REACH for Critical Thinking

I am in my 4th year of teaching but have been in the field of technology for 7 years. I first started at CDW and went through a rigorous software and hardware training that made me well versed in the field of technology. In addition to that, I spent some time at PC Mall where I designed technology solutions to fit my customers needs. The courses I have taught while being in technology include: Exploring Computer Science, IT Problem Solving, Computer Programming (C++, Visual Basic, Ruby), Web Design (HTML, CSS, JavaScript), Introduction to Business, and overall Computer Literacy.

I believe in critical thinking invoked with video based learning. Being a technology teacher and lecturing at the front can be downright tough for both the teacher and especially the students. These past two years I have radically changed the way that students learn in my classroom. Every big assessment I do now that is relating to technology is pre-recorded and delivered to students using video based assignments. They can rewatch any video they want at any time. The students are given strict deadlines to meet the objectives I have put forth for them. They are not simple follow-alongs, rather they are assignments in which students need to create with me all-the-while answering questions that involve critical thinking.

My classroom has been visited by Mayor Rahm Emanuel (of Chicago) on numerous occasions. In addition to that, the Secretary of the Department of Labor (Tom Perez), former CEO of Google (Eric Schmidt), the President of the IBM International Foundation (Stanley Litow), the Illinois State Senator (Dick Durbin), CEO of Chicago Public Schools (Barbara Byrd-Bennett), and a number of representatives from the Board of Education for Indiana have all stopped by to visit our wonderful school and classroom. Lastly, my class was featured briefly in the CNN series "Chicagoland: Episode 2." Links are available here: http://www.suntimes.com/photos/galleries/index.html?story=20151670 http://abclocal.go.com//story?section=news/local&id=9105494 http://www.durbin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/photos?ContentRecord_id=32245b32-7bba-498a-b644-85e970aec56c

Augustana College Major: Business Administration Minor: Art Trinity Christian College Teaching Certification Other miscellaneous courses: CDW - Hardware & Software Training Adobe - Dreamweaver & Flash HTML & CSS Web Design Designing websites using Ruby on Rails CompTIA A+ Certification Course

I have a strong passion for teaching and try to make every day exciting in the classroom. I truly believe in not leaving any students behind (hence the videos so they can go at their own pace) and differentiated instruction. Teaching is not a one day trial, it is an every day experience.