Peter Vallejo

Hello,
I am Peter, pictured here to the left - not the shark. I have been teaching at Tennyson High School for the past eight years as a science teacher. I have taught Earth Science, Biology, AP Environmental Science, Physical Science and our newest course that all our freshman take, Conceptual Physics.
I enjoy using technology as a tool to increase engagement and learning potential. Some learning tools I have been getting more into as of late include document cameras, digital microscopes and electronic probes/data loggers. I would like to increase my own use and proficiency and put the power of these tools in the hands of my students. I look forward to expanding my tool kit of technology in the classroom, both for myself and my students.
Over the past couple years I have had the opportunity to have excellent professional development as a Science Coach/Partner teacher. Although I have been successful and most comfortable with traditional teaching and learning, I have found that incorporating social and metacognitive aspects into both are essential . In discovering this in greater depth for myself, my instruction is evolving in this direction.
On another note, I enjoy traveling both domestically and internationally. The picture I have included is from the north shore of Oahu.
See you all soon :-)

Amy Wong

Hi Everybody!

My name is Amy Wong and I am a graduate student at Stanford University, studying Learning, Design & Technology. Before going back to school, I spent five years writing flight software for environmental satellites. I'm really interested in how people learn and what technology can do to facilitate and transform learning. I've been an intern at the KCI since the beginning of this year and I'll be working on evaluating the MERIT program. You'll see me throughout the week, helping out, asking questions, and learning from all of you.

In my non-existent spare time, I like to sleep. If I'm not asleep, I photograph, bake, travel (that's a picture of me in front of Machu Picchu), try new foods, hike, bike, and practice Tae Kwon Do.

I'm really excited about meeting all of you soon!

Ben Moeller

Hello, my name is Ben Moeller and I am the Technology Trainer for the Mountain View Whisman School District. I will be helping facilitate with the High School Group this July. This is my first year working with the Merit Program along with the Krause Center.

I have been using technology since I was 4 years old and have enjoyed it since. Some have called me an "apple evangelist", the truth being I am an Apple fan, and I do know and do work with PC's as well.

I am a big supporter of the 21st century classroom. Our youth today use technology to communicate, learn, and be entertained, so why not incorporate technology into the classroom? It is important to connect with the youth on there level.

A little more about myself, my wife and I are enjoying our almost 3 month old daughter, she is our first. It is a joy being a father and I look forward to the years ahead. I love the outdoors, photography, video editing, learning, playing guitar hero, and just enjoying life.

I look forward to working with you all and having an awesome time!

Dominic Bigue

Hello all! I’ve been in education for the last 11 years. As an educator I do everything "technology" with students and staff at my site. With my students, I'm currently teaching a video production course, an International Baccalaureate Film Class and managing a Media Internship with our local community partners. With my staff, I work as our district technology coordinator, site tech resource specialist, webmaster and Art Department Chair. I love challenging my students and myself with educational projects that make a difference in their lives and community. Hands-on project/challenged based learning is what fires me up!!

Personally, I love film-making and photography. When I'm not working for my school, I do production work for friends and clients. I'm an outdoor fanatic... getting outside and going for adventures of any kind... surfing, backcountry, rafting, whatever.... I'm the proud poppa of two beautiful little girls... Margo (2) and Evie (5). I hope to keep growing and evolving in my career and passions and the KCI Merit program is another step in the right direction!

Looking forward to working with you all later this summer.

Cheers,
Dominic Bigue

Patricia Korman

I have been teaching middle school at St. Patrick's for 34 years.  Teaching is my passion, and I remain excited about what I do because there is always something new to learn.  I teach language arts and social studies - ancient civilizations and world history. Some of my interests outside of teaching are reading, hiking, and exploring family history.  I learn best by doing, and I try to actively engage my students in their learning through simulations and literature circles. I look forward to collaborating with other professionals as we move more and more into the digital age.

Karen Truesdell

Hi! My name is Karen Truesdell. I will be starting my 10th year teaching at Milpitas High next year. Time flies! Go Trojans :) I am looking forward to continuing to teach mainstream and sheltered Biology as well as moving into the Senior year with my AVID class.
I am experiencing a “ten year itch” to learn all I can this summer about tech. TIme to shake things up a bit--time to be more computer literate to bring my classroom up to the times and implement as much as I can next year. I have several colleagues incorporating various tech into the classroom with great results. I also have seen first hand through my student teacher and my own incorporation of slide shows how effective it can be. I am jazzed to be more savvy and capable. And I am looking forward to collaborating with all of you! Sounds like we have a great group of folks in this program.
Speaking of spending time with good people...I am getting married this summer on the 8th of August. I can’t wait to see all my friends and family in one place! I am giddy with the preparation and excited to see how it all turns out--kind of like trying a lab with the kids for the first time, but we only get to do this one once and it is a bit larger scale. We kind of see this as a huge family reunion...I cannot wait. I am not by nature very patient :)
I am however, a very visual person...I have to “see what you are saying”. My instruction is heavy on labs, activities, hands-on lectures, and analogy for this reason. I love teaching Biology because it is rich with experience and it is okay to make mistakes. I think the problem solving aspect makes playing so much more fun.
Speaking of playing...I like to play outside the classroom, too. I love to hike, camp, scuba dive (just a few times, now) snowboard, garden (this one is new) and hang out at the aquarium. June, July, and August are ripe for new experiences.
Happy Summer everyone. I can’t wait to meet you in a few weeks! Cheers!!

Eric Bloom

Last duck across the bridge... Hello, after a short and pitched battle I believe that I am successfully through my troubles posting to this blog. I am Eric Bloom and I teach at Palo Alto High School and serve as Instructional Supervisor of History and Social Science. I am eager to better understand how I can use what I learn this summer to make learning easier for me and my students--I want to teach them how to slow down, think, and express ideas to me and their peers. I am looking for ways to bolster the insight and scholarship demonstrated by my students work. So, I have a tall order to fill and look forward to hearing answers from others.
picture coming soon.
Thanks to Ben (yeah Ben), I was able to add a picture to my blog...This is me and my partner Jane cutting Pita that was cooked on a open grill in the middle of an apple orchard in Mendocino county--a great way to spend Independence Day!

Sarah Koh

My name is Sarah Koh and I currently teach 5th grade at Gardner Bullis in Los Altos Hills. This past year was an interesting one since I also had a daughter in 5th grade! I always wondered what it would be like to teach the same grade as one's child. My daughter, Sabrina, always had good ideas and advice for me. I will be going into my 14th year of teaching, wow! I've taught both middle school and elementary. I've also taught in the mid-west and the Boston area. I live in Portola Valley with my daughter and husband.

I am very much a visual learner. I also enjoy the creative process of curriculum design. Because I am a visual learner I always try to teach to the different styles of learning and modalities. I thoroughly enjoy creating projects and curriculum in general. Every year I try to come up with new ideas to keep teaching fresh and exciting. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and exchanging ideas!

Michal Krupa

Hi everyone,

My name is Michal Krupa, and this will be my second year at the Merit Program. As you may have noticed I look quite a bit younger than most of you, due to the fact that I am an incoming sophomore at Mountain View High School, and not a teacher or instructor. However, I will be at the Merit program as part of the support staff, and I hope to get to know all of you in the coming two weeks. I'll be there to assist you with the technology you will be using, as well as working backstage to help the instructors with whatever they need.

As for a little piece of bio I was born in Olsztyn, Poland, and a useful bit of information for all of you is the phoenetic pronouciation of my name "Me-how". My family, consisting of my sister, dad, mom, and me, moved to California when I was 3, and we've lived here (specifically Mountain View) for the past 12 years with our cat and dog, who is pictured above.

During my "free time" I like to do Dragon Boat, and I am in the dragonboating club at MVHS. I also enjoy working on/with computers, such as fixing them or working with software such as the Adobe Suite, playing PC games and baking-I'm just going to casually slip that last one in.

In the future I hope to work as a software or web engineer (sorry everyone, I am not particularly drawn to teaching), and the type of real-world technical support services that are required at the center are what drew me to the support staff position from the beginning.

If any of you have questions or need help with anything concerning your computers, applications used during Merit, or any other technology based questions you can come find me.

Enjoy the remainder of your vacations, and see you all soon at Merit!

Jay Lin

Hello Everyone!!!

So, summer is here and I hope everyone is doing great. My name is Jay Lin and I have been teaching at Fremont High School in Sunnyvale for 2 years. I teach World History, World Studies, and US History (sheltered and mainstream). In addition, I coach the badminton team and advise the LiNK (Liberty in North Korea) Club at our school. It's been an interesting spring semester taking on a 6th class, the AVID elective class, while simultaneously coaching.

As for a bit of history, I was born and raised in Guam. I am Okinawan, Taiwanese, and Filipino. I came out to California after high school and got my BA and MA at the University of San Francisco; with an opportunity to live in Budapest for a semester. Straight after, I moved to Japan with my lady to teach english and travel around. We eventually moved back to San Francisco, which is where we currently reside. I am now a happy social science teacher and firebird at FHS.

So, I'm looking forward to relaxing and accomplishing a few things such as the picture shown above. Teaching-wise, this summer I really want to fine-tune my trade through programs such as the KCI Merit Program. I plan on working with a few of my colleagues, such as Eric Wong who is also in our program. I've had a few colleagues who have gone through KCI and I'm anxious to learn some new ways to not only incorporate tech into the classroom, but teach students some practical life-skills as they learn the content.

Alrighty everyone, enjoy your summer and I will see you in a few weeks!!!

With much respect,

-J

Sarah Thistlethwaite

Hi my name is Sarah Thistlethwaite and I am currently a 5th grade teacher at Laneview Elementary School in Berryessa Union School District. I have been teaching for nine years and I love it! I graduated from UCSC and then got my credential and then later my masters from SJSU. I am always challenging myself to figure out how to best address the needs of each years group and this certainly keeps me on my toes. I am really excited to be part of such a dynamic KCI group this summer. I am looking forward to learning a bunch and then bringing it back into the classroom where I know the students will soak it up like sponges.

This summer I am going to the Grand Canyon and will try and hit the beach and the gym as much as possible. Other than that, I will be spending some qaulity downtime by the pool at my quaint dwelling in San Jose.

Look forward to seeing all of you July!

Grace Chavez

Hi, my name is Grace and I will be teaching first grade at Castro School in Mtn. View for the 2009-2010 school year. I have been teaching for 11 years now and have taught grades k-3. Most of my teaching has been at Title 1 schools. However I did take a 2 year break and taught at Parent Participation schools. I love teaching and wouldn't want to do anything else! I have also been a floral designer, a retail clerk, a day care provider,and a teacher's aide.

I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 32 years now and I have two beautiful daughters ages 23 and 31. My husband and I live in the scenic town of Boulder Creek in the Santa Cruz mountains. We share our home with 2 cats and 2 dogs. I have the best commute in the world as I get to see sunsets, sunrises and a variety of wildlife.

I love to learn and I try to pass this love on to my students. My personal learning style is a mix of visual and hands on. Therefore my teaching style incorporates a lot of the same. Each year I find myself adapting my teaching to the needs of the students that I have that year. Every year I look for new ways to help my students reach their potential.

I am so excited about participating in the Merit program. I want to learn how to incorporate the use of technology into my classroom, beyond just using computer programs and the occasional Internet search. I am especially interested in digital storytelling as a way to allow all of my students to share their stories and knowledge, regardless of their language proficiency.

Sandy McConnell

I am so excited to get started, I can hardly wait until July! I am Sandy McConnell and I work in Saratoga USD. For the past two years I taught 5th grade at Saratoga Elementary, and next year I will be the technology coach for our K-8 district.

I worked in high tech for 20 years and retired 10 years ago. Since then, I went back to school and got my second masters, this one in Multicultural teaching. I have been teaching for three years and just love it. It is really exciting integrating teaching and technology. I am really looking forward to learning about web 2.0 technologies and integrating collaboration technologies into the classroom.

In my new role, I will be working with teachers to help them incorporate technology into curriculum.

I am a hands-on and visual learner so I am really looking forward to trying new things and seeing my cohorts' ideas. My teaching style reflects my learning style, I try to do as much hands on as I can and offer a variety of discovery learning options. Of course, I have to remind myself that not everyone learns the same way I do, and I find technology can provide a variety of learning options for the various learning styles.

It has been fun to read everyone's posts - I grew up in Cupertino (Jollyman, Kennedy and MVHS) and my dad taught in Santa Clara (Buchser HS and Peterson) for years, got my BS in Behavioral Sciences and MBA at SJSU so lots of connections to many of you. I am a native Santa Clara Valley girl, but lived some of my adult life in New York, Boston and a very short stint in Hong Kong (during my high tech days). I have a grown son, a supportive husband and a hairy beast of a dog named Dharma, who all keep me laughing.

Kathie Laurence

Hi,
My name is Kathie Laurence. I teach Sociology and AP Psychology at Palo Alto High School. This is my second career and I have been at it for about fifteen years. My first career was as an athletic trainer at Stanford University where I took care of the athletes' injuries and helped them (hopefully) avoid some.

I live in San Martin with my husband, who is also in education, two sons, four goats, a dog and a cat. It is a long commute for all of us but worth it because we can have the animals. I was born in Palo Alto and went through the Palo Alto school system.

I am super excited about the Merit Program. I want to find other ways to teach sociology and psychology that uses technology in different ways. I have been using clickers and online textbooks for a couple of years but would like to add to that. I am very interested in learning about wikis. I have some ideas for assignments that I think will work well with wikis. I also want to learn about the capabilities of document cameras. If they are as good as they seem, I hope I can find some grant money to buy one.

I think that I am primarily a visual learner but I do try to use many methods in my teaching from lectures to student directed learning to labs and other activities.

I look forward to meeting you all in a few weeks. It should be a great summer!

Nancy Fohner

I'm Nancy Fohner, 7th grade science teacher at Peterson Middle School, new partner teacher to Mr. Heumann, being dragged relentlessly into the technology age. I am totally looking forward to the summer institute and all the new things to learn! This is my 3rd year of teaching 7th grade, 8th teaching overall. I love being at Peterson where interesting things are always happening. We have a beautiful 2 acre Nature Area outside our classrooms and I get to work out there one period a day and lead, with the help of my 7th graders (next years 8th graders!), field trips for the elementary schools around. I take 60 kids to the Catalina Island Marine Institute every Feb. (that's me on the ferry dock), I have an astronomy club, a GAINS club, I love crafts, and I teach parts of a science and math camp for 7th grade girls every summer. I live in Gilroy and this is the first time in 18 years that I will not be the lead volunteer at the Volunteer Entrance Gate for the Garlic Festival--I will be taking the Biodiversity class run by John Muir Laws in Fish Camp. Yeah! (But if anyone is interested in working a shift, let me know--you get free admission and food.) I will also be taking a great class on writing in science with some of the Science and English teachers and the librarian from Peterson.

I was born in New York, but spent much of my school years overseas--the longest was Beirut for 5 years ('61-'67). I went to college at Smith College in Mass. and Cornell in New York where I managed to remain a student until I was 32 (my degrees are in nutrition and biochemistry). Thanks to my generous husband, I was able to stay home (whatever that means for a full-time volunteer) for 15 years with my two children, until we needed more money for their education. My son returns from 1 1/2 years in Australia tomorrow! My daughter--with a Master's Degree in Immunology--is a camp counselor at Stanford Family Camp for one more summer

This summer I have a personal trainer and I have found Zumba--a great exercise routine. I'm getting ready to go backpacking, my passion. I hiked across Catalina on the new Trans-Catalina Trail this spring.

I love to teach--the students are so inspiring, there is always something to learn, and there is never a dull moment. My learning style is probably mostly auditory but also visual and kinesthetic. I try to accomodate all learning styles in my classroom. I find science is perfect for all students. Chris and I will be teaching an honors science class next year and I hope so much to learn advanced tools to bring to that class and more than that, new ways to help the regular classes learn and appreciate science. I look forward to meeting and working with all of you!

Steven McGriff

Hello MERIT Teachers,

I've been the Teacher-in-Residence at the KCI for one year and am looking forward to meeting you at my second MERIT Summer Institute. I'll see you around, teach a few modules, and generally coordinate your learning experience with the MERIT Instructional Team.

Previously, I was an assistant professor of instructional technology at San Jose State University where I taught courses in visual literacy, instructional design methods, distance learning, and emerging technologies. While at SJSU, the IT department held a number of teacher cohort master degree programs at sites like the KCI, San Jose Unified, East Side Union, Morgan Hill, Cupertino, and even as far away as San Salvador, El Salvador. Sorry, no habla espanol.

I get a kick out of empowering others to use technology as a communication tool for their message...whether that is educational content or personal insight. You, the teacher, are really a communicator of ideas and a connector of those ideas to the learner. Through your work with students emerges the next generation of citizens that makes our society function (or not!) for the rest of us. I believe in your role and responsibility and want to be a part of your professional development. I'm counting on you to be most excellent in all you do for our students.

I live in the Evergreen area of San Jose with my teacher wife, Gloria, and three boys, Sebastian [13], Ethan [11], and Justin [9]. My life at home and work is not complete without my faith in Jesus Christ. I am one of a worldwide following of Jesus who meets at Twin Oaks Church in the Santa Teresa area of San Jose.

Cheyne A. Murray

My name is Cheyne Murray. I was born in San Francisco CA. I graduated with my undergrad from UC Santa Barabra with a degree in Philosophy of Ethics. My first career was as a Deputy Probation Officer for Santa Barbara County. I found the love of teaching and coaching while volunteering at Santa Barbara High School. 

I currently teach Physical Education at Central Middle School in San Carlos, California. This is my first year at Central, and I currently teach grades 5/6/7/8. I also serve as the schools Athletic Director. I am also currently pursuing my M.A. in Education at NDNU. My thesis proposal has been accepted and have started collecting data in the research field of socio - economics and childhood obesity.I have an anticipated completed thesis date of December of 2009. I believe I am more of a visual learner when it comes to gathering and retaining knowledge. I am looking forward to meeting you all and enhancing student understanding through the modes of technology. See you all shortly in July. 

Rachel Hager

Hello, I am looking forward to meeting everyone in person. Here's a little about myself--I came from Minnesota, as soon as I graduated, to escape the endless arctic winter. I will always miss it. I went to Pepperdine University in Malibu as a theater major then found my calling and pursued Environmental Studies at UCSC shortly thereafter. I have resided in Santa Cruz county most of my adult life. I feel at home in the coastal redwoods. I work in Santa Clara Unified at Buchser Middle School. My content area is Science, and I also run the video program and student council. I anticipate creating more science/ecology videos. I am creating videos for www.nextvista.org http://www.nextvista.org/rov-pilot/ presently focusing on science careers. I enjoy bringing ecological, cultural and technological diversity to my classroom and to the school. My teaching style emphasizes cooperative lab groups and relies heavily on technology and hands-on experiences. My learning style is primarily visual and auditory. In my classroom, I foster groupwork, however, I think I learn more quickly when I have time on my own to grapple with the ideas. My hobbies are singing and enjoying the outdoors with my husband and two sons ages 6 and 12. See you all soon!

Steven Caringella

Welcome 2009 MERIT participants! My name is Steven Caringella, and I am the instructor of the K-6 cohort. You are all in for an awesome summer of learning, networking, refreshment, and inspiration!
I was a MERIT participant during the 2004-2005 school year, and have been inspired ever since! I went on to participate in the MERIT Fellows program, in which teams of teachers create multi-classroom collaborative projects. I then became a part-time instructor at the Krause Center, in which I have the chance to share the awesome potential of educational technology with other K-12 teachers. I currently give presentations on the use of one such tool, Thinkquest.org, at various conferences in Northern and Southern California.
I teach Spanish to middle school students at Thomas Russell Middle School in the Milpitas Unified School District. My students recently completed a a language exchange with a high school in Peru using Thinkquest.org.
When I am not teaching at the KCI, and not teaching at Thomas Russell Middle School, you will find me spending time with my wife Jen and my two sons, Chase and Dean. Looking forward to meeting all of you and working with you this summer!

Andrea Gould

I'm Andrea Gould and I teach math at Aragon High School in San Mateo. I'm in the faculty workroom finalizing my grades and trying to get checked out of here. I leave on Thursday morning to read AP Statistics exams in Louisville, Kentucky. I'm busy getting everything taken care of before I leave my wife and two young children alone for 10 days.
My teaching style is very technology based and my life completely changed the day I got my document camera. Students say I'm their only teacher that actually uses my smartboard. I guess my current learning style is experiential because that is all I have time for anymore.
I'm looking forward to meeting all of you and working hard with you. Enjoy what you have of your summer.