My background covers a wide range of educational experiences. I began my teaching career in a junior high school in Taiwan shortly after I earned my B.A. from National
Kaohsiung Normal University in Taiwan in 1990. On receiving my M.S. from State
University of New York at Albany in Curriculum and Instructional Technology, I moved on to a senior high school continuing my teaching career as an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher. I was once involved in AJET (Advanced Joint English
Teaching Telecommunication) project in Kaoshiung, Taiwan. AJECT was initiated with the collaborative efforts between a high school English teacher and a professor of
Management of Information Science in 1997 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Through information technology such as email and the Internet, this project has aimed to provide a teaching and learning environment beyond time and space boundaries.
In 2000, I was admitted to the doctoral program of Curriculum and Instructional
Technology at Iowa State University and worked as a teaching assistant for an undergraduate course CI201, entitled " Introduction to Instructional Technology".
My teaching experience in Taiwan provided a chance to explore the possibilities of applying technology in foreign language teaching and learning. Through the involvement in AJECT project, I realized the importance of in-service teacher professional technology development. As a CI201 lab instructor, I do not focus solely on building students' technology skills but also on applying technology into various content areas. I have encouraged students to use/integrate technology with appropriate curriculum alignment in learner-in-control, multidisciplinary, cooperative, project-based and problem-based approaches (see PowerPoint Slides).
My doctoral study at ISU enables me to focus on the issue of professional development in teacher education programs and to investigate the influence of technology as one of the primary sources to reshape teacher education programs. My scholarly and research interests are in the areas of technology and teacher education with a special interest in faculty development such as one-on-one technology mentoring programs. I want to contribute to investigating and understanding issues in and barriers to faculty's continued use and integration of technology in their teacher preparation courses.
My professional goal is to become a faculty member in the area of technology integration in K-12 environments and teacher education programs. I am also interested in initiating a collaborative partnership model between students and teachers to integrate computer technologies in teaching and learning.