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Juanita Rodriguez

I am looking forward to a stimulating two weeks at the KCI Merit Program, accumulating experiences and ideas that I will integrate into my teaching.  I have taught as a special education teacher for eight years here in the Silicon Valley and previously in Los Angeles.  I love teaching math, science, and art.
As a student I find that I need to see and do before I can really understand and learn.  For that reason I try to have as many hands-on experiences and project-based learning as possible.  I love taking classes at RAFT to develop my repertoire, have participated in the SF Exploratorium Teacher Institute, and am constantly on the look for other such opportunities.

Demetrius Asekomeh

I am very excited to begin the MERIT Program and work with all of you. I've been a science teacher for over 4 years now in both Michigan and California. I love to travel as much as possible and use every opportunity to do so. I became a US citizen just last summer and have put some miles on my passport since then. I enjoy teaching science and using technology to do so and find this program to be a perfect marriage of the two. To see a student suddenly become excited about science and their future brings me the most joy in my professional life. I hope to learn a lot and be able to use what I've learned to benefit my students in the future.

Annette Jackson

I am Annette Jackson and I am anxious to begin participating in the Merit Program this year. I have recently celebrated my 22^nd wedding anniversary and my 17-year-old son’s graduation from high school. I also have a 4-year-old daughter who will begin kindergarten in August of this year. I have truly been blessed with my family.I have been a Special Education teacher at Morrill Middle School for the past 4 years. I have taught both SDC and RSP students in the areas of Language Arts, Social Science, Science, Math, and Study Skills. More recently, I have taught RSP Math and Study Skills. I am very fortunate to have a fabulous, dedicated team of teachers to work with, Juanita Rodriguez (also in the Merit Program) being one of them.

This year was my first year being the Department Head of Special Education. I am aware that I have much to learn, but my favorite quote is:

“Anything worth doing, is worth doing poorly at first”—Tim Bowman

I believe that you are never too old to learn life lessons, even if they are from your own children or students. I anticipate that this will be a wonderful learning experience for me, as we begin our classes on July 6^th. I am anxious to get to know all of you and learn from everyone.

Paul Nyhof

Hey everyone, my name is Paul Nyhof and I teach science at John Muir
middle school. I just finished my 4th year teaching, and I am amazed
at how much technology can be infused in classroom instruction. It
seems that I learn so many new things about technology each year, and
I can't wait to continue that learning in the Merit Program.
I am particularly interested in the idea of websites where students
can collaborate on ideas, discussions, and projects and hope to learn
much more about this over the next few weeks.
Looking forward to a great summer session.

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.

Sandra McGonagle

Hi there - my name is Sandra McGonagle, and I'm excited to be the newest addition to the KCI staff as a part time instructor. During Merit I will primarily be working with the middle school group. I am a graduate of the '05 EWYL program and have been bitten by the technology bug ever since. I am also a teacher with the Cupertino Union School District. I taught middle school for 9 years (primarily a combo of 6th grade Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, and Exploratory) before moving to the district office as a Curriculum Specialist/Resource Teacher. I now work in the areas of BTSA, Assessment, Math, and Technology. My latest project involves working with Cupertino's five middle schools to help create "21st century middle school classrooms" by looking at how technology and constructivist principles can increase student engagement and student learning. I am also working with Cupertino and Google on a K-5 school pilot as Google tries to move Google Apps for Education into K-12 schools. I am very excited to be back at KCI in a new role for the Merit program and am looking forward to building a strong learning community as we look deeply at students, technology, and learning together.

Cherie Zepp

Hi all,

I'm so excited for what I anticipate to be an amazing experience this summer being part of the Merit Program.  I look forward to meeting you all.

I am currently teaching Special Education at Hyde Middle School in Cupertino.  I'm in a "special assignment" (and learning a lot!) in the Special Ed department.  Previously, I taught 7th grade core at Lawson, and 6th grade at Kennedy (both schools in the Cupertino Union district).  Teaching is not my first career...Many years ago I worked in the tech industry (HP and Silicon Graphics), and then took time off to raise my own children.  When my children were babies I taught childbirth classes...as my kids grew I began subbing in the elementary school...I'm currently teaching middle school but my kids are now in high school and college so I'm not sure what's next for me!

I am an auditory learner and I do tend to catch myself lecturing often in the classroom.  I also know I enjoy engaging, participatory activities and competitions so I try to incorporate simulations and games into my lessons.  I enjoy the social aspect of learning and I provide opportunities for my middle schoolers to interact and work together on projects.

I love to travel.  Last summer I took a group of 7th and 8th graders to the British Isles.   (The picture I included is from that trip.)  I also love to read.  Does anyone have any good book recommendations?  

Gail Hybarger

My name is Gail Hybarger and I am a fifth grade teacher At Laneview Elementary School in San Jose California. Teaching is actually my second career. I originally graduated from Humboldt Sate University in 1985 with a B.S. in Business Administration. I soon started my Career in the Software Industry Working as a Software Engineer for various High-Tech Companies.

I never really liked my job or career and had dreamed of being a teacher. Just before I turned 40 I decided to take the plunge and go for it! I had started the process of becoming a teacher, taking the necessary exams and classes and I then applied to San Jose State. Now all I had to do was wait. Well in May of 2002 I turned 40 on May 18, Got laid off from my job at IBM on May 21, and got Accepted to San Jose State on May 23. Imagine that, all in the same week. I never looked back!

After receiving my Credential in May of 2004, I decided I wanted to find a way to use my previous Technical experience in the classroom to enhance my students’ learning experiences. So while in my first two years of teaching full time, I went to School Full time to get my Master’s Degree. Oh, Yea I was also in the New Teacher Project which was an additional 10 Units a Semester of course work. YIKES!!! What was I thinking? It actually was the best thing I have ever done. I now have a teaching credential and Masters Degree.

My biggest challenge for implementing technology in my classroom is the lack of computers, software, LCD projectors and Smartboards. I dream of having the appropriate technology available so I can enhance learning experiences for all of my students.

Oh, in my spare time, I train and Walk Half Marathons with the NF Endurance team, to raise money and awareness for the Children’s Tumor Foundation and to find a cure for NF. That’s Mom and Me in the picture after completing our first half Marathon in 2007. We have now done 4 half marathons and the Bay to Breakers 3 Times.

Gayle Britt

Hi Everyone,
I'm Gayle Britt and I'll be the facilitator for the high school group this summer. Having worked part time at the KCI since 2000, I have been involved in MERIT (EWYL) since its beginning. I taught 7th and 9th grade social studies and language arts and helped start a charter high school. At present I also work part time for the Oracle Education Foundation leading global project learning workshops (using Thinkquest) around the world. (The picture is of me having just climbed to the top of "Dracula's" fort in Romania last month.) Thinkquest (http://www.thinkquest.org) is a great tool for local classroom or global collaboration on projects. It is free, but schools have to sign up. If interested, go ahead and get your school on board and during the institute I'll show you how to set up a project. The KCI has also been working with a British expedition on the old Silk Road (http://tracingtea.com/). This team has been collaborating with a 7th grade social studies class all year and is looking to collaborate with more classes. I'll be sharing a lesson about free trade. I'm eager to learn more about you and your teaching and am looking forward to working with and learning from you.

Pat Stabile

Hi All,

I am Pat Stabile a 7th grade Science Teacher from Price Middle School in San Jose. The picture of me is from a Zero-G experience this school year. My students helped design experiments to bring up to space and had fun finding out the data!

I have taught in New York- (where I'm from), Colorado- (which I love), and Napa, California.

As was one of the original Internet Institute Trainers here in Silicon Valley, I love sharing new technology with both students and teachers.

In my classroom I currently have a Smartboard which immediately elevates you to the status of magician as the students interactively learn.

I am a visual learner but use all learning styles in the classroom. My students love the labs in science and prove that the kinesthetic experience is a great way to learn. Middle school students love making decisions, interacting, working as a group and doing presentations. I enjoy providing that forum for them to grow.

I have a wonderful husband Jerry, that is an art teacher, two grown sons, one an electrical engineer and the other in business. We enjoy traveling together to great science destinations

such as Costa Rica and up next Australia!

I am very excited to meet all of you, enjoyed reading your posts and look forward to creating

and learning this summer. I am thrilled to be a Merit Teacher!

Thom Stevens

Hey-

My name is Thom Stephens, I am the 8th grade science teacher at Ida Price Middle School in San Jose, Ca.

I have been teaching science for 19 years and the picture you see is from my annual DC trip that I take my 8th graders on....by the way , I am the handsome devil to the left in the picture.....the gentleman to the right , is Danny Kirwan , another Merit program participant.....

I am looking forward to the program as I feel that I have all this wonderful technology in my classroom ( document camera, computer, dvd player) and I want to utilize it to make my subject matter( no science pun intended)and to come alive.....I am extremely hands on with my subject matter and can be found most days exploding something in class or at least involving flames to some degree......

I am married to the most beautiful woman in the world for 10 years have two wonderful children, Liam and Ayden, and have been a confirmed Star Trek fan since as long as I can remember......Live Long and Prosper............See you this summer

To check out my insanities go to :http://www.cambrian.k12.ca.us/price/teachers/staffpages/room_40/index.html

Kenneth Pringle

Hi. My name is Ken Pringle. I teach chemistry at Lincoln High School in San Jose. This my second year of AP and tomorrow they take the test (whew!). I am excited to join the mentor program and work with others to make technology part of my class. I look forward to developing tools that provide students with resources to enhance their learning, develop technology skills, and, maybe, gain ownership of the learning going on in the class.
I usually gave a pretty even leaning style without being overwhelmingly visual, kinesthetic, or audio. I need to read a question to answer it well, but I also need to hear a story to understand it better. (A different test I found online showed that I am completely intuitive and not detailed; it gave me a completely different way of seeing how my wife and I look at problems :). A look at my desk or the way I develop lessons you’d see that I do tend to ignore details to get to the general theme.
I try to teach in every possible way, so that I can reach as many students as possible. Presentations with pictures or animations when possible with notes. Reading notes & orally reviewing the topic after students finish writing material down. Modeling when possible, or drawing models. I demonstrate concepts or systems using movement as much as possible. And with chemistry, we do labs so they can see principles in action (although they like the playing better than the learning).
Look forward to a productive and fun summer. ken

Margo Wixsom

I teach Photography and Yearbook Production at Palo Alto HS. This is my 7^th year at Paly and my 20^th year teaching a wide range of subjects from ESL adult education and university Composition Writing to Architectural Drawing and Art Spectrum. I have double masters in Art and Literature so I am absolutely passionate about words and images in every form. I love to integrate all types of writing into my class projects and lots of images and Internet fun for visual learning – which is my specialty. This year I’ve had a crash course in the Adobe graphics suite at several RAFT workshops to learn book design and publication for our yearbook. What an exciting group of teachers – great to read all of your stories and interests! I’m looking forward to spending another fellowship with Roni Habib, who inspired me at the Stanford Program fro International Cross-Cultural Education last year. And Eric Bloom and Rob Bolt from my own campus – who knew! I hope to integrate some of what we are doing at the Merit program to enrich the Paly community, as well as network with the impressive group of teachers listed. My project is to design 3 virtual galleries on campus and to learn the technology skills and explore design ideas to include our whole campus in visual literacy. I’m pictured here in Amman, Jordan last summer at Darat Al Funun on Jabal Luweibdeh. This artist outside one of the exhibitions calligraphied my name in Arabic. I spent most of last summer in the Middle East on a Silicon valley Education Foundation fellowship. I stayed with my sister who lives in Amman (but is now working in Afghanistan!) photographing and researching for a book. Istanbul, Damascus, and Petra were the highlights of my travels. I’m focusing my love for writing and photography into the design of several photo-essay books for publication next year, I’m working on collections of photo-essays for three books: “Picturing Middle East” (countering stereotypes through the Arts) “Framing A Life” (the familial and cultural trauma of suicide) “Looking @” (perspectives on viewers in public art spaces) “Notice Nature” (a series of essays and watercolor paintings on everyday beauty). I just found out that I will be going to Scotland this summer for 2 weeks with our school Theater program to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (the largest Arts Festival in the world!). So my summer is going to be an amazing exploration of art & technology - ooking forward to the adventure of learning and creating with all of you.

Jes Notte

Wow, what an interesting group of people! I'm really excited to meet you guys this summer. I'm Jes Notte and I teach 7th and 8th grade social studies at Borel Middle School. This is my 9th year teaching, and like some other members, I've taught in a variety of different states and settings. Before coming to California, I was teaching in Harlem, NY at a charter school. This is a picture of us at a field trip to the Cloisters Museum. We got to take lots of field trips. The best were to colleges so these middle school students could see what it was like to be in college classrooms, sleep in the dorms and eat the food. The girl all the way to the left won a scholarship last year that will pay for her education straight through graduate school. They are an amazing group of kids. Before Harlem, I was in Colorado for five years teaching during the week and skiing/camping/mountain biking every weekend. The love for outdoors brought my husband and I back west to California last August. I love traveling, music, and outdoor fun so I try to incorporate that into my teaching as much as possible. Together we learn from each other by sharing travel pictures and stories. We listen to Dylan and Michael Franti, among other musicians, and after school I co-coach the boys soccer team. This is my first blog! Have a great end of the year!

Eric Wong

How many more days until summer?

I have been a social studies and AVID teacher at Fremont High School in Sunnyvale for 5 years. I primarily teach US History (inclusion, sheltered and mainstream) and Government/Economics (AP and mainstream). I have also taught the AVID elective class for four years and coordinate the program at our school. Outside of the classroom, I help coach the varsity baseball team.

Teaching-wise, I really try to connect lessons and objectives to something the students can relate to and understand. In our US History class, I use their family history as a running theme to connect events to their personal history. This is similar to how I learn best since I need to see practical, easy-to-connect ideas to my real life to be truly interested/motivated.

Looking forward to meeting everyone, sharing ideas, and being able to focus on technology in the classroom in a great environment!

Roni Habib

Hey there,

I teach it History and Economics at Gunn High School in Palo Alto. This is my 3rd year teaching at Gunn. Previous to that, I taught Math at Lexington High School in Massachusetts. I'm Israeli, and have lived in Belgium for six years as well. I therefore speak Hebrew, French and English and consider myself very lucky to have seen the world at a pretty young age. I love to play basketball, relax on my hammuck, sing, learn new things, talk politics, go camping, and the summer. I'm very much a visual learner and since most of my students are, I like to incorporate many graphic organizers, graphs, videos, and other visual devices in my teaching. I also love to discuss topics and have my students explore the topics covered in class through research, and discourse.

Looking forward to meeting everyone.

Have a good end of the school year.

Roni

Rob Bolt

Hi Gang,

After a fulfilling run as a technology professional and then full time parent, I am very blessed to have the opportunity to pursue teaching as the third and final stage of my career. Having grown up in Berkeley as the child of two PhD academics, teaching and academia have never been far from my heart. After living in India for four months a few years ago, my passion for history and the world in which we live was fired, and it became clear to me that my time as an educator had arrived. Upon returning home, I enrolled at the College of San Mateo in various Social Studies courses to deepen my subject matter expertise and to prepare for the CSET exam. The experience of being back in the classroom after so many years was transcendent and I quickly enrolled in the credential program at NDNU. To date, all the pieces of the teaching puzzle have fallen into place with my graduation just one week away. While taking a full load at NDNU, I am also teaching two sections of 9th Grade World History at Palo Alto High School as an intern. I did my first semester of student teaching at Crocker Middle School in Hillsborough in 8th Grade U.S. History.

I am incredibly excited to meet all of you and work with my Merit Program partners Jes Notte & Eric Bloom. My teaching philosophy is "Education as Theater" and I think that sums up both my teaching style and my learning style. The more dramatic it is (noisy or subtle) , the more engaged I am! And students love a show...

My technology background infuses me with passion for leveraging technology to make the World a smaller place for my students and to engage them through the mediums that they use outside of school.

Cheers,

Rob

Meera Ramachandran

Hi Everyone,

I'm Meera Ramchandran from Milpitas. I teach Science for 4th, 5th and 6th grades at Weller. This is my third year teaching and I'm learning a lot each year! Teaching Science is very enjoyable but also demands a lot of planning and organization. My students are visual learners and enjoy hands-on activities. My biggest challenge is in helping them make the connections between the experiments that we do and the concepts behind them, so they can apply them in other situations. My personal learning style is through lectures and reading, which is almost diametrically opposite from those of my students!
Both my students and I love using technology and I have noticed that my teaching is far more effective when accompanied by lots of powepoint slides and video clips. I'm very excited to be part of the KCI class this sumer and look forward to learning more ways of using technology effectively in my classroom.


Meera

Joan Love

Hi All,
I'm Joan Love from Morgan Hill. I teach 3rd grade at El Toro Elementary. I've taught for so many years that I have had almost every experience one elementary teacher could want. I've taught in Colorado and California, Special Ed, Regular Ed, and Gifted programs. I've taught many grade levels, Charter School, Private School, and Public School. I've taught part-time and full time. I've even taught my own children! Teaching has never been boring. It definitely fits my style. I am a visual learner and I try to incorporate color into every lesson. I believe students should know that learning is fun. Outside of my classroom is a "Friendship Garden". Many students choose to spend time working and learning in the garden. We play games to reinforce many concepts in Math and Science. We have a hands-on Algebra program and Zome tool workshops. I believe students learn best by doing, exploring, and playing in a classroom that values their thinking. Now I am ready to be a student and learn technology. It's an uphill climb for me so I hope I find teachers with extra patience!

Elise Jury

My name is Elise Jury and I'm a 6th grade core teacher at Graham Middle School in Mountain View.  The core position includes Language Arts and Social Studies.  In having the two subjects together, I get to do a lot of cross-curricular integration which I love! Being able to teach two subjects and have the same group of kids for longer blocks is right up my alley, as I have an elementary credential.  

I am a visual learner and need to see things and be able to write them down.  As an overall trend, my learning style is different than my students.  I find that my kids learn best when doing, so active projects are accompanied by auditory and visual activities.  Middle school is a tough time to really showcase the different learning styles.  We are at this point where we've got to get kids ready for the rigor of higher grades and high school, so note taking and study skills are those we focus on, but on the flip side, those strategies are ineffective for some kids.  

I am really excited to be a part of the KCI program!  A few teachers at Graham have gone through and have sort of brought me into the world of KCI this year.  I am really looking forward to learning more about technology, using it more fluidly in my classroom, and collaborating with colleagues in technology integration.  

Michael Kaelin

Greetings, Michael Kaelin here. I teach seventh grade English, reading, social studies, video production, television production, and basic web design (whew!). That makes me tired just looking at it. I've been at Hillview Middle School for ten years.

Effective integration of technology is one of my professional passions, but I hardly know it all. The open-source web world is exciting and full of possibility. My own sense is that using these tools can reduce consumption of material while making learning more powerful and relevant to my students.

Ironically, I'm primarily an auditory learner; however, I teach in a very kinesthetic manner. I work hard to differentiate. For every teaching success, there's always a disaster to improve - such is the art of teaching. Refine, implement, evaluate - refine, implement, evaluate.

On a personal note, my wife and I just celebrate our tenth anniversary and we are expecting twin girls any day. We also have Lucy, our six-year-old, and Ollie, our two-year-old.

I feel blessed to be a teacher and I'm stoked to be a part of this program.

Rylan Stewart

Hey there~ My name is Rylan Stewart and I am a 2nd grade teacher at Scott Lane Elementary School in Santa Clara. I have been teaching for 2 years and I absolutely love it. I am a person who cannot sit still, and I am often moving around when I teach. I am a kinesthetic learner. I believe learning is an exploratory process and that students learn more by inquiry and exploring themselves. 

I am excited to learn some new ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. I know that there are some useful tools out there that my students would benefit from using. 

In my spare time, I enjoy surfing in Santa Cruz and hiking. I enjoy traveling to new places and I love reading comic books. 

I am very excited to be joining the Merit Program and look forward to meeting all of you. 

Whitney Uyeda

I am a 3rd grade teacher. Previously, I taught 4th and 5th grade. This is my ninth year in Santa Clara Unified. I enjoy what I do! Teaching vs. Learning: I am more of an auditory learner, but for my students, I try to consider all the ways in which they learn. I incorporate visual and kinesthetic strategies on a daily basis. I try to create a learning environment which is inclusive, respectful, and challenging.

Michael Bautista

Hello - My name is Michael Bautista and I'm a math teacher at Milpitas High School. I currently teach AP Calculus, Precalculus, and Algebra II and I'm having a great time. I'm looking forward to learning many new tools and techniques during the summer session to help create exciting lessons for next year. I've discovered that I learn well by relating material to goofy, fun ideas (e.g. teaching a lesson about trigonometry and the road-runner), real-world applications, or blending other subjects with math such as art/music. So, I try to incorporate these ideas into my teaching style. I strive for a relaxed classroom environment where students develop high expectations for themselves but have fun at the same time -- and that's something I'm always working on: how to get students enjoying/looking forward to math class. Looking forward to meeting everyone.

V. Hinkle

Hello, everyone,

It's fun reading about you and "meeting" you online. Looking forward to the real thing!

Here's a photo of American and Tanzanian teachers at the Olasiti village school last July. We're posing in front of the office, the only room with a glass window. I'm on the right in the middle row.

I've taught 7th grade core at Redwood MS for a million years, and still love it. My teaching style aims to engage the students, who are typically kinesthetic and interpersonal -- can you picture the noisy groups? However, my personal learning style is linguistic and visual, so that naturally spills over into my teaching. Lots of art, for example.

I have 3 web sites: school at vhinkle.com, photography at pbase.com, and the nonprofit Tanzanian Orphans. As you can guess, my personal interests include travel and photography.

My family includes my darling husband Phil and our grown children Jeff and Dawn. Oh, and the real ruler of the house, Motor the cat. We live in the Santa Cruz mountains.

See you soon,
V

Maggie Welsh

Hi, my name is Maggie Welsh and I am an English teacher at Lynbrook High School. I am currently teaching American Literature and love it. I will be teaching AP Language and Composition to 11th graders next year and am very interested in learning about creating Wikis and Blogs for the course. We have an excellent staff here at Lynbrook that shares and plays well together - I would like to bring back some knowledge from the KCI program to share with them! I look forward to this program because I desperately need to learn about new technology. I have been teaching for nine years and know that the key to success is innovation and willingness to change. I am a learner that likes to listen and watch before doing, so I am looking forward to the seminar this summer where I can learn from all of you.

On a personal note, I have a nine year daughter (not pictured;) named Olivia.

See you all soon!

Nicole Gordon

Hi all,

I am Nicole Gordon and I am in my third year of teaching at Lynbrook High School in San Jose. I currently teach Freshman Lit and Journalism and next year, I will also be teaching AP Literature for Seniors. In addition, I am the adviser for a student run group on campus called Straight Talk About Issues Relevant to Students (S.T.A.I.R.S.) that works to promotes a positive school environment for everyone on campus.

The photo is of me and my Journalism students from last year. I am third from the left on the bottom row.

I have always wanted to be a teacher and even though I sometimes feel like I live at school, I can't immagine doing anything else. As far as teaching style goes, I try to incorporate all types of learners and provide options for students to find a way to express themselves in a matter that fits their learning style. Personally, I am a more of a visual and auditory learner.

Outside of school, I enjoy reading, going to the beach, doing anything outside, cooking, and traveling. I am going to mostly stick around this summer, but currently I am planning a trip to Queensland, Australia for a wedding in October.

I am excited about this summer class because I am looking forward to meeting other enthusiastic teachers and discovering some new and exciting ways to incorporate technology into my classroom.

Sara Devine

Hi, My name is Sara Devine.
This is a picture of me and the other art teachers at Capuchino High School, I'm on the far left. This picture was taken after we won a fashion show designed to get our kids excited about STAR testing. Those are STARS in our hands!
I Teach all the culinary arts classes at Capuchino. I have been teaching for 7 years and am very passionate about food. Just like the science teachers, my classes are for those who love to work with their hands in the lab (kitchen). I'm thrilled to have been selected as one of this years summer institute participants. When we begin, I will have just arrived home from a 3 1/2 week trip to Australia where all my cousins live. I want to introduce my husband of three years to my extended family and the culture that I was raised with. looking forwad to meeting you all and exchanging ideas this summer!

Tina Doss

My name is Tina Doss and I am a teacher at Carlmont High School located on the Belmont/ San Carlos city border.  I have been teaching for nine years.  Currently, I teach Advanced Placement (AP) Biology and Biotechnology 3-4.  It’s the second year of the 3-year Biotechnology Program.  Dan Raffa and I started the program with a one-year class in 2002.  The past seven years the program has grown to offering three years serving over 250 students.

I am a firm believer of hands on science.  I believe that students learn scientific concepts when they can relate experiences to the concepts.  Although I am sort of a kinesthetic learner, I learn best visually.  Therefore, I probably learn the best via lecture with manipulatives, pictures, etc.  While I do use lecture to enhance concepts, it’s very important to me that students explore, build skills, and learn concepts via doing, not just listening to me.  Therefore, in Biotech, we do labs 80% or more of the time allotted in class.

I try to find a balance for different learning styles.  I open my class at lunch for students to continue exploring and/or asking questions.  I also hold after school hours.  At least once a week I am available after 5 PM for my athletes and drama students so they are able to come in for help/exploration too.

I am very excited about sharing and collaborating with other teachers.  Looking forward to spending my summer with all of you!

Dan Raffa

Hello,

My name is Dan Raffa and I teach at Carlmont High School in Belmont, Ca.  I teach a science elective class called Biotechnology.  It is a skills based class with a student centered approach of about 80% lab time.   I am a kinesthetic learner and try to incorporate all forms of learning styles into my classroom.  I am very interested in the inquiry process and I am always looking to integrate it into my lessons.  I love teaching and consider myself a comedian who rewards students with extra credit if they laugh at my jokes.   I enjoy traveling and have not made a decision where to go this summer, I may just look at priceline.com for a last minute deal.  I am very excited about this summer because I want to start using Blogs and Wikis in my class and want to discuss the process with other teachers.