Autobiography

I've included my cultural pie ( an activity from EDIT6600) to illustrate who I believe I am and where I came from. Below the pie I describe each facet of me.

 

• Where am I from?
• Spain: Although I have never lived here, this is my mother's homeland. I have many relatives there still, and my parents are living out their retirement in the northern industrial city of Gijon, in the province of Asturias.


• Philly (Philadelphia): My father was a foreign correspondent for United Press International, and met my mother in London. I was born in Finland, and lived in several European countries in the early 1970's. When I was six, my family settled in New Jersey, right outside of Philadelpia. Most of my childhood, my education through college and my first job after college happened either in Philadelphia or its New Jeresy suburbs. My two sisters still live in NJ.


• Georgia: My father was born and raised in Atlanta. My family has lived in Georgia for over 150 years, thus, I have a lot of relatives here. My wife and I moved here over ten years ago partly because of the connection to my family. We also appreciate the weather here more than we ever did living up North.
  
  
  


• What have I done with my life, professionally?
• Biologist: I developed an interest in biology during high school, and majored in biology at Rutgers University in New Jersey. I then worked as a laboratory research specialist in two biomedical research labs. In Philadelphia, I worked at the University of Pennsylavania hospital researching neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. In Atlanta, I worked at Emory University in an immunology lab, examining through molecular biology different proteins of the immune system, and HIV vaccine research. It was a natural transition for me to teach what I had spent so much time learning.


• Technologist: I have always adapted well to technology, using computers as a tool to perform my job both as a lab researcher and as a teacher. I do not neccessarily believe that technology in education will always increase achievement, but I do believe that the use of technology will add a value to our students' education that may not be easily measured on a standardized test.


• Teacher: The state of Georgia has officially identified me as a teacher since 2000. However, I have been a teacher most of my life. It seems that in most of my endeavours in life I have been given that role. As a boy scout, I was a young leader who was often given the newest scouts to train. In the research lab, I ended up with the responsibilty of training new personnel, some who were already MD's and Ph.D's but needed to learn the skillset for our particular lab. I enjoyed doing it so much that it felt only natural to move into the role of professional teacher. I have been the Magnet biology teacher at Southwest DeKalb High School since I was first hired. Three years ago I was given the AP biology course. Meanwhile, I have enjoyed teaching the InTech computer competency course for DeKalb's teachers. I have decided that my true calling may be to help my fellow teachers improve their own abilities through the use of technology in their lessons, and thus have a greater impact, and I am currently looking for a position that will afford me that opportunity.


• Student: I am continuously thirsty for new knowledge. I love reading, learning, and in-depth discussions on new topics. I hope to be a perpetual student, and apply my new-found knowledge to whatever`I am doing. This may be why I enjoy technology so much; new advances are occurring not just with bigger and better hardware but also with the ways we use technology and these are affecting the roles of students in the classroom and the roles of common citizens in society.


• What is my role within my family?
• Husband: My wife is from St. Louis. When we met she was getting her MBA from the University of Kansas. We moved to Atlanta in 1996 and married soon after. She currently works as a graphic designer for a large government solutions firm in Atlanta.


• DaDa! Zack was born just as the first semester of my graduate degree was wrapping up. Everyone says that your life changes when you have kids, but it has been such a joy that I do not miss the old life so much. He is already immersed in technology: he loves telephones, Internet "lapware", and Tivo. Of course, his mother maintains a web site with pictures of him.





• What other things am I interested in?
• News, among other things: I believe it is important to keep oneself current in the profession, as well as updated on events that affect life. Through news web sites, blogs, and RSS feeds I have kept myself informed of new pedagogies as well as events happening anywhere from globally to my home town. In addition I love reading, and applying science to hobbies such as beer-brewing and model rocketry .