Education is the totality of all that happens to each of us every day of our
life on this earth. It is inevitable, inexorable and far too often believed to
be just what happens in schools. It is the responsibility of everyone. On
those occasions when we get it right, the result is a citizen with knowledge,
empathy, tolerance, dignity, and wisdom. There is nothing more beautiful!
My name is Ted Thorpe and I am a doctoral student in the department of
Secondary and Higher Education with a minor in educational technology. My home
for the past 2 years has been here in Commerce Texas where in addition to my
studies I have had the good fortune to teach Computer Literacy to future
teachers. In the 25 preceding years my home was in Burlington, Ontario where
my wife, an RN, and I raised three sons. A physics graduate of the University
of British Columbia, in 1966 my career began developing computer systems at The
Boeing Company in Seattle. In 1980, after having worked with computers in
commerce and telecommunications, I began to teach computer technology at Mohawk
College in Hamilton, Ontario. It is through their generosity I have been able
to take an extended leave of absence to pursue further education.
Some Basic Texas Educational Sites
TENET Web - Texas Education NETwork gives
access to e-mail among educators and many other on-line services and
information.
East Texas State University - This will give
you access to information about the university and the services and degrees it
offers.
Texas A&M University - This will give you
access to information about the university and the services and degrees it
offers.
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My Conference Activities in 1996
Texas Junior College Teacher's Association
The TJCTA conference for 1996 was held in Houston, TX. As a visitor to
Texas I found it an interesting way to develop a feeling for how community
college teachers are organized. I found it to be quite different from the
Union based organization we have in the Canadian province of Ontario. The
1997 Convention will be held during February at the Austin Convention
Center. See you there?
Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education
The April 1996
SITE
conference was held in Mesa, AZ and attended by teacher educators from
the U.S.A. and around the world. This conference is well worth attending if
you think you are alone in your efforts to use or introduce technology into
your own classroom or your institution. Check out their web page. I was
fortunate to be a copresenter at this year's conference Along with Dr. Bob
Peters from Tyler Junior College, Tyler TX.
Adapting Telecommunications: Meeting Special needs for Special People
Take a look at the
presentation paper and related links.
National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development
NISOD
is a conference dedicated to the promotion and recognition of teaching
excellence in the community college. Always held late in May in Austin, TX, it
is always a place to recharge. I was able to copresent at the 1996 conference
with Dr. Linda Watkins, Tyler Junior College, Tyler, TX, and Dr. Linda
Timmerman, Navarro College, Corsicanna, TX.
Faculty are from Venus, Administrators are from Mars: Planning and
Implementing Instructional Effectiveness as a Collegial Team
A scripted drama with audience participation illustrating the benefits of
non-confrontational dialog over confrontational discussion in developing
collegial teams.
Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
STLHE
is a Canadian conference held annually in June and this year at the
University of Ottawa. Here university professors from many disciplines and
countries focus on the teaching and learning aspects of their chosen
profession. The enthusiasm was electric. This was also my third
opportunity to present at a major conference during 1996. Thanks go to Dr.
Sue Espinoza, my minor advisor, for her assistance in successfully
proposing to all conferences and to Dr. Jon Travis, my major advisor, for
his support and encouragement.
Computers and Learning: I've seen the clouds from both sides now
The presentation was based on some video taped interviews with undergrads and
grad students reactions to experiences in computer literacy courses and on my
own recent experiences as both teacher and learner. It attempts to show
something of how differently learning is perceived by each.
Community College Leaders Seminar
CONFAB IV is a workshop for community college teachers and administrators
where experiences and expertise can be shared. There are no formal papers
but everyone is expected to bring with then at least one positive example
from their institution. The July 1996 session will be in Arlington, TX and
is sponsored in part by the National Council of Instructional
Administrators.
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Things that might be of interest in school
is a Canadian news magazine useful in a social studies class.
MapQuest is a site that could be of
use in the study of geography.
TravelTex is a site that I
have introduced to several of my Canadian friends.
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Things that interest me outside of school
I have been a
Burlington Amateur Radio Club member and president. An Amateur Radio
operator since 1960 although not always active, always proud
of the service that members of the fraternity have provided during times of
crisis.
Ballroom Dancing is a
relatively recent addition to my list of activities. We have studied and
danced for about five years. Don't expect to see me on PBS with Juliette
Prowse any time soon.
The Miata is my automobile of choice. My
original mid-life-crisis car was a red 1990 model. Upon moving to Texas in
1994 I switched to Montego Blue Mica M-edition.
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Integrating Computers into Curriculum
Human Anatomy Teaching
Anatomy using virtual human bodies and remote control manipulation.
Open Learning Technology
Corporation An extensive bibliography on the subject of models for the evaluation of technology used
in open learning. Many of the models may be appropriate for the
evaluation of technology applied to curriculum in general.
Curriculum Resources A collection of links to
resources on the subject of critical thinking, creative problem solving, and lateral thinking.
Check out some other student pages
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Page maintained by Ted Thorpe
Last updated: August 6, 1996