UTRGV

About Me

I am an experienced educator in K-16 with 16 years of instructional experience. I am a doctoral student at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley pursuing an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction specializing in Instructional Technology. I have a M.Ed. in Educational Technology from University of Texas at Brownsville. I have an E-Learning certificate and I am Quality Matters certified. I also have a Bachelor’s of Science from Texas Woman’s University in history and an Associates of Science in Fine Arts from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College.

My Texas teacher certifications include EC-4 and 4-8 Generalist, Social Studies 8-12, ESL EC-12, and Special Education EC-12. I have taught magnet students and at-risk students including inner city, ESL, SPED, and behaviorally challenged students. I have also served as Lead Educator, LPAC Chair, & Department Chair. As Lead Educator I examined school wide and teacher specific data including IEPs, STAAR, TELPAS, and OLPT to determine students who were in need of Tier 3 program assistance as well as teachers who needed instructional support. I provided training and assistance to both new and experienced teachers on best practices for instruction and intervention as well as administration of Lexile and Fluency exams and data analysis and application. Additionally, I conducted classroom observations and held department meetings.

I also have experience at the post-secondary level where I currently work as an adjunct professor for North Central Texas College in the teacher preparation department teaching EDUC/PSY 1300. In that course I help students learn tools to be successful in college and how to pick a major and career path that fits their unique abilities so that they are more likely to stay motivated and successfully graduate. I developed the course syllabus and overall course structure and administered all grades. I utilized the campus LMS, Canvas to host a hybrid course with most materials online including lectures, grades, and assignment submissions. Additionally I serve on the campus scholarship committee and teach English as a Second Language in the community education department for NCTC.

My educational expertise is with new and returning college students, at-risk populations, SPED, ESL, inner city, behavior and emotionally challenged students. My research interests include Quality Matters, best practices in online curriculum design, women in tech careers, veterans in higher education, and refugee education.I have created a variety of online courseware using Moodle, Edmodo, Blackboard, Canvas, wiki, and TedEd and designed lessons using Capzles, Prezi, Powtoons, Sliderocket, and many more Web 2.0 tools. As an instructor I integrate technology into my classes daily using project based learning lessons I published online and through the use of flipped classroom style instruction. I published online class websites with lesson plans, activities, tutoring sites, and student/parent resources.

My teaching career has been extremely varied with unique opportunities that have provided a wide range of experiences and equipped me with excellent classroom management skills and a broad base of teaching techniques for brick and mortar as well as online campuses. My passion is to use my teaching skills and experience to help students succeed and to give new teachers the ability and inspiration to design 21^st century lessons. My anticipated graduation date is December of 2018. My professional goal is to secure an online curriculum design or instructional position in academia or the corporate arena.

In my free time I enjoy painting, spending time in my kayak on the lake, traveling, and playing with my fur babies. I also volunteer for Operation Homefront and Operation SEAs the Day helping military families and have been awarded the Presidential Service Award for 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.