May 31, 2023
What position will you be holding at MPA?
Curriculum and Technology Integration Specialist
From what school/organization are you coming?
Bay Ridge Prep
Tell us about your education and past experience.
I received my master’s in Learning and Emerging Technologies from Empire State College. While in this program, I also started at the Kidonan School, a school for students with Dyslexia, where I was trained in Orton-Gillingham, a multi-sensory approach for teaching language skills to students with dyslexia, and was also the assistive technology coordinator. This led to publishing my master’s thesis on using digital resources to teach students with dyslexia. Unfortunately, the school closed, but I stepped up to direct the school’s camp, Camp Dunnabeck, which continues to support students with dyslexia to this day.
After Kildonan, I moved to Brooklyn and worked as the Educational Technologist and eventually the Director of Technology at Bay Ridge Prep, a K-12 independent school. There I was a tech team of one, managing student devices, integrating classroom tech, troubleshooting issues, teaching classes, and leading clubs such as Makerspace and Snowsports Clubs
I look forward to continuing to leverage technologies to support the students of Mounds Park Academy!
What did you find appealing about MPA?
I’m most looking forward to working with a team of experts so I am able to focus my efforts on supporting students and staff utilizing educational technologies rather than also having to worry about managing the technology infrastructure on top of that. I am also really looking forward to getting into the Makerspace and supporting the development of project-based learning. I can already tell that MPA is a supportive community, and I greatly look forward to working with the staff and students.
What lasting impact do you plan to have on MPA?
I would like to help innovate classroom curricula and student initiatives to help them build confidence as well as broaden and strengthen their skill sets to become innovative leaders in whichever field they enter.
What’s your big dream?
To leverage technologies to improve the effectiveness of our educational systems, preparing students to be productive citizens in a world that is evolving exponentially. This includes seriously looking at and responding to the ethical usage of immerging technologies.
What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about improving access to quality education and minimizing the achievement gap. I think education is our best investment and by supporting students to think critically, be creative, and act compassionately, we create a ripple effect that can lead to improvements in every aspect of life. Many of our societal issues, such as poverty and violence, stem from poor education. I believe in negative utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is doing what is best for the most amount of people to improve society, while negative utilitarianism is about making improvements where there is the most suffering, raising us all up together, and maximizing happiness.
What’s a fun fact about you that our community would love to know?
What really inspired me to go into teaching was working as a snowboard instructor. I’ve worked at Belleayre Mountain in NY, Mount Snow in VT, and even Afton Alps in MN as a freestyle coach.
