I am currently a doctoral student in the Instructional Technology program at the University of Virginia in the process of writing my dissertation. In my professional life, I manage a distance learning program for adult learners at the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.

My academic interests include educational gaming, pervasive gaming, alternate reality learning games and virtual learning environments. I am currently exploring using cell-phones to support ABE online learners and researching the use of alternate reality learning games for informal learning.

I am also very interested and engaged in the educational applications of digital media technologies and social communication tools, such digital video, podcasting, blogging, and vlogging.

Background

I am from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, home to Krispy-Kreme doughnuts, Ben Folds and R.J. Reynolds. So, in a way doughnuts, indie rock and tobacco have shaped my life. When I was 9 years old, my family briefly located to St. Michaels, Maryland where James Michener was toiling away on his tome, Chesapeake, just across the bay from us. Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld are frequent visitors these days. After only 9 or 10 months there, we moved again–this time to Richmond, Virginia, the city I have called home (more or less) ever since.

I attended Virginia Tech for a year after high school, before transferring to Virginia Commonwealth University, where I earned a degree in English literature. I relocated to Portland, Oregon for 5 years where I worked for Pacific Crest Outward Bound School, taught ESOL in the evenings, and learned to rock climb. Returning to Richmond, I began my adult education career in earnest at Philip Morris, USA (they really did post signs around the factory that said Please enjoy smoking). In 2003, I entered graduate school to earn my MEd in Instructional Technology. I enjoyed it so much that during my second year I applied to the PhD program. After finishing my coursework at UVA, I accepted a job at VCU that was ideally suited to background–delivering web-based learning to adult learners. I hope to complete my degree in 2007.