About Me

It was probably eight or nine years ago that my interest in the Internet and the World Wide Web (www) really began. I had just graduated with a Bachelor's in Business Management from Cornerstone University, Grand Rapids, MI, and I was working at a small marketing/communications firm, as a Production Manager. I had just helped our company switch from dial-up to DSL a year or so earlier and had started to use the Internet to search for potential vendors and new technology that we could use in the production of various deliverables, such as CDs, DVDs, forms, banners, brochures, educational binders, and other material. In addition to producing some of these items, we also outsourced some parts of the projects to various vendors.

Over the next 2 to 3 years, the company started doing business as a CME provider, focusing on education for physicians, rather than marketing/communications. This change in focus brought about the development of the company's first Website, which in turn, led me to take a couple of online classes in HTML and Web Design from Davenport University. This gave me experience in Blackboard, while learning to build Web sites.

Fall of 2008, I started a Master's of Art in Communications with emphasis in New Media and Education at Spring Arbor Online, again using Blackboard. In November 2008, I was hired on as a temporary Instructional Designer at Western Michigan University and later was hired permanently, due in part because of my experience in Blackboard and Web design. During the spring 2009 semester I took Instructional Technology and in the fall 2009 semester, I took Teaching Online from Spring Arbor. Both classes provided a foundation for understanding the role of an instructional designer and online teaching pedagogy, along with providing experiences in using various technologies as part of the learning experience.

In Spring 2009, I transferred into the Master of Arts in Educational Technology program at Western Michigan University and have completed courses in Designing Staff Development for Ed Tech, Social Media and MUVEs, and Teaching with Technology, Introduction to Educational Technology, and currently I am taking Technical/Operational Issues of Educational Technology. These courses have continued to expand my knowledge in the instructional design and technology fields, which will prove to be a benefit in my current position as an Instructional Designer for a non-profit organization in Battle Creek, Michigan.

My long-term goals are to complete my Masters in Educational Technology, continue to expand my knowledge and learning in the areas of instructional design, online education, and adult learning, gain experience in teaching online, and possibly pursue a Doctorate in Instructional Design or Educational Leadership.

Areas of interest and possible future research are Online Education, eLearning, Distance Education, Using Technology in the Classroom, Emerging Technologies, Web Design, Blogging, and Social Media.