I'm a K-12 teacher who never wanted to be an administrator, although I spent much of my career working directly with Principals and central office administrators as a Swiss Army knife resource teacher.
In 2014, I completed a successful thirty-five-year career in special and general education in San Diego Unified School District. Here’s a brief history.
I was a special education teacher for students with severe multiple disabilities. I created many electrical control devices for these student’s communication and leisure. I also created professional development for teachers and parents working and living with these students. In 1983, I started a non-profit business called, Designs for Success that fabricated individualized adaptations for students with disabilities. I was also the District’s first Assistive Technology Resource Teacher, which later grew into its own Assistive Technology Department under Special Education Services.
In general education, I taught Kindergarten and later became a K-6 Computer Lab Teacher.
I served many years as a central office K-12 Magnet Schools and Educational Technology Resource Teacher for the District. During these years, I worked with many talented colleagues and teamed to provide inquiry-based professional development that integrated technology in learning activities. I also evaluated and field tested many hardware products and furniture that became District standards in classrooms, libraries and labs, including: Macs, Windows and Linux laptop computers and cart systems, student standing desks, teacher wireless microphone/audio systems, video projectors, document cameras, interactive whiteboards and eliminating the traditional teacher desk for a multimedia presentation station. In Ed Tech, I created a website called the Product Price List with images and descriptions that was very popular for many years with District teachers and staff to view all the district technology and AV furniture standards.
As an Ed Tech Resource Teacher, I was tasked to work with the District's Facilities Planning staff to assist with new school construction with the technology integration of classroom audio systems, video presentation systems and laptop computers.
- In 2009, Dan Wolfson (Educational Technology Program Manager) and I co-created the i21 Learning Initiative which over five years provided professional development for the District-wide deployment of interactive whiteboards, sound system, presentation station and 1:1 laptops for every classroom and teacher in the District. Dan and I wrote the first strategic planning drafts for the entire deployment.
- I finished my teaching career at Mission Bay High School in San Diego as both their International Baccalaureate (IB) Coordinator and Technology Coordinator. Working with school staff and the community, I helped grow and promote the IB program to a level of sustainability as it continues to prosper today. I also created sit/stand options for students in classrooms and transformed the library into a learning commons.
- As a learning environment consultant and designer, I advocated for the 20th to 21st century transformation of a school's three most common learning spaces from: classrooms to learning studios; libraries to learning commons; and labs to makerspaces.
- I ran a for-profit educational consulting and design service having the opportunity to partner with schools and companies to craft unique learning spaces in many K-12 classrooms, libraries, and labs.
- In 2018, I self-published my free ebook, Learning Environment Design (LED): The K-12 Integration of Learning Design, Physical Space Design, and Digital Space Design. My ebook is always live online as I update a little here and a little there all the time with my latest thinking.
- In fact, I'm in the process of updating my book for 2021 and beyond when students are all back in face-to-face classrooms with their teachers. It really will be no stretch for me, as I have always advocated for mobile and modular (mobimod) learning spaces for individualized and collaborative work within the classroom.
- I was blessed to have such a career to help teachers be their best. The teachers and students that crossed my path gave me so much joy to be an educator, and I'm so thankful for the experiences I have had with them in schools, and professional development over the years.
- I wanted to give back by directly helping teachers who have a passion to create and work in their own flexible learning space. So I created Project Learning Studio™ as a nonprofit working with companies, organizations and citizens to provide donated new furniture, products and/or services to transform K-12 classrooms. As I write this, I don't have a foundation or donors, yet. It's just one guy with a lot of experience making learning spaces cozy and engaging. If you are a teacher interested in changing your traditional classroom, contact me. I'm still standing. For me, Project Learning Studio™ is one of my best ideas that I plan to sustain for the rest of my life.
- Project Learning Studio™ also addresses the need to now focus on the 21st century classroom. In the last couple of decades, there has been millions of state and federal dollars channeled to new construction or remodeling projects for libraries, and makerspaces or speciality school-to-career labs. It's now time to put furniture dollars into existing K-12 classrooms that have all the same old desks and chairs along with a learning space mentality made in the 20th century.
- I started the blog to improve my writing skills with a weekly Monday morning deadline. The inspiration for the title comes from the 1966 hit by the Mamas and the Papas, Monday, Monday. In 1966, I was eleven years old and absorbed rock 'n' roll into my being like most kids older and younger than me.
- So the blog is always two parts: one, I write something about the subject, and then, I create a playlist relating to the subject.
- I have a core group of friends and family that give me a lot of support, but I'm starting to grow my audience, so check the blog out. I've got your music playlist for the week covered.
- I was never a speedster and in the 1980's all these triathlon athletes started forming professional teams with sponsors. So I just started calling myself 'Team Tortoise' because I was always a jogger, and now I'm a slow jogger, or simply, a 'slogger.'
- Around 2008 or thereabouts, I started the web site Team Tortoise to reflect my running style and got my two sisters involved to the point where I designed some graphics and we made t-shirts for several half-marathons we ran together.
- I put the website together for us slower folks on the go and anyone can download the Team Tortoise, or Team Turtle logos for their 'own team' just out there keeping active and moving forward.
- My sisters and I started a tradition several years ago where we run the annual San Luis Obispo County Food Bank Turkey Trot fund raiser on Thanksgiving morning. Some years we get other family members or friends to join us to walk or run. In 2020, we did the event virtually because of the pandemic. Here's hoping we can be face-to-face again with all the good people at Pismo Beach in 2021! You can't help but see us in our neon green Team Tortoise/Team Turtle singlets!
