Erin Two Point Oh

Hello! Nice to meet everyone. I currently work at Lesley in the Department of eLearning and Instructional Support as an eLearning Production Specialist. So if you need any help with Blackboard please feel free to contact me.

It seems like I’ve always had an inherent love of all things tech and web 2.0. In fact, I’ve been blogging on various sites and domains since I was a Freshman in college back in 1998. At that time we referred to what we did as “online journaling” and it was all very much about “over-sharing” — as I’m sure you can imagine.

My undergrad degree was in English Literature and Women’s Studies and for 6 very very very long years I worked as an administrative, executive, or project assistant in a number of industries ranging from insurance to health care and then education.  In my spare time, which there unfortunately was quite a bit of, I started my food blog, Erin Cooks, and began to learn to integrate and use a great number of the social media tools that were emerging to increase my readership and relationships with the individuals who read my blog.

I was then eventually able to draw upon my personal passions and professional experience to obtain the position I currently have at Lesley. It’s wonderful to finally have found an area of work that is satisfying on all levels and I’m hoping to expand my career in this field via the Technology in Education Master’s Program.

A Little More Personal

I grew up in Maine and have lived in the Boston area for the last five years. My boyfriend, Chris, and I just moved from our loft in Somerville to an apartment in Lexington a few weeks ago. So far I’m really enjoying the slower change of pace but there are definitely aspects of living in the city “hustle and bustle” that I miss.

I have two cats. Watson is an orange tabby who just turned one, and Dexter is a grey tabby who just turned three. Dexter is way too smart for his own good. He’s a polydactyl cat (he has 25 toes) and somehow I think this genetic anomaly has given him superpowers.  One of his amazing feats is the ability to open doors. I even have video evidence. This means that if you want a good night’s sleep in my house you have to lock yourself into the bedroom.

In my spare time I love to cook, read, try new restaurants and go to the movies. For the last few years I’ve regressed a bit and become a little obsessed with Young Adult Literature again. If you want some recommendations let me know! Authors Kristin Cashore, Suzanne Collins, and Jo Knowles are a good starting point though. While taking this class I’m also simultaneously enrolled in a Children’s Writing course. I’m hoping I’ll remember how to string sentences into plot soon or it’s going to be a very long six-weeks.

From a technology in education standpoint I’m very interested in learning more about how gaming can be integrated into classroom learning and I’m hoping to focus my attention on this topic quite a bit.