Service

I believe professional service is the best way to both contribute to and remain relevant within one's field.  I have fulfilled my service obligations in varied ways.  I have served on multiple committees at the community-, professional-, university-, college-, and departmental levels. These have included: the university Internet Studies Committee which oversees an undergraduate program in Internet Studies; the university’s Athletic Council; and search committees for the LES department chair and the university's head baseball coach, and the League of Worlds conference planning and submission review boards.  I believe peer mentoring is powerful way to serve and to facilitate learning, and I have tried to model this, myself.  I have provided training, mentoring, and support for my colleagues at both Lehigh and Appalachian State in their efforts to become more technology-literate and to incorporate innovative instructional technologies into their courses.  I have done this, for example, through partnerships and invited lectures.

Currently, I am working with colleagues at Appalachian State University and Clemson University to launch the Carolinas Virtual World Consortium (CVWC), of which I am a co-designer and founding member.  The CVWC will bring the resources of multiple entities to bear on innovative design and meaningful research toward the most effective use of social and immersive technologies -- such as virtual worlds -- in learning environments of all kinds via research, leadership development, technology prototyping, and dissemination of scholarship.

K-12 schools
I have remained active in K-12 schools.  For example, I recently coached a K-2 Odyssey of the Mind team at a local elementary school.  In 2004-2005, I helped a group of local citizens successfully apply for a K-10 public school charter - the first and only charter school in Watauga County, North Carolina.  I have also provided advising and workshops for schools and school systems in the U.S. and abroad, particularly in the area of technology planning and integration, including: Marymount International School, Escuela Campo Alegre, and Colegio Internacional de Caracas.

Educational Technology
Within my profession, I am an active member of the computer-supported collaborative learning community, with particular emphasis on technology-supported learning communities.  I have presented regularly at the annual meetings of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) and of the American Association for Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE). I have reviewed manuscripts for the Journal of Educational Computing Research, the Journal of Developmental Education, and the International Journal on E-learning.

Conference Leadership
Since its inception, I have played a leading role in the annual League of Worlds Symposium.  For LoW2, in Melbourne, Australia, I served as the conference proceedings chair, where I wrote the CFP, received all submissions, managed reviews, and pieced together the program.  For LoW3 in Boone, North Carolina, I continued to serve on the conference planning committee and served as the moderator for the symposium, itself.

Advising
Currently, I advise approximately 60 graduate students in Instructional Technology. I have served on multiple dissertation committees at both Appalachian State and Lehigh.  I am currently chairing one dissertation committee.  At Lehigh, I supervised dozens of student teachers. 

Nearly all of my students live more than 30 miles away, so most of my advising is done online.  I hold both open and scheduled advising sessions within AET Zone, via Voice-Over-IP, or meet students during periodic, scheduled face-to-face visits.  Online (PDF) versions of our most commonly used forms are available in the AET Zone Registrar’s Office for students to download, fill out, and email or fax to me.