Hi Everyone!

I'm Mary, also an instructor for your online Thinkfinity workshop. I currently work as a Technology Integration Development and Outreach Facilitator at TIES. I've been working here since June 2011. I know that title is quite a handle, isn't it? TIES created it for me and offered me a wonderful opportunity so I won't complain!

In terms of my work life, I started working at the Minnesota Department of Education many, many years ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Well, maybe not that long ago, but there were a lot of lizards around MDE at that time anyway. I worked in information technologies for several years, and in the early 1990s when schools started to put in networks to access the Internet, I ended up working with telecommunications planning for school districts, and that role quickly expanded to working more and more with instructional applications of technology to learning. I worked at MDE for over 28 years.

In spring 2008, I was offered a great opportunity to move to Moorhead and be director for the NW-LINKS telecommunications region. I spent three years working with 70 rural school districts and four regional public library systems up there. I managed a wide area network, procured Internet access, and also did a lot of staff development for the school districts in the region. I provided workshops for teachers and administrators on Thinkfinity resources, using technology in the classroom, video conferencing, and other topics.

Last spring, I was offered an opportunity to come work here at TIES, and I was thrilled to accept. At TIES I do a lot of training for teachers on various technology topics, develop new courses, help with the TIES Conference, and represent TIES on a number of different advisory groups.

On the personal front, I am single with no children, but I do have 14 incredible nieces and nephews who think I am the coolest aunt in the whole world, and I work very hard to undo all the correct things their parents tried to teach them. I am one of 9 children so I have a lot of experience in group dynamics. I am a voracious reader.  I am madly in love with the country of Ireland and go there every chance I get. I am very passionate about learning and sharing ideas -  and I think Thinkfinity is one of the greatest things since sliced bread. By the time you finish this online course I hope you will agree!

I look forward to meeting all of you online. If there is ever any help you need with the course or any question I can answer, please don't hesitate to contact me. You can call me at 651-999-6510 or e-mail me at mary.mehsikomer@ties.k12.mn.us. When you get into the Thinkfinity Community, please feel free to "friend" me if you like - that will enable us to get to know each other better and I can share all the great resources I have found on Thinkfinity with you.

All the best,

Mary

• Start with first and last name, district, and job
  • Breanna Peloquin
    • District: Moundsview School District - Edgewood Middle School
    • Job: 7th Grade Health/Physical Education

• What do you like to do?
  • Spend time outdoors
  • Play sports
  • Coach gymnastics

• What don't you like to do?
  • Wash dishes (I don't mind putting clean dishes away but dirty ones.... )
  • Clean the bathroom (same issue as dirty dishes... a big thank you to my hubby for handling those situations)

• What's going on at home and who is part of your family?
  • I have three children
    • twin 4 year old boys who will start kindergarten next fall
    • 22 month old daughter who is as "sassy" as can be!
    • husband who is also a teacher/coach

• What do you hope to get out of this online workshop?
  • Networking and new ideas to incorporate into my daily teaching.

Start with first and last name, district, and job

- Megan Jahnke

- Mounds View Public School

- 7th Grade Science Teacher and Magnet School Development Team

What do you like to do?

- Currently I am in school going after my administrative degree, so as far as what I like to do I feel like a large portion of my time is spent working on that. Outside of school, I love to run and be active. I enjoy sports, cooking, and spending time with my family.

What don't you like to do?

- I don't like paperwork or busy work.

What's going on at home and who is part of your family?

- I am not married, but have a serious relationship. I live with a friend from college right now, it's a pretty busy life at home.

What do you hope to get out of this online workshop?

- My goals for this workshop are to get a better understanding of project based learning and how to assist others in better incorporating it into a class. The problems I think we are going to run into are the constraints of the standards for each subject area and how project based learning fits into that.

What about the whole grant project? What do you want to get from that?

For the grant project, I would like people to experience how the difference of project based learning versus the traditional classroom and see the benefits of getting kids interested versus asking them to pay attention.

• Start with first and last name, district, and job

          Nathan Johnson

          Mounds View public schools

          Science teacher

• What do you like to do?

          Teach, Fly fish southern MN,  Hunt ducks and grouse, Paint, Watch movies

• What don't you like to do?

          Go to meetings, Get up early, grade papers

• What's going on at home and who is part of your family?

          My wife and I have been married 3 years and live in south Minneapolis with our boxer and bulldog.  My wife is just finishing nursing school.

• What do you hope to get out of this online workshop?

          I would like to find some resources that can be used to help our staff in making the transition towards PBL.

• What about the whole grant project? What do you want to get from that?
  • I hope to see a smooth transition into a middle school with a strong STEAM focus

Hi!  My name is Darcy LaPanta and I teach 7th grade English at Edgewood Middle School.  I also do a few other "things" at school including helping to implement STEAM next fall. 

I love to read, take pictures and watch my kids play sports.  I have 2 boys (11 & 9) who are very active~  so their activities have become my social life.  However, I do find time to work out (not as often as I would like) and I've been in a book club for 11 years. 

PBL is super exciting to me.  I hope to transform some of my projects into project-based learning models.  Our school is going in the right direction for kids...and I feel really good about the energy that is being created around STEAM.  I look forward to learning a lot over the next year!

My name is Kimberlee Adams and I am a Teacher on Special Assignment at Northeast Middle School is Minneapolis.  In addition to coordinating several programs at Northeast I also teach an intergraded reading, social studies, and science class with two talented colleagues.  My favorite part of my work day is after school programming where I coordinate the theater arts program.  The staff is great to work with and he kids are ton of fun.  I am hoping to some day intergrade technology beyond lights and sounds into our program.

I live with my partner Angie and little black poodle JD.  We also have a beagal that visits us part time named Ellie.  Ellie is our princess.  We live in Minneapolis and love the lakes, restaurants, schools, friends, and community.  My niece Isla is also a regular visitor and a joy to have around.  I love to travel and have been to several different countries all around the world.  Hoping to visit South America next.

I am hoping to gain a basic understanding of Project Based Learning in the classroom.  I would like to develop at least one unit that proves to be successful with my students.  As for the grant project I am still unsure.  Our fabulous media specialist is spearheading the grant and I look forward to working with her and several other colleagues.

• Start with first and last name, district, and job
  • Karen Eidem
  • Minneapolis Public Schools -- Northeast Middle School
  • Library Media Specialist
• What do you like to do?
  • Be outdoors and outdoor adventure activities
  • Read ... especially sitting on our porch with our dog Hutch
• What don't you like to do?
  • Shop for groceries

I'm a little slow getting going on this because I had to finish up a different course during the first week, and then I think I was just out-of-steam last week. Now I'm ready to get going ... especially since I've had co-workers ask me questions about things ... I feel bad that I haven't been able to help them out. Plus, I'm looking forward to learning/revisiting the thinkfinity resources. A few years ago I did quite a bit of looking through the site as I was working on a lesson plan database for Metronet ... but I haven't really used it since then, and I think it is too good of a resource to be wasting. I think the people from our school who are involved in the training will be great at disseminating what we learn to the rest of our staff.