Introductions

About Me

My name is Kate. I have a BA in English from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL. I also studied art and sociology in school... I would have added even more subjects as minors but my time was limited to four years and so were my funds.

I grew up wanting to become a teacher some day even though I didn't express it as a career goal until recently. I've always viewed being a teacher as an aspect of one's personality and their approach to others, not just a profession.

In some ways I think I naturally teach. I encourage children to find and use their own creativity in my role as an arts & crafts teacher at my church. I question my sister's choice of logic as she studies her algebra homework and listen as she explains why she chose to solve a problem a certain way. I also make myself available to friends and my other younger siblings should they want help reviewing a graduate school application essay or a high school research paper. I enjoy these things. I am made happy in the "aha!" moment of others and am always content with having ventured a try at reaching it.

Technology and Me

I am comfortable with technology in that I use it everyday. I check e-mail in an almost compulsive way, it has become my preferred method of quick communication as I can seamlessly access it throughout the day without interruption to my workflow.

I spend at least 9 hours a day on a computer. I work as a graphic designer and often serve as the guinea pig for the company programmer who has me test the usefulness of his latest programming on a weekly basis. I do not have any understanding of the programs he creates from a technical standpoint but I do have experience in pushing his creations to the limit. Most of my computer knowledge relates to graphic arts however. I use design software regularly to create and modify artwork for my company. Scanners, printers, faxes, disc burners, and digital cameras are all daily job related tools I'm comfortable with.

I, however, do not always have the best relationship with technology. I'm actually quite intimidated by using technology in presentations and get anxious about it malfunctioning and drawing more attention to my lack of knowledge rather than the knowledge I'd intended to share. This is really more of a problem that calls for practice with different technology in order to build up a comfort level. It is my hope that I will be able to gain some of that experience in this class, at least enough to create an appealing power point for my next presentation!