Hi! My name is Stacy Zonis. Currently, I am a 4th grade teacher in Frisco, TX. This is my 6th year teaching (with a 10 year hiatus in between years 5 and 6!). I am so excited to be pursuing my MTT certification, especially when I see how far technology in the classroom has come over the past 15 years!

On a more personal note... My husband and I have been married for 11 years and we have 3 wonderful children ages 12, 9 and 6.  We also have 3 dogs and a guinea pig. Hopefully "the zoo" will be quiet during our Wimba sessions!

Hi! My name is Julie Parker-Garza. I teach at Pace H.S. in Brownsville. I am a Medical Technologist/teacher. I teach Health Science. I have 4 boys: Caleb is 13, Quinnton is 9, Kyle and Keenan are 4. I stay very busy at home. I am co-sponsor of the Junior class, and I have a HOSA chapter. Needless to say, I have no spare time. I am taking 2 classes this semseter, and I am 1/2 way done with my Master's.

My name is Fred Kaplan.  When I'm not dressing up for my 4-year-old's birthday party, I'm a software engineer.  I secretly aspire to flee my corporate taskmasters and enter the wonderful world of teaching.  And, it looks as if I might (finally) get the chance this semester, as I'm set to become an adjunct faculty member at a southern Arizona community college!

What's that you ask?  How did I get all of the way out here in Arizona?  Well, it's a long, sad story.  I'll spare you the boring details and just say that the family is still back in Fort Worth, TX, and that 'dad' is out here working to put food on the table (after all of the Fort Worth engineering jobs left town).

This is my final year in the M. Ed Tech program, and I'm down to the final four classes.  If you'd like to see my work so far (or just need a cure for insomnia...), you can head on over to my portfolio and take a look.

Hello everyone.  My name is Martin Rodriguez, I am currently employed as an Academic Advisor.  I am a graduate student at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College.  I have been employed in various offices within the University; I have worked as a Veterans Affairs advisor, as a Senior Financial Aid Officer and I have also worked in the Scholarship area.  My goal is to earn my Masters degree by 2009 and then venture out into the education realm.

Currently, I am a Bilingual Elementary Teacher in North East ISD located in San Antonio, TX. I have taught for 8 years out of which 4.5 were in Brownsville and 3.5 are where I am today. For the past 2 years, I have been the Webpage Coordinator for my campus and part of the Technology Committee that conducts trainings to the staff. I am very excited to begin my M.Ed. in Educational Technology where I also hope to receive the Master Technology Teacher Certification. I am married and have an (almost) two year old, beautiful baby boy. I want to learn as much as I can from my classmates and hopefully I'll be able to share what little I do know about technology.

Hi, all, my name is Emily Moore, and I’m pursuing a masters degree in Education/Educational Technology.  This is my third semester in the program.

Before I signed up, I spent about a decade as a freelance writer, writing everything from articles (for publications such as Byte, CNET, and Salon) to books (over a dozen titles on Web-related topics such as Flash, JavaBeans, JavaScript, XML, and Web design; the most recent was O’Reilly’s Facebook: The Missing Manual, which came out last year.) I also taught workshops and did a bit of editing, as well as a bit of Website design.

Prior to going freelance, I worked in the software industry.  My undergrad degree is in business with a computer information systems emphasis, which enabled me to hop around a lot.  I started in software development and then moved on to supervising and, finally, marketing.   But over the years, I found that the more time I spent inside the software industry, the more I wanted to be outside it (hence the hop to freelance). 

After 10 years of writing for my supper, I'd had a bellyful.  (The publishing business isn't quite what it used to be--but what is?)  I was ready for a change, and homeschooling my daughter got me thinking seriously about going into education.  Serendipity! With my background in technology and writing how-to books, I'm finding it a perfect fit.

Currently, I’m fitting a full load of classes around caring for my kiddo.  Post-graduation, I’m considering a gig as a curriculum designer or consultant—but I’m keeping my mind open to other possibilities, as well.  Who knows what the future will bring?

My name is Jenna Springfield.  I am first and foremost a mom and wife.  For the past six years I have had the opportunity to home school our four children ages 13 (in photo) 11, 6 and 4.  Prior to that I taught 5th grade in Madisonville, Texas (between Houston and Dallas on I-45) where I served as team leader and district technology committee member.  At the end of this semester I will be half way through the Educational Technology program.  I look forward to learning with and from each of you.

I know the home schooling thing is a little out of the ordinary, especially in this particular setting.  Please know that I am NOT against public education.  Our journey into home schooling is a long story.  If anybody is curious, I would be happy to explain the why's and how's.  Thanks in advance for not bringing the tar and feathers :)

Hello!!!  My name is Griselda Garcia.  I live in Brownsville, TX.  I am a second grade teacher at Gonzalez Elementary.  I've been teaching for three years.  I enjoy helping people, learning new things and watching movies.   I am half way done with my Masters.  Can't wait to finish! 

Best luck to all of us. 

Smile!

Hello, my name is Julieta Montes and I am very glad to be part of this on-line group. I am currently enrolled in an Alternative Certification Program to become a Technology Applications teacher.  Since I fell in love with educational career I decided to pursue my MTT and probably later a master’s degree. My work experience is mostly in technology area but I hope to learn from all of you in both, education and technology fields. This is my first experience in an online class, I know it will be challenging but amazing.