Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina 28608

November 1, 2006

Bryan Brooks, Chair

Department of Leadership and Educational Studies

Reich College of Education

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina 28608

Dear Dr. Brooks:

I would like to provide a letter of recommendation for Dr.Steve Bronack to support his request for tenure and promotion to the rank of associate professor at Appalachian State University. From my professional associations with Steve for the past five years, I am confident that he is one of the most progressive young faculty members that we have ever employed in the Reich College of Education and that he has served his students and colleagues well in the Instructional Technology Program.

In the area of teaching, Steve is a true social constructivist. His philosophy is based upon the belief that learning is a social process, and he uses technology as a tool for assisting students in solving educational problems. His work is best represented in the courses that he teaches in the AETZONE to graduate students seeking degrees in Instructional Technology. Steve has been involved in the design and implementation of this 3D virtual world campus that provides students various opportunities for access to content and interactive learning environments. Although Steve is dedicated to modeling the use of cutting edge technology for his students, he always includes face-to-face meetings with each cohort to orient them to the class expectations, to model best practices in the use of technology required in the class, and to get to know his students on a personal and professional level. I have had the opportunity to observe him in action at off-campus sites in Winston Salem and in Hudson and to teach CI-5055 - Connecting Learners and Subject Matter during the same semester that he is teaching the cohort. Steve’s interactions with students are always positive, engaging, and sophisticated. He challenges students to think, to question, and to create new knowledge. His students are the ones who will be changing the status of technology in public education. His students are the ones who will also question and seek new ways of serving the best interests of all learners in our society. Steve does not prepare students for status quo service to education. He has a much greater vision for them. Mediocre graduate students might find a level of discomfort with this challenge; however, the majority sails to new heights with this level of expectation. I am always amazed with Steve’s ability to make his students question and to seek ways of creating new knowledge instead of relying on what has already been discovered. He is very articulate and uses the classroom to communicate his vision for all students.

I have also had the opportunity to engage in scholarship activities with Steve on various occasions during the past several years. When Steve introduced CASENEX, the online case study program to Appalachian, I was invited to pilot this program in my CI-2800 - Teachers, Schools, and Learners class during the summer of 2001. A group of ASU faculty traveled to the University of Virginia to be trained and then worked collaboratively to bring CASENEX to the Reich College of Education. My students had a very positive experience with using on-line case studies to learn creative ways to solve educational problems. Steve provided the leadership for this project and assisted in scheduling on-line seminars with textbook authors, principals, and teachers in CASENEX labs.

I have worked collaboratively with Steve on research projects to assess the status of technology use in public schools. Through one project, we surveyed the school districts in the Appalachian Partnership and found many barriers that prevented teachers from accessing technology in their classrooms. The results of this research were presented at the annual Society for Technology in Teacher Education (SITTE) Conference and later published by the American Association for Computing and Technology in Education (AACTE).

We have worked collaboratively to give demonstrations of our work in the AETZONE to organizations such as SITTE, Hawaii International Conference on Education, University of North Carolina Teaching and Learning with Technology Conference, and the 2006 Western North Carolina Superintendent’s Conference. Steve can always be relied upon to prepare the technology for these presentations and to engage his IT students in the presentation through video cameras and audio-chats. We have frequently given presentations where our students in Puebla as well as Cleveland Community College, Caldwell Community College, and Catawba Valley Community College were actively sharing information with the audience. Through these examples, it is evident that Steve practices constructivism in his scholarship as well as in his teaching.

In the area of service, I can attest to Steve’s willingness to discuss issues of technology in teacher preparation with me on numerous occasions throughout the years. As I have prepared SALT Grants to investigate infusing technology into the undergraduate middle grades portfolios, to seek ideas for developing electronic platforms for portfolios, and to research management systems such as LIVETEXT and TASKSTREAM, Steve was available to help me ask the right questions and to provide advice. He has the insights to know how to pose the right questions in research related to technology. I credit Steve with always being willing to share his knowledge of the National Technology Standards for Teachers and for supporting me in new endeavors for my own students in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. I value his advice and always feel confident that he has the best interests of public school students and teachers in mind.

In summary, I commend Steve for his contributions to technology education at Appalachian State University. Through my professional associations with him, I have become a more knowledgeable professor and have been able to make some innovative changes in the middle grades program. With the support provided by Steve and his colleagues in the IT program, I have been able to design and teach CI-5055 in the AETZONE for all of their students. I could not have accomplished this task without their expert advice. Additionally, all of these examples provide evidence that faculty members in the Reich College of Education engage in collaborative work that epitomizes a community of practice.

If you have further questions regarding my full support of Steve’s professional contributions, please contact me.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Dr. Melanie W. Greene