Introductions

[Demetri Orlando]

Welcome to this network!  Please take a moment to introduce yourself by posting a "reply" in the box below. Please always keep in mind that this is a public network, accessible to anyone on the internet.

You probably do not want to "follow" this forum. "Following" a discussion means that you receive an email message when someone else adds something new. Therefore, you should click "Stop Following" on the very bottom of the page, after you add your entry.

[Becky L]

Hi! I'm Becky Leff and I am a 4th grade teacher at Quest Academy in Illinois. Quest is a school for gifted children. I also belong to the ning group for gifted education, Gifted Education 2.0 and Classroom 2.0. I was excited to learn about this group at a meeting of the Lake Michigan Association of Independent Schools. Thanks for setting it up.

[Jan Schulz]

Welcome Becky,
I'm a fourth grade teacher too. I hope we can share ideas. Welcome.
Jan

[Renee Strag]

Hello,

I'm Renee Strag and teach computer applications at High Point Christian Academy in High Point, NC. I am new to teaching this year, but not new to technology. I'm a Computer Engineer from Penn State and worked in telecommunications for 10 years.

We use a curriculum that introduces (and much more) Microsoft applications to K - 5th grade.

I look forward to this site answering questions that I didn't even know I had.

Thanks,
Renee Strag

[Jeff Maness]

My name is Jeff Maness. I serve as Director of Technology at High Point Christian Academy. The school is in its 12th year. I have been here for 10 of those years teaching K-12 computer applications in some capacity. This is the first year I have not been in the classroom. We are blessed with a great technology team now and look forward to growing as a "real" department in the years to come!

I'm also looking forward to being a part of this site and learning from all of you!

[Robert Kennedy]

I taught English, Latin, music and history and computerized the three Anglican schools when we lived in The Bahamas back in the '90's. After my wife died in 1997, I moved back to the U.S. and was faced with reinventing myself. I had not kept up my network 'back home' . Nobody wanted a 53 year old Latin teacher. So I joined TigerDirect in Miami as an entry level tech. Got a couple of MCSE exams passed and figured I was set. Not so! Tiger relocated me to Raleigh, NC where I added corporate training and sales coaching to my brief. I have traveled to most of our offices in the U.S. and Canada teaching new account managers how to do relationship sales. I see graduates of our education system - public and private - in action every day. (Some day what I have observed will be the subject of a book!!)
I started writing Private Schools in 1997. Frankly it is one of my favorite pastimes. I LOVE writing about private schools. My four children went to private schools - The Waldorf School of Garden City, Kent School, Westminster School and St. Andrew's School (Nassau).
I am so delighted to see ISEN filling a very special niche in the ed tech arena and eager to join the conversation. If I can be of assistance in any way, just let me know.

[Frank]

Hi all, I am Frank and I work at a university in Mexico that has contracts with private preK-12 schools to enhance their English language programs and instruction.

[Maria del Rosario R. Lomas]

Hello my name is Maria del Rosario, I am interested in working in a private school setting. I am working at a public school. I am ready for a change.

[Ivan Nieves]

Folks.
I work in an all-girls private secondary school in Boston, MA. I may have the best job on the planet. The most rewarding part of it is that I have a great group of teachers that constantly challenge me to find them new toys to break.
I believe in process over product, in the long term over short rewards, and that there is room enough in education for both highly-structured, deadline driven pursuits and free-form, imaginative, open-source playing around.
I believe that the most important function of the Academic Technologist is to be an advocate for the student. I believe in teaching people to fish rather than giving them fish (actually, I prefer to share with someone 5 different ways to fish, and maybe stories about all the times the fish got away).

I really wish people would stop bringing in baked goods to say thanks.

[Robert Kennedy]

The late Ellen Berne who was the librarian at Winsor back in the '90's founded ISED-L. I suspect that she had a lot to do with the environment in which you presently find yourself. You are fortunate indeed, Ivan, to be at Winsor.

[Ivan Nieves]

She pioneered the creation of computer labs at the school.
Right now I am co-teaching a 5th grade class with the assistant Librarian. When I shared with my supervisor our plan for getting the girls to learn where the library resources were by modeling the building in Sketchup, He barked, "Ha! I wonder what Ellen Berne would have thought of that.

[Cory Anderson]

Hi all,
I am a Computer Applications teacher and the webmaster at Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg, VA. We have around 260 students from grades 9-12. I look forward to learning from you all.

[Pamela Livingston]

Dear Colleagues,

It's my pleasure to join the ISE network and to jump into conversations.

Interesting the evolution that's occured because of Web 2.0. I used to be on lots of listservs and keep up with what colleagues were doing that way, and still do, but find Ning networks plus twitter to be how to keep up with colleagues, my personal learning network mediated by newer technologies.

I'm the author of "1-to-1 Learning: Laptop Programs That Work" and one of my first purposes for joining this network is to check the pulse of 1-to-1, tablets, and teaching & learning. I'm writing the second edition so really interested in following conversations about how technology is expanding classroom practice.

Pamela Livingston