Experience

Overview

I have a diverse job history that is rare for someone of my age. I’ve worked in four schools catering to students in grades Pre-K through 5 and 9 through 12. I’ve also worked in the business sector and done consulting-based web design work and technology training. When the Leon County school district opened Conley Elementary School @ SouthWood in 2008, the inaugural principal recruited me for the Technology Coordinator position. I currently serve as the Technology Specialist at DeSoto Trail Elementary School. All of these positions have increased my skill set with information systems as well as with human interaction. Below is an annotated record of my responsibilities at each workplace and the skills I acquired while I was there.

DeSoto Trail Elementary School

Technology Specialist, January 2013 – Present

After spending a few years splitting my time between the classroom and the technology, I felt the need to refocus. This opportunity presented itself when Cookie Zimmer, the full-time Technology Specialist at DeSoto Trail Elementary School, asked me to replace her upon her retirement in December 2012. DTES proved to be the perfect next step for me. My responsibilities include evaluating and implementing new hardware and software to help students achieve academic gains in addition to supporting the network and leading staff development workshops. Working in a smaller school has also given me the time to participate in district initiatives, such as the Edcamp Leon “unconference” and development of the district’s Energy Conservation website, as well as outside projects including working on the Tech Support Team at the Florida Educational Technology Conference.

Acquired Professional/Technical Skills

  • Windows Server 2008 Administration
  • Windows 7 Computer Administration

Acquired Transferable Skills

  • Event Planning/Coordination

J. Michael Conley Elementary School @ SouthWood

Technology Teacher, September 2010 – December 2012

Technology Coordinator, June 2008 – December 2012

During the spring semester of 2008, the principals of the new schools under construction in Leon County visited Chiles High School to evaluate the SMART interactive whiteboard. The SMART Board vendor asked me to show the administrators how the SMART Boards were used in classrooms at Chiles. After I gave the tour, the principal of the new elementary school recruited me for his Technology Coordinator position. I left all other appointments to focus on getting the school up and running, although I was still enrolled at Florida State for the entire first year.

As technology coordinator, I was responsible for providing network and user support services to teachers, administrators, and other staff at Conley. I also maintained the school website and led technology-related staff development workshops. In an effort to provide useful documentation to the teachers, I regularly developed instructional videos. By the end of my tenure there, the school employed about 60 teachers and served more than 700 students using a network of more than 300 computers.

After finishing at Florida State, I joined the special area team, teaching Technology to three classes each morning. In preparation for this new responsibility, I read books on classroom management and spoke with and observed teachers I hold in high esteem, especially my mother, Sharon Schubert. As the Technology teacher, I created my own lesson plans based on the students’ inquiries, and I managed student usage of a computer lab.

In my final year at Conley, before moving to DeSoto Trail Elementary to replacing their retiring Technology Coordinator, I added the role of Teacher of the Gifted to my list of responsibilities. In this role, I pulled gifted 2nd/3rd grade students on Tuesdays and gifted 4th/5th grade students on Thursdays for three hours of instruction under an enrichment model. In preparation for my gifted classes, I completed the coursework and requirements to receive my Florida Gifted Endorsement.

Acquired Professional/Technical Skills

  • Teaching
  • Classroom Management
  • Lesson planning
  • OS X Server Administration
  • OS X Computer Administration
  • Publication design
  • ASP web development

Acquired Transferable Skills

  • Professional interaction with parents
  • Conflict resolution
  • Management
  • Technical writing and editing

AVI-SPL

Mac Trainer, SMART Products, 2010 – 2012

After working closely with this company—the North Florida-area vendor of products from SMART Technologies—through my work at Chiles High and Conley Elementary, the company asked if I’d contract with them to provide training on SMART products to other schools in the Tallahassee area on an as-needed basis. This business arrangement gave me the opportunity  to work with some of my childhood teachers.

My duties in this position included developing and conducting workshops covering the hardware and software in a 21st century interactive classroom, such as interactive whiteboards, touch-screen software, document cameras, and interactive response systems.

Lawton Chiles High School

Technology Assistant, August 2006 – May 2008

After several years of providing technical support for my teachers as a high school student, I was hired to continue providing those services as the assistant to a new network administrator. I helped the new administrator assimilate to the school while I learned more about networks and server administration.

My duties in this position often varied, and as an assistant, I was given flexibility to work on the projects that I found interesting, challenging, or most natural. My favorite projects were technology workshops for teachers and the rare opportunities to teach technology lessons to students.

Acquired Technical Skills

  • Microsoft SharePoint
  • Windows Server administration
  • Computer installation and repair
  • Software troubleshooting
  • Microsoft Office
  • Adobe Creative Suite

Acquired Transferable Skills

  • Face-to-face communication
  • Electronic communication

Killearn Lakes Elementary School

Technical Contractor, September 2007 – June 2008

I was recruited from Chiles High School to work with Killearn Lakes on a consulting basis. My duties there mainly consisted of computer maintenance and technical support. I was also responsible for creating new images for all of the computer models and a mass reimaging project over the summer.

Acquired Technical Skills

  • Altiris Deployment Solution

Hybrid Technical Solutions, LLC

Network Administrator, Bob Knight Photomarketing, Inc., 2007 – 2008

I provided network administration services for this company on a consulting basis. My responsibilities included setup and breakdown of computers, server and workstation maintenance, user account setup, data backup, and other miscellaneous computer- and network-related tasks.

Acquired Technical Skills

  • Windows Server administration
  • Microsoft Exchange server
  • Symantec Backup Exec
  • Network cable installation

Acquired Transferable Skills

  • Project management
  • Communication with executives

Web/Graphic Designer, Bagelheads Delicatessen – 2007

I was the project leader for this site, which I designed and built in collaboration with the business owner.  Tasks included formatting the menu, graphic design, and mailing list administration. (http://www.ilovebagelheads.com)

Acquired Technical Skills

  • Adobe Photoshop CS3
  • Adobe Fireworks CS3
  • Adobe Dreamweaver CS3
  • Google Maps API

Acquired Transferable Skills

  • Working with clients

Publix Supermarkets

Front Service Clerk; Cashier; Customer Service Staff, 2004 – 2006

After just three months of employment, I was promoted to cashier.  After consistently earning the highest productivity score, I became a Customer Service staff member as soon as I was age-eligible, responsible for assisting dissatisfied customers, selling money services, accounting for daily tender, and supervising front-end associates.

Acquired Transferable Skills

  • Customer service
  • Accounting
  • Employee management
  • Problem solving/decision making
  • Conflict resolution
  • Self-motivation