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Blog post # 7: Building a Better Future: Our New Computer Lab Plan at St. Mary’s

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 As an educator and instructional technologist, I’m excited to share our updated computer lab proposal for St. Mary’s Catholic School. Following a recent budget revision, we had to reduce our original plan of $60,000 to $50,000. While that might sound limiting, it actually pushed us to get creative and focus on what matters most—building an inclusive, accessible, and future-ready learning space for our students. The new lab will feature 25 desktop workstations arranged with ADA-compliant spacing, adjustable furniture, and accessibility tools like screen readers, larger keyboards, and text-to-speech software. We're also piloting an AR/VR program with two headsets to bring science, history, and the arts to life in immersive ways. These tools cater to all types of learners—visual, auditory, and kinesthetic—and provide opportunities for students who benefit from diverse learning approaches. What I’m most proud of is that this lab isn’t just about technology—it’s about equity . It’s ab...
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Blog post # 6: Startup Your Future – Introducing the Virtual Startup Simulator

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Welcome to blog post #6, where I unveil a dynamic learning object created for our Business and Career Readiness program at St. Mary’s Catholic School.  The Virtual Startup Simulator enables students to experience the entrepreneurial journey firsthand using AR and VR tools in the computer lab. We outline how to utilize the Virtual Startup Simulator in a classroom setting below. Image Source: Google (n.d.) Learning Objective: By simulating market research, product development, budgeting, and pitching a business idea, students can understand the stages of launching a startup and apply business principles. 🧰 What’s Inside the Learning Object? The simulator mimics the structure of a real-world business incubator. Students  begin by  selecting a product or service  and defining its  target market. They perform virtual market research using AR cards and datasets. Create a 3D model or logo of their product. Make financial decisions via a budgeting cha...
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Blog Post # 5: Unlocking the Future of Learning with AR/VR

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  The computer lab at St. Mary's Catholic School is adding augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies for students in grades 9–12. For the school, the move represents a major future direction. Emphasizing science education and professional preparedness, the proposal highlights how immersive tools such as Google Expeditions, zSpace Learning Stations, and Job Simulator may revolutionize traditional learning environments. AR/VR will let students study challenging scientific topics by means of interactive 3D models and hands-on job experience in simulated professional environments. Implementation plans call for specifically VR-ready workstations, teacher training, and school system integration to ensure security and instructional alignment. The goals are to increase participation, enhance conceptual understanding, and equip students with the digital fluency required for the workforce of tomorrow. By bridging theory and practice, these technologies generate dynam...
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Blog Post # 4: Unlocking Professional Growth through Social Media Mining

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  Exploring the world of LinkedIn In today’s digital age, social media is more than a networking tool—it's a strategic platform for professional development. Social media mining helps users extract meaningful insights from profiles, connections, and shared content to identify thought leaders, explore career paths, and deepen subject expertise.                       Take LinkedIn, for example. The infographic explores how to mine the profile of Dr. Kim D. Moore, an educational leader and military veteran. Using strategic search methods (keywords, hashtags, advanced filters), I was able to map her network to highlight connections across leadership and educational innovation. Key organizations like Richland School District 2 and Nova Southeastern University reflect her career impact.                                          ...
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Blog post #3: Enhancing School Leadership Productivity: Comparing ClickUp and Airtable for Planning a PD Day

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  As a high school principal, organizing a professional development (PD) day involves complex logistics, including scheduling sessions, assigning rooms, coordinating speakers, and communicating updates efficiently. With limited time and growing responsibilities, productivity tools are no longer optional—they’re essential. This blog explores how two specialized platforms, ClickUp and Airtable, can support task management and scheduling, using a real professional development (PD) day as a case study. The Task: To create a full-day PD schedule for teachers, including: Session titles and times Room assignments Presenters/facilitators Topic categories (SEL, Instructional Tech, DEI) The exercise was first completed manually, then repeated using ClickUp, and again using Airtable. Tool Overviews ClickUp is known  for its hierarchical project structure, which includes spaces, folders, lists, and tasks. It allows for   visual planning using lists, calendars, and Gantt charts. ...
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Blogpost #2: Making Online Learning Accessible: A Hands-On Example

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In today’s digital world, creating accessible online educational materials is not optional—it's essential. Accessibility ensures that all learners, regardless of ability, can engage with and benefit from educational resources. In this post, I’ll share how I evaluated and improved a simulated learning object, describe the accessibility issues I found, outline the changes I made, and recommend tools to support accessible design. Why Accessibility Matters Accessible education materials are crucial because they remove barriers for learners with disabilities and improve the user experience for everyone. According to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), accessibility means that "people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web" (W3C, 2018). Inaccessible content excludes users, while accessible content empowers them. Evaluation of the Learning Object The learning object titled Orchards and Vineyards initially included strong organizatio...
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   Empowering Future Innovators: St. Mary’s New Computer Lab Vision                                      Source: Shutterstock.  Computer Lab [Photograph].  https://www.shutterstock.com/search/school-computer-lab  🌟A Vision for the Future At St. Mary’s Catholic School, we believe that every student deserves access to the tools that will shape their future. That’s why we’re excited to share our vision for a new state-of-the-art computer lab, specifically designed to serve students in Grades 9 through 12. This initiative is more than a technology upgrade—it’s a commitment to fostering innovation, improving academic performance, and preparing students for the digital demands of the 21st century. 🎓 Who Will This Lab Serve? The new lab will directly benefit 150 to 200 students each week, supporting various disciplines including math, science, language art...
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