Hello! My name is Greg Sherman, and I am the instructor for this course. The image above is a recent picture of me. It depicts half black & white photorealism, and half cartoon. I could tell you that this representation was chosen to reflect the nuanced darkness of my trouble soul contrasted with the animated levity and sense of mischievousness with which I embrace the world. Or I could tell you that I rarely take a good picture, and this is a 2-minute Instagram add-on filter job done designed to make me look prettier and more interesting than I really am.
You can decide which version of the story you prefer. Anyway, a little about myself...
I grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona. After high school, I attended Arizona State University, located in the neighboring Phoenix suburb of Tempe. I went to high school with my wife, and we have been together since the beginning of my college experience. We have three children, depicted in the recent wedding picture below.
This was not a wedding for one of my children. It was a family friend. My children all live out in the real world now, and to be honest I don't think any of them are too keen on the institution of marriage. I am more than OK with this!
At Arizona State University (go Sun Devils!), I studied education and became a high school Biology teacher. I taught for 1o years while continuing to go to school, eventually earning my terminal degree in the field of Instructional Technology, a field of education that is an applies psychology in the pursuit of instructional design and the evaluation of instructional programs. Since leaving the K-12 classroom, I have worked as a faculty member and consultant for a number of colleges and organizations, represented in my NASCAR-like logo array above.
Throughout my teaching and consulting, I have had an opportunity to work with teachers in classrooms across the United States in an effort to help educators adopt a more "design thining" mindset. The map above represents the locations of most of the schools where I have worked.
Currently, my instructional design consulting activities focus on the development of web-based instructional solutions for immunization workers throughout the world, focusing on WHO and UNICEF immunization specialists working in sub-Saharan African nations.
And now...a few things that bug me.
Which brings me to four important things in my life...
1. My family (see the picture above)
2. Designing effective learning environments using technology as creatively and effectively as possible. I think many professional educators don't do this very well.
3. Music. I love listening to music. Music provides a colorful soundtrack to my days working at the computer, and live music experiences fill my nights with passion and drama. Here are a few of the albums and groups I have been following lately:
4. Sterling Archer
