Welcome

As a high school student, I was fortunate to have an inspirational physics teacher who taught me to make connections between the equations presented in textbooks and the wonderful world around us. Through sharing his life adventures with his classes, he inspired a curiosity to understand the universe we live in. Due largely to this inspiration, I decided to pursue an Bachelor of Science in Physics at the University of Connecticut. The deeper I got into my coursework, the more I realized I didn’t know, which fueled my desire to learn more. I have always had a desire to help others, and as I approached the end of my undergraduate studies, I decided to pursue a career in education. I completed an MA in Curriculum and Instruction with a Concentration in Secondary Science Education. While I practiced many skills in this program and developed my voice as a teacher, one of the more valuable insights that I gained was that many of the students I would work with would likely go on to pursue careers in fields that currently don’t even exist. My hope is that each of my students will gain a sense of appreciation and awe of the world in which we live through their study of physics. My goal is to prepare them to be lifelong learners, although I want them to enjoy the content in my course, my bigger aim is to equip them as critical thinkers and problem solvers to navigate the rapidly developing world.

Technological literacy is one of the essential skills needed to thrive in today’s economy, regardless of the career path a student pursues. I seek to provide opportunities for students to practice these skills by incorporating technology in my everyday instruction. Whether it is the use of a high speed camera to enable the observation of motion undetectable by the human eye or spreadsheet software that allows for complex analysis to be completed efficiently, I regularly look to expand the list of tools available to my students. I encourage my students to become lifelong learners by modeling it through my own curiosity – only by continuing to learn myself, can I be an effective teacher.

To that end, I decided to further my own education and pursue the MS Physics with a Teaching Emphasis program through Texas A&M University: Commerce. While my primary objective is to develop a better foundation for teaching higher level physics courses, I believe that formally exploring educational technology will better equip me to integrate technology more effectively into all of my classes. I decided to ‘test the water’ by taking an by Introduction to Educational Technology course (ETEC 524), and I am glad to have done so! Through this course, I have realized that Educational Technology is an entire field of study that far expands beyond knowing how to use a piece of technology in an academic setting. The portfolio and blog that I have developed on this site illustrate my understanding of Educational Technology and my proficiency in applying it into my teaching. The process of reflecting on my practices has given me new inspiration into how I approach my teaching. I hope by exploring my work, you might find some inspiration, as well.

A Word About The Title

When I tell someone that I am a physics teacher, I am generally get one of two reactions. Some people light up with excitement as they recall the fun they had learning with an amazing physics teacher. Others share how difficult their experience in physics was or that they had heard horror stories about the subject and avoided it completely. All students are individuals and tend to gravitate towards specific classes, but I do not think that there are many other subjects quite as divisive as physics, which historically has separated students into “love it” or “hate it” crowds. I believe that all students are capable of learning about the physical world and I think the more that they can notice physics at work in their daily life, the more approachable (and exciting) the subject becomes. I am glad for the student who can successfully work through challenging word problems, but when a student tells me that they were driving in the rain and started to think about slowing down on the turns because the effective coefficient of friction was being reduced between the car tires and the road, that is when I know they’ve really “gotten it”. I encourage my students to keep their eyes open for interesting physics phenomena in their daily life – as the deepest learning comes from moments of personal discovery.

Thank you for reading.

I hope you will remember to keep your eyes open, finding a new appreciation for physics, every day.