Welcome to my portfolio. Here you will find the latest news on the projects I am involved in as well as my academic and professional credentials. I also have outlined some of my major philosophical points on education as well as my views on the integration of technology with education.
Today I received a tremendous honor from the University of Chicago in the form of recognition as an “outstanding educator” by their academic institution. This honor has been made even more meaningful because it was initiated by a former student of mine who graduated this past year and is now entering his freshman year at the University of Chicago. The school has a program whereby it asks its entering students to help “identify and commend outstanding high school educators”, which it has been doing for the past thirty years.
Since I’ve returned from Italy, it has been a bit of a whirlwind to get readjusted. But, as promised, I have the links for the Gigapan photos that we took this summer while in Italy. I also have footage of the Gigapan photos being taken that I will be linking here soon as well. In the meantime, check out the Gigapans we took:
Currently I am off in Italy with the American Classical League at the Rome in Situ workshop and gaining some great insight into how to further incorporate technology into the classroom.
One of the things I have been privileged to work with is the Gigapan camera, which you can find out more information on their website here. Basically, it is a chassis that allows a camera to be strapped in for panoramic photos. You can set it up to take 360 degrees or any other types of panoramics that you would like. I have been working with Cedric Ebiner and configuring the camera to take panoramics of the Forum Romanum, the Colosseum, the theater and forum in Pompeii.
Once you have the images, you then stitch them using Gigapan’s software and can upload them to their site or even to Google Earth. The project is sponsored by Carnegie Mellon and Google. I will post an update as soon as the panoramics go live.
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
- William Butler Yeats
We’ve all seen this quote tossed around in the field of education. As educators, we have all tried to light that fire in each of our students through various means. In today’s fast-paced information age, society is changing, evolving. As such, so should our methods for educating our students and preparing them for the world of tomorrow. It is at this crossroad that we now stand where the paths of education and technology are converging. It is for this reason that I have officially launched A Fire Kindled to serve as a place for educators to express their opinions on the emergence of technology within the field of education.
A shift is happening right underneath our feet and our students will no longer be engaged by the methods of traditional education. We need to observe what works and find ways to continue to adapt within our changing society to meet not only the needs of our students, but also help to prepare them for a successful future. If you are interested in contributing to the site, please feel free to contact me.