This Site...
This site was created to provide more information about who I am and what I do, as well as serve as an evolving resource for teachers, administrators and students interested in integrating and using technology in education.
In many ways, HiTechHall mimics what I consider to be important features of any "school" web site. It includes wikis, blogs, podcasts, the Moodle Course Management System, a password-protected Intranet and other open-source, free platforms useful to educators and students.
For example, using Google Apps, I've incorporated Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Sites, Google Talk and other web-based applications into HiTechHall. With GAPPS, I administer 300 email accounts, with 7 GB storage each. So if you really want a yourname@hitechhall.com account, I can do that. But what's really neat about using Google Apps is that members can have access to the entire suite of Google Apps tools, under any domain, for free.
My reasons for developing HiTechHall, in addition to introducing myself, is mostly to demonstrate the level of sophistication that can be achieved these days by someone with modest tech skills, virtually for free. I encourage you to investigate the site, learn more about me, and maybe pick up a tech idea or two to borrow along the way.
What I Do
As an educational technologist , I work with administrators, teachers and students to develop and manage a broad range of school projects, programs and services, including:
- School IT Coordination
- Technology Integration & Facilitation
- Technology Applications Teaching (including IB MYP and DP-ITGS)
- Professional Development Training (with focus on Google Apps)
- Project/Program Management
- Installation and Management of SIS/CMS/LMS systems
- Web Site Development
- Graphic Design
- Computer Support and Repair (including Remote Service)
- Network Installation & Administration
- Technology "Hand-holding"
Who I Am
I began this site in 1999 while working on my Master's degree in Educational Technology and teaching full-time. At the time, I was also employed as an air-courier for the IT industry, flying electrostatically sensitive packages to some far-away places, but that's another story… Those long flights to Israel and Malaysia did allow me plenty of time for coding and learning about new technologies though.
Around that time, schools began to invest heavily in computers, networks and the Internet, without giving much thought to the maintenance of these complicated systems. As user-frustration levels at my school grew, I recognized a need for someone with a teaching background who also understood the underlying technology, and could solve the problems associated with it. At the time, I certainly didn't have that expertise, but knew someone at the school needed to have it, so…
I decided to pursue technology training and certifications on my own. Over the course of the next several years, I studied for and passed the exams leading to the CompTIA A+ Hardware, A+ Software, Server+ and Network+ professional credentials.
Today, when I am not teaching or coordinating, I increasingly work as a technology consultant to schools. With an education background, professional experience in Web design, and several IT industry-recognized certifications, I now possess the credentials that allow me to develop, troubleshoot and manage a range of educational technologies and services.
As things have evolved over the past decade, educational technologies remain exciting to me because of the ever-increasing capability of these tools to provide and communicate ideas, express creativity and showcase knowledge to a worldwide audience, using inexpensive and "relatively" simple tools. I think that this is powerful stuff that educators and their students should be encouraged and helped to use. As a teacher and user of these tools myself, I look forward to helping other educators and students realize what they can do.
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