Acker's Digital Space

I go by just “Acker” no “Mr” needed. I truly love the world of project based learning because we all get to learn together! In my daily journeys I find myself thinking about project ideas...all...the...time. Being a design/maker-educator I get to be inspired by my students and the community every day. Bringing together elements of humanities, science, math and engineering is what makes me so excited about about teaching in a project based school. I never want to stop learning and find myself trying new things even if it is outside my "comfort zone". My son Ryland has been a student at the School of Rock from the age of three. Seeing him perform over the past six years has inspired me to begin learning the electric guitar and bass. Just recently I joined a class on how to be in a band! Less boredom, more fun, deeper learning and lots of laughter on the way!

I grew up in southern Florida in the little town of Deerfield Beach located just north of Fort Lauderdale. Living less then a mile from the beach and a few hours from the Florida Keys, most of my free time was spent in and around the very warm Atlantic ocean. I attended public schools including a pre-engineering magnet high school where I learned the basics of design. It is during this time that I met my best friend and wife. After high school I attended the University of Florida where I received my Bachelor in Science of Engineering with a specialization in Environmental Engineering. I worked as a project and field engineer for a division of Halliburton designing systems to clean up hazardous and petroleum contaminated sites throughout the country.

I found myself drawn to my wife’s elementary school classroom and the students who inspired me to bring the wonders of science and technology into the classroom. In 1996 I transitioned into teaching high school AP Physics, Earth Science, and Pre Engineering at the same pre-engineering magnet school that I attended as a student. Additionally, I was fortunate to mentor a nationally acclaimed pre-engineering design team.

In 2000 we relocated to the San Diego area where I was again fortunate to be involved in several innovative programs. Through the creation of the Design and Technology Academy (D.a.T.A.) at Madison High School, the concepts of design and engineering were brought into the classroom. In 2008 I joined the staff at High Tech High North County as a 9th grade math/physics teacher. Working closely with my teaching partner and fellow graduate school member, Kali Frederick, we developed and refined our student centered, cross-curricular, project based classroom of 56 students. We felt that by combining the topics of math, physics and humanities into each project allowed for a more immersive and engaging environment for our students. We joined the High Tech High Graduate School of Eduction Teacher Leadership in order to jointly examine our practices through research, data collection and reflection with the ultimate goal of continued refinement and sharing of methods with fellow educators.

I left HTHNC to be a founding staff member at "e3 Civic High" located in the new San Diego library where I taught PBL Physics, supported the technology on campus and then became the Facilitator of Innovative Learning Design. I was then invited to be part of the first year of Thrive Public Schools, a Next Generation Breakthrough Model School and named one of the “Top 100 Schools Worth Visiting” in America by Tom VanderArk, founder of Getting Smart. I served as interim Dean of Students and also taught middle school math, physics and science through PBL . Additionally, I helped launched Thrive High School teaching engineering and served as the careers coordinator. I am truly excited to celebrate my third year back into the NoCo family!