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E-Mail: bober@mail.sdsu.edu Professor and Dept. Chair; educational consultant (generally specializing in evaluation projects); mom to several cocker spaniels and two cats
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E-Mail:
bober@mail.sdsu.edu Professor and
Dept. Chair; educational consultant (generally specializing in evaluation
projects); mom to several cocker spaniels and two cats
|
I was raised in Simi Valley (long before it became home to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and known for the Rodney King trial) and watched it grow from a small bedroom community to a real city. I was a teenager during the late '60s and early '70s, and lived through memorable political times (always exciting but sometimes disturbing); I was lucky enough, in fact, to witness my own community move from county control to cityhood -- an interesting struggle of different interests, perspectives, and visions. After high school -- whole semesters of total boredom punctuated by stimulating/intense intellectual experiences (a special thanks to Mrs. Greening and Mr. Schultz) -- I attended UC-Santa Barbara, and then the University of Oregon. My undergraduate career was completely undistinguished; nonetheless, I learned enough to settle into teaching at-risk students, first with San Diego City Schools and later with the Grossmont Union High School District. In 1988, I decided that a master's degree was essential for the goals I had set for myself ... but I found SDSU's EDTEC program quite by accident. My real ambition was to become a great writer, but my partner (Bill) urged me to study something that would let me earn "real money." Though I made the decision to earn a doctorate long before I finished the master's degree, I thought it best to take a year hiatus and rediscover my family, friends, and pets. So ... it wasn't until 1992 that I left for Arizona State University and the Learning and Instructional Technology (LNT) program (now called Educational Technology). For five years -- both while I was in school and after graduation -- I commuted between Ahwatukee (a neighborhood on the southeast edge of Phoenix) and San Diego. We returned to full-time San Diego residency in 1997, but four years later bought a second home in Phoenix about five miles from where we had lived earlier. Bill and I find the desert fascinating and beautiful -- and our backyard, which backs to a preserve, teems with wildlife. |
Since 1992, I've done
extensive consulting -- a "home-based" business I fell into initially
because I needed to find work that meshed with my doctoral studies
at ASU. I stayed with it after graduation because I liked having
options, learning new skills, living "on the edge," and sharing
with others important tips I've learned along the way. In the early
years of my practice, I focused on materials development; while
some projects were quite boring and mundane (for example, GED practice
tests published by Cliffs Notes), others were very exciting ...
with a broader impact than I ever anticipated (for example, a
workers' compensation fraud awareness course that, for many years,
was presented all over the state). I've been teaching
in the Department continuously since Fall '96 -- appreciative of
the opportunities I've been afforded. I've been directly involved
in the evaluation of several technology infusion grants in place
in local-area school districts, as well as one that targets the
emerging technology practices of SDSU's preservice teachers. I've
also worked on a grant to reshape SDSU's undergraduate mechanical
engineering curriculum. I've helped to design
workshops to improve the tactical skills of school police officers (training
mandated by state law), assessed a web-based system for building and sharing
student portfolios, and developed countless teacher guides to accompany
third-party software. I've worked with the Imperial
County Office of Education--which is charged with managing the California
K-12 High Speed Network, the City
Heights Educational Collaborative (focusing in particular on School
in the Park), and the Classroom
of the Future Foundation--which has overseen implementation of Apple
Computer's Universal
Locker at Bonita
Vista High School. I try to select projects
that reflect my views of professional development and the competencies
we all need to meet the demands of today's workplace. While I'm not a prolific
writer, I regularly publish articles, book chapters, and occasional
pieces.
An abbreviated vitae
is available for review, along with slides for a few presentations I
made in 2005 and 2006: WASC,
ISPI, and ASTD. ---------------- If I had the time, I'd
go back to school again ... first to study business management (since
over the years, I've learned that my abilities as a performance technologist
far outweigh my strengths at managing finances) and then to become
a forensic scientist! [As the partner of a (now retired) police
officer, I couldn't help but pick up the urge to investigate, and it's
a great complement to evaluation.] During the Spring 2005
semester, I was on sabbatical, primarily based at Arizona State University.
It was a great opportunity to charge my batteries, teach in a new and
different venue (with Dr. Howard Sullivan, who served as my dissertation
chair), and tackle a few long-term research/writing projects I'd put
on hold for so long!
My limited spare time
is devoted to caring for Bill and our animals. I've outlined several
stories about all the dogs we've owned ... but a host of distractions
has kept the project from getting off the ground. Since February 2005,
we've welcomed several new additions to the brood including two kittens
(Thunder and Lightn'n), Boomer (a tri-colored cocker shown here), Dooie
(a two-tone blond cocker) and the lovely Lola (a chocolate cocker--and
one wild lady). Bill and I make wonderful pet parents; we'll be adding
a fourth cocker to the brood in Spring 08. Though I don't volunteer
nearly as often as I'd like to (or should), I'm quite involved with
the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Click here to see an
array of pictures from the 2006
Breast Cancer 3•Day Walk (Nov 10 thru
12). In early November 2007, I'll be crewing in Phoenix! I'm also an avid distance
runner, but a perennially sore left knee now limits me to half-marathons;
my marathon days are over, I think.
Last updated on September 1,
2007.
This is a personal home page and does not represent the opinions
of San Diego State University.
Open the College of Education or EDTEC home pages.