually I became an assistive technology specialist working with a wide range of students with disabilities including visual impairments and blindness.
In the private sector I have worked as a technology trainer for two companies. I was able to teach a class on-line for one of the companies where I worked so I became interested in eLearning.

When I am not working, I am an artist who paints using watercolors. I am an active member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon and the Oregon Society of Artists. I display my work in juried shows and in galleries in the Portland area.

My main reason for enrolling in this class is to obtain an idea of what comprises eLearning and what tools are available to build classes in this format. Another question I have is when eLearning should be implemented in place of blended learning or traditional face to face learning. I am particularly interested in how eLearning might benefit people with disabilities and how to make the classes accessible to this population.

Drew Hinds

My name is Drew Hinds. Professionally, I have developed and taught online courses and worked at the district office in a small and large school district in Oregon. I am a licensed teacher and administrator in Oregon and currently working at the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) with Alternative Education and Instructional Materials Adoption. I am also a doctoral student at PSU focusing in the area of evaluation of alternative education options.

Personally, I am married with two children and live in Salem, Oregon. My son began second grade this year in a Spanish dual language immersion program and my daughter began kindergarten in the same program. When I am not writing, reading or working, I am coaching my children’s teams in swimming (summer), soccer (fall), basketball (winter) and baseball (spring).

Why did I choose to take this course?
While I have done work in the area of online course development and teaching and taken online classes, I realize that online programs and providers are quickly evolving to meet the individual needs of learners. My day-to-day work at the Department does not always allow me to keep ahead of the curve regarding new and developing strategies of creating interesting and relevant interventions for students as they achieve. I look forward to an exposure to the literature and research supporting online learning and a chance to dialogue with Oregon colleagues on such topics.

Hello!

My name is Laura. Presently, I am working as a receptionist/office assistant at a medium sized construction company in Aloha. In the previous few years I worked as a 7-12th grade ESL and sheltered social studies teacher in Tillamook. When my position was cut due to budgetary issues, I joined the Navy Reserves to do my duty for my country. After 8 months of active duty training, I arrived back home to my new husband in May of this year. We had eloped while I was home on leave in February.

I hope to gain additional/supplemental employment as an online instructor after completing this series of classes, eventually (hopefully!) to fully replace my 8-5, M-F job with a commute.

For fun, when there's time for it, my son (Jayden, age 6 1/2) and I enjoy enjoy riding bikes and shooting his bow and arrows. My husband also works full time and is just beginning an apprenticeship program to become a journeyman plumber.

I look forward to working with the individuals in this class and I know each one of you has something special to teach me.

Your turn

Welcome! Take some time this week to add your own post with a picture and biographical sketch. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Also include a paragraph about what prompted you to take this class and what you hope to accomplish in our 10 weeks together. Send me an e-mail in Blackboard if you didn't receive an invitation to contribute to the blog.

And when you get a chance send me an e-mail address other than your assigned blackboard address where I can reach you if needed.