Dr. Michelle

Background

 

Okay...Probably not a force of nature. LOL. But I do try to be brave and seize life.

 

I grew up in Washington State, USA. I first studied  biotechnology and worked as a protein chemist for a decade while completing my BS and then MS at The University of Washington. Then I switched my career pathway from scientific research into teaching science in 2004. From there it was an easy shift into the growing field of online learning that was expanding in 2005. I became interested in enhancing and improving the quality of online science education - something I now do full time. In support of that new career I completed a second Masters in Instructional Leadership (2007), and finally my EdD in Instructional Technology and Distance Learning (2012). 

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I am currently working at The University of Rhode Island (URI) as the Director of the IT Teaching and Learning Services (TLS) team. I started at URI in March 2020 the same week everyone was sent home for COVID19 quarantine and all instruction went online. It was both an exciting and crazy time to start a new position supporting the learning management system and educational technology. 

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Philosophy

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One of the main reasons I shifted careers into support of distance learning is my fundamental belief that instructional technologies provide a gateway of educational access formerly closed off to some demographics. Ultimately, access to education should be a basic human right for all, not a privilege. Virtual education expands learning opportunities necessary to improve lives and solve global issues.

 

I strongly support 'equivalency theory', which is the enhancement of virtual learning quality and engagement through embedded interactive digital learning resources and modern design methods that support inclusion and access.

 

Educational approaches and technologies are like tools in a toolbox. We have many tools to choose from and we should choose the right tool for the right need, for the right situation, and for the right context. In the words of John Dewey, there is no "either-or" solution to educational needs. To those beliefs, I work in partnership and collaboration with educational professionals to review their needs and learning goals and then to help them choose the right tools and approaches for their course, context, and learning objectives.

 

Through a cooperative approach to educational technology in learning I believe the best processes and products can be realized, and great educational technology projects can be achieved.

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Giving Back

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I have been afforded many privileges and opportunities in my life and I believe in giving back to help others gain some too. So over the years I have donated time and energy to various projects, some environmentally-related, such as The Nature Conservancy, and others related to educational development in Africa, India and other developing regions. See my portfolio or LinkedIn for examples of projects. 

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Bucket List

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I made my first bucket list in the mid-90s after a friend died from cancer - she had lamented that she would never see Hawaii as she had always dreamed of doing. That affected me deeply.  I decided I would never say anything like that if I could help it. So I made my bucket list of major things I wanted to do, and I completed it by 2012. So in 2012 I made a 2nd one... there is much fun to be had in the world.

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Some "2nd Bucket List" Items: 

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• Attend meditation retreat in Asia.

• Trek in Nepal.

• Bike across Thailand or Indonesia.

• Boat around the Caribbean Islands.

• Dive off the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

• Publish a book.

• Live abroad again.

• Complete Black Belt in Kung Fu (I'm a senior student now...).

• Deep Water diving certificate.

• Learn Mandolin

• Increase fluency in Spanish

• I'll keep adding as new goals come along...

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Some "1st Bucket List" Items and Other Adventures Already Completed: 

 

• Learn to snowboard - Done 2020 : now mix skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing in the winter.

• Lived abroad (France and the UAE) for 10 years.

• Have learned a second language to proficiency. 

• Obtained my doctoral degree in2012 - a dream I'd had since I was 14 years old. 

• Backpacked in South America for 3 months - 2001 - a dream I'd had since high school.

• International adoption: I adopted a girl from Colombia in 2015, and a girl from China in 2019. I'd dreamed of doing this since the 2nd grade. Yes. Really. The 2nd grade - long before Brangelina made it popular!

• Obtained my diving certification - 1995

• Climbed Mt Kilimanjaro (with food poisoning no less!) - 2010

• Safari in the Serengeti - 2010

• Diving in Zanzibar - 2010

• Drove in Kenya (you cannot imagine what a feat that was!!!) - 2010, 2013

• Road trip in Baja Mexico (another driving feat...) - 1996

• Ate dried grasshoppers in Oaxaca Mexico - 1996, 1999

• Swam in a long bat cave in Panama - 2001

• Swam with fresh-water dolphins on the Amazon Basin-side of Ecuador - 2001

• Ate live ants in Ecuador - 2001

• Climbed to Machu Piccu (Peru) from Aguas Calientes - 2001

• Horseback trip in the Andes of Peru - 2001

• Canal trip in the South of France - 2010

• Wine tasting in Italy - 2009

• Wine tasting in France (several regions) - multiple years.

• Visited the Paris sewers (oh the smell! the smell!!!!!) - 2007

• Pubcrawl in Paris - multiple years.

• Pubcrawl in Brussels - 2008

• Trekking in the Pyrenees Mountains - 2009

• Road trip in SE Ireland - 2010

• Scuba Diving in the Bay of Pigs, Cuba - 2007

• Hiking in the Alps - multiple years.

• Hiking in the Pyrenees - multiple years.

• Camping with the Maasai - 2010, 2013

• Horseback trip to the Pyramids in Egypt - 2013

• Boat trip down the Nile, Egypt - 2013

• Mopeding in Thailand - 2013

• Meditated in a temple in Thailand - 2013

• Visited the Sagrada Familia (one of the coolest architectural projects in our century) - 2010

• Desert camped in the Middle East - multiple years.

• Diving in Oman - multiple years.

• Kayaking in the Florida Keys - 2012

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