October 2023
When I first began teaching, I knew nothing about how people learn, save one person – myself. The way I learned was nearly never the same as how others learned. So, after a couple of decades of honing my craft, I decided it was high time I invested in myself. My masters work was in education and the process of learning with technology with a focus on constructionism & constructivism, situated learning, and metacognition.
Computer science and information systems students learn by building things individually and in groups. They also learn by being thrown into the deep end of the world in which they are expected to thrive as a professional.
Over the years, I have had many excellent teachers who tried everything from a gentle nudge to shoving me onto the third rail. Everything they did worked in one form or another. Only I likely did not realize it until tens of years later. Some influenced more recently. I now offer a heartfelt thank you to those who made a massive difference in my life in education and technology: Dale Bryant, Bryan Eaton, Dan Mulligan, Dr. Catherine Bliss, Mark Lewis, Dr. Nathan Whitley-Grassi, and Dr. Diane Gal.
I must thank my parents for pushing me into technology when all I wanted to be was a drummer. And, of course, my wife and children, who have endured my many moods as I endeavor to revise both narration and code – you are the true heroes of this project.
Finally, I wish to thank the (growing list of) students who have provided detailed feedback while this book was being tested in the classroom:
Liana Pangburn Christian Bossio William Lahaise Kenric Chung Spring 2022 Wolfryn Drake Curran Flanders Amanda Lambiase Spring 2023 Jonathan Julca Spring 2024 Joe Saxe
Bill Jojo