Hello all! My name is Eric Folks. A former secondary English teacher, this is my fourth year as an I.T. Coordinator, and I love my job! So much in fact, that I decided to continue my education at U.T.B., perusing a M.Ed. in Educational Technology to ensure I could continue in this field.  I don’t miss grading sophomore research papers at all…

On a personal note, I have been married for almost 15 years to another career educator (Biology) who puts up with my day-to-day antics and requests for her to try this or that in class, and have three wonderful boys, ages 4, 11, and 13. 

Hello! My name is Christopher M. Aldrete and I am currently a special education teacher with IDEA public schools in Brownsville, Texas. This is my second year working in special education and I have to say I love it. I have been interested and have followed business and technology since I was in eight grade. I received my Bachelor's from UTB in Business Technology and I am currently pursuing the 3 in 1 Master's in Educational Technology. 

My long term goal is to continue in special education but integrate the use of educational technology to best serve our special education population. I just couldn't make up my mind so I must do both and find a way to integrate them.

Hello everyone, my name is Araceli Gracia and I am a 3rd grade teacher with the Brownsville Independent School District.  I have been working at my current elementary school for the past 9 years and have taught grades 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and kindergarten. I have my Bachelor's in Business from UTB, however I decided to change careers and enrolled in the ACP program to pursue teaching.  The program of study that I am in is the Master's of Education - Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Digital Literacy.  I plan on graduating December 2014.

I am married and have two sons ages 17 and 10.  On my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family, baking, reading, and watching sports.

Hello everyone! My name is Elizabeth Everett. I am the Library Media Specialist at Judson High School in Converse, Texas. I have been a teacher and a librarian for 23 years. I am now adding the Master Technology Teacher Certification so that I can better assist my faculty with current technological trends! This photo is of my myself and my wonderful husband of 20 years...we have 3 children and 1 dog and we love to camp, boat, and read in our spare time!

Hello all!  My name is Merrill Redfern and I am a Library Media Specialist at Vernon Elementary in Royse City, Texas.  I love my job because I have the opportunity to teach all (K-4) grade levels.  I have past experience teaching 1st, 2nd, 4th and GT. Teaching is a second career for me and I can't imagine myself doing anything else.  I'm pursuing a M.Ed. in Educational Technology.  I look forward to becoming equipped with the necessary tools to teach teachers how to use technology in their classrooms.

I've been married for 20 wonderful years and have one 10 (going on 20 :P) year old daughter that keeps us laughing every day!  I love to read, cook and spend time with family.

Greetings.  I am Joe Pedraza and I currently work for Brownsville ISD as the Director for PEIMS (Public Education Information Management System).  I have been married for 15 years.  I enjoy creating memories with my wife and 2 boys, especially while on vacation.  I am a graduate of Texas A&M Corpus Christi with a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science.  I started my career as a systems programmer and spent 8 years doing it.  I then went to work for Los Fresnos CISD to manage the network, student information system, financial information system and oversee the Admissions, Attendance and PEIMS departments.  I was then hired at Brownsville ISD as a PEIMS specialist and then moved up to the Director.  My goal is to become a CTO or an IT Director at a school district.  The masters program will definitely help in my endeavor.  I look forward to working, collaborating and exploring new technology tools. 

My son is 23 and my daughters are 19 and 11 respectively and all three reside in Brownsville. 

Hello! My name is Jeff Blackman. I started my training career about 20 years ago with Walt Disney World.  Since then, I've worked for a variety of companies including IBM and CarMax.

Currently, I am the Senior OD Training Specialist for Houston Methodist in ....  wait for it ....  Houston, Texas! Houston Methodist has a network of five hospitals throughout the Houston area.  I am responsible for creating online learning and also help with administering our Learning Management System.

Looking forward to a fun and interesting semester!

Hello, all!  My name is Brenda Wohlfeil.  I teach 6th, 7th and 8th grade math at St. Paul Catholic School in San Antonio.  This is my second year teaching in an institution.  Prior to teaching at St. Paul, I homeschooled my four daughters and taught in homeschool co-ops.  

Recently, I took part in the Texas Regional Collaboration Grant and learned about the benefits of PBL, PrBL and STEM.  It is my hope to expand on what I learned by pursuing a M.Ed in Educational Technology.  I would like to bring 21st Century Learning to my classrooms and to help other teachers, too.

I have been married for 28 years.  Along with my four daughters, I have two grandchildren on the way.  I enjoy date night with my husband and relish any family time I can get. 

Hi, everyone.  My name is Chris Birch.  I live in Laredo, TX, where I work for United ISD.  This is my 5th year teaching, in those five years I have taught Biology, Chemistry, TAKS Science, Anatomy and Physiology, and Forensic Science.  I have been teaching Forensic Science the longest, going on 4 years now.  Before I became a teacher I held many managerial positions with companies like Best Buy, Hot Topic, Verizon Wireless, and GameStop/EB Games.  I also have a AAS in Physical Therapist Assistant.

I have been married to my wonderful wife for the last 13 years and have three little boys.  My boys are 5, 4, and 1 year old, so the house is chaotic most of the time.

Looking forward to a great semester with all of you.

Hello all, my name is Olivia Basham and I am in my twelfth year as a high school English teacher.  I am also a debate and literary criticism coach and a full time caregiver for my mom, who suffers from epilepsy.  While I love my teaching career, looking toward the future where I may need to be at home with my mom all day, I decided to pursue an educational technology degree with an online teaching certificate so that I could continue teaching from home should that need arise.

I also have multiple learning differences (dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia) and I am not sure how I would have achieved my educational goals without technology, so I am inspired to use technology in my own classroom to create an inclusive and meaningful environment for all kinds of students. 

 Hello Class! I am Norma Abundez, I am an Instructional Technology Facilitator at an elementary in Edgewood ISD in San Antonio, TX. As an ITF, I co-teach, model-teach, train, troubleshoot, drag our campus' heavy iPad cart, and support teachers in any way I can. In a previous life I was a middle school technology teacher in a small town. When I'm not pushing around our campus iPad cart from classroom to classroom, I like to spend time with my husband and our Havanese Max. I've been married for 3 years, feels like 30, and everyday is an adventure! My hobbies include, watching an ungodly amount of HGTV, going to concerts, and playing kickball with my friends. 

I have a BBA in Management from UTPA and with this degree I would like to continue in my role in Instructional Technology. I hope to take what I learn from this course and better myself as a teacher, a trainer, and a learner. I'm always looking for the next big thing in educational technology and I aspire to one day be the next big thing!

Good luck to everyone and have a great semester!

 My name is Stephen Simon and am originally from El Paso (grew up and lived there 48 years) but now live in Austin, Texas. Presently I am, and have been for 22 years, a software engineer (presently designing and coding for cloud based applications), an educator both in the classroom and out, presently an Apple developer, and provide support for multi-platform hardware and operating systems. I am a certified consultant with Practice Fusion (San Francisco), well versed in implementing cloud based applications, and fully versed in Electronic Health Records for the medical practice paradigm including meaningful use. I employ heuristic techniques both in teaching medical professionals and for collaborative software development using the iPad. I am knowledgeable in computer security, networking, and business.  I am an instructor for medical physicians and develop educational content for them and their staffs. Recently I have integrated Medical Dragon Speak for MD's and Practice Fusion using Chrome. Last year I conducted my first live webinar for Practice Fusion, my fellow consultants and physicians around the country on the topic Flipping the Practice into the Cloud (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMkxF80tpJs) and achieving Meaningful Use.  I have an AAS in Programming with a specialty in Software Testing and most recently, a BMS from UT El Paso.  I am on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/stephen-h-simon/15/ba4/626. My current digital portfolio is at http://stephensimondigitalport.wordpress.com/. Presently I am working on mobile delivery of coursework for medical staff to access while at work to have smooth transitions into the cloud-based solutions. I am on call for several doctors’ offices in Texas from Corpus Christi to Roundrock and west to El Paso; this is my current working paradigm. My sandbox is at www.palmsllc.com and is constantly under some type of construction as I test new programs and apps. Ultimately I want to return to teaching to make a contribution while collaborating on educational projects and intriguing, innovative endeavors. I have many years of experience in business and application programming; skills which I sharpen every day. My hobbies are alpine skiing, playing guitar, and hacking (the good kind). My current developer project is with LEAP Motion and I am writing an interface for physician workflow using Practice Fusion. My next developer project may be the integration of the LEAP controller with special needs children and am intrigued by its possibilities. I look forward to a great semester with you all.

My name is Luis Banuelos and I am a computer consultant in Laredo.  My business is called The Computer Guy and has been in operation since 1999.  I provide computer hardware/software solutions for local businesses in my community.  I have been married for 8 years.  My wife works for the Webb County Headstart program as teacher.  I have a B.S in Applied Technology from U.T.B. and am in my final semester as a graduate student.  I hope to finish the M.Ed this semester and graduate in August.  I plan to use my degree to gain employment with my local school district.  My hobbies include bike riding, hiking, and traveling.