William H. McClure EDT 546 6/10/2002   My name is Bill McClure. My current course of study at ASUW is masters of secondary education with an emphasis in technology. I completed the Intel "Teach to the Future" program last year. Completion of this course qualified me to earn the unlimited use of a state of the art PC (Pentium III, 20 gig HD, CD ROM, etc). My personal use of a PC at home is continuous since 1981. Working at Xerox as both a technician and sales representative afforded me the use of the latest technology. After leaving Xerox in 1991, I continued my computer use during my undergraduate study. Currently, my wife and I both use computer technology daily. My wife is working on her degree from an online program at the University of Phoenix. Her current online requirements are extensive. I have experience in basic PC operation and MS application software. Current windows environment is very different from the early DOS days. I have used the Internet since 1994 and a Sony digital camera for over two years. In spite of my daily use, I feel that my skill level using PC technology is average. I have very little experience in the MAC platform. I still have so much to learn. Using technology at Sunnyslope high school is an inescapable fact. Working as an Applied Technology teacher, computer use is a daily fact. I create lessons, worksheets, and assignments almost every day. I keep track of student grades on Micro-grade application software. In my IntroTech class, there are 20 PC available for student use. Students are required weekly, to present a technology précis. Many students research technology issues in class for these reports. The first of February, my ICE class will begin a stock market simulation online in our media center. As I said, using technology in secondary education is inescapable. An area of growth for me would be in online courses (like your site at ASUW) and WebQuests lessons. I am convinced that most classes can improve by using PC/Internet technology. Students are drawn to using technology in the classroom. I think most teachers are reluctant to integrate new and exciting tech method in the classroom. Last summer, I competed an Internet website design class with Dr. Alice Christie. The goal of the class was to create individual website that incorporated a WebQuest lesson. My lesson centered on a project I used in my IntroTech class: a mousetrap car. The students loved it. All the worksheets and instructions were online. I also posted a number of resource sites where student could examine different ideas and designs. I need more WebQuest lessons for my classes!

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