Professional Experience

Freelance Writer and Social Media Manager, Blacksburg, Virginia, March 2009 to present.

  • Write weekly blog posts on teaching college writing and the monthly Ink’d In email newsletter for Bedford/St. Martin’s.
  • Compose biweekly blog posts featuring K—12 classroom resources for ReadWriteThink, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the International Reading Association (IRA).
  • Promote Bedford/St. Martin’s and ReadWriteThink resources and events using regular social media updates on Twitter, Google+, and Facebook.
  • Edit and revise Calendar-based activities for ReadWriteThink.
  • Write documentation and FAQ blog posts for the GeekShed IRC network.
  • Provide real-time technical support in the GeekShed network help channel.
  • Wrote monthly blog entries to accompany the  NCTE INBOX newsletter (from January 2009 to June 2010).

Online Publications Developer, NCTE. Urbana, Illinois. June 2008 to November 2008. Previous positions: ReadWriteThink Content Developer and Web Manager, June 2002 to June 2008. NCTE Online Resources and Web Manager. June 1999 to June 2002.

Technical Writing, Web Management, and Server Administration

  • Served on NCTE website conversion committee, providing staff training on “Writing for the Web” and writing related documentation.
  • Authored database-driven system to manage lesson plan proposals, submissions, and the review process for ReadWriteThink.
  • Wrote specifications for interactive media tools to complement ReadWriteThink curriculum materials.
  • Managed computer and network resources for ReadWriteThink’s and NCTE’s web servers. Documented and responded to technical issues.
  • Maintained all pages on the NCTE website. Designed online catalog and ordering, proposal submission, and event registration systems.
  • Created templates, CSS, and scripts enabling NCTE staff and members to publish on the NCTE website while maintaining consistent site design.
  • Set-up the NCTE/CCCC Technology Center at Conventions. Analyzed Technology Center needs, prepared budget materials, and documented the processes related to the center.

Content Development

  • Wrote, edited, and coded K-12 English language arts lesson plans for ReadWriteThink, integrating Internet content and interactive media.
  • Established  NCTE INBOX Blog  in January 2007, and composed weekly blog entries to accompany the  NCTE INBOX newsletter.
  • Composed seasonal and news-driven “Teaching Ideas” and “Announcements” columns for weekly distribution in the NCTE INBOX newsletter.
  • Worked as team leader on the NCTE 2008 Ning, encouraging NCTE members to participate in preparation for the 2008 NCTE Annual Convention and providing connections to NCTE resources on a daily basis, from August 2008 through November 2008.
  • Created interactive media to complement curriculum materials.
  • Designed K-12 lesson plans and teacher’s guides for use with classroom computers and PDAs, with funding from Texas Instruments.
  • Managed TeacherFest, NCTE’s first online conference, including designing the online materials, scheduling speakers, publishing session materials online, managing participant registration, and writing documentation for the resources used during the conference.

Director, Instructional Services, The Daedalus Group, Inc. Austin, Texas. Fall 1994 to May 1999.

  • Wrote print and online documentation and provided technical support to over 600 college and high school teachers and administrators annually.
  • Designed instructional materials, including templates, lesson plans, and teacher’s guides for use with Daedalus software.
  • Developed web-based, computer-based, and classroom training materials on using educational software in the K—12 and college classroom.
  • Converted print-based college and high school textbooks to ebook format.
  • Collaborated on functionality and graphical user interface features for Windows and Macintosh software.

Instructor, Department of English, Virginia Tech. Blacksburg, Virginia. Fall 1986 to Summer 1994.

  • Taught two to four sections each term. Classes included first-year composition, business communications, literature surveys, and Modern English Grammar. Taught the first, wholly-online Business Writing course, Summer 1994.
  • Advised up to 11 undergraduate majors annually.
  • Proposed and was awarded two university course release-time grants to support departmental efforts to integrate computers in instruction and to provide training for faculty.
  • Served on the English Department Technology Committee and Task Force, Fall 1992 to Summer 1994. Participated in resource allocation, managed evaluation of computer-mediated instruction [see “Evaluation Strategies for the Networked Classroom” (written with Dr. Margaret Downs-Gamble)], and surveyed 500+ students to determine the effectiveness of technology initiatives.
  • Participated in activities of the Center for Textual and Editorial Studies (now the Center for Applied Technologies in the Humanities), serving as the secretary, Spring 1993 to Spring 1994.
  • Served on the Task Force on Freshman Composition, Fall 1992 to Spring 1993; Task Force on Evaluation Instrument, Fall 1992 to Spring 1993; Task Force on Instructor Concerns, Fall 1992 to Spring 1993; Task Force on Public Relations and Fundraising, Fall 1992 to Summer 1994.

Tutor and Academic Liaison,  Academic Advising, Virginia Tech. Blacksburg, Virginia. Fall 1987 to Fall 1992. Virginia Tech Athletic Association. Blacksburg, Virginia. Spring 1987 to Summer 1987.

Writing Center Tutor, Department of English, Virginia Tech. Blacksburg, Virginia. Fall 1986 to Spring 1988.