I grew up in California, Oregon, and Alaska, and I graduated high school in Wrangell, Alaska.  Wrangell is the name of the island and the only town on the island, which is located in Southeast Alaska on the Inside Passage.  Living in Wrangell piqued my interest in outdoor activities such as hiking, native cultures, and history.  Wrangell is notable in history because it was owned by three different countries; Russia, Britain, and the United States.

After I graduated high school I attended the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF) where I studied history.  Although UAF is known more for its geology programs my professors were knowledgeable and I thoroughly enjoyed my history classes.  I also developed an interest in literature and communications.

I graduated UAF in 1997, and I enlisted in the United States Army as a linguist.  After basic training I attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California and studied Vietnamese for 47 weeks.  I was in the Army for five years and attained the rank of sergeant, but I never wanted to make it a career.  When my tour ended I followed my wife to Williamsburg, Virginia where she was studying to get her masters degree in biology.

I enrolled in a transition to teaching program for Newport News Public Schools and before I knew it I was teaching ninth grade geography.  For the last three years I have devoted my time and energy to integrating the geography curriculum with technology.  At the same time I want to further understand and develop methods for integrating technology in the classroom on a cross curriculum basis.  My current focus is on technology that can be implemented with relative ease and little cost by teachers.  Furthermore, I firmly believe the most efficient vehicle for linking information from different sources and providing a platform for student interactivity is a website with flash technology.  My most recent efforts lay in the area of social networking to include forums, blogs, and wikis.

Education

  • 2004 – 2007, Old Dominion University, MS in Secondary Education
  • 1998 – 1999, Basic Vietnamese Language Course, Defense Language Institute, Monterey, CA
  • 1993 – 1997, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Bachelor of Arts Degree in History with a Minor in Spanish GPA:  3.7; Graduated Cum Laude
  • January - March 1995, University of Guadalajara exchange student with intensive Spanish course

Presentations/Conferences

  • December 4, 2011: A. Dreyer. More Than Gadgets: The Power of Teaching with Mobile Devices. Oral Presentation at the National Council for Social Studies, Washington D.C.
  • March 26, 2011: A. Dreyer. The iPod, Not Just Another Gadget. Oral Presentation at the Virginia Society for Technology in Education Mobile Learning Share Fair, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
  • March 17, 2008: The 4th Annual Literacy Lesson Fair for All Secondary Teachers, Williamsburg, Virginia.
  • February 24 - 26, 2008:  A. Dreyer.  The Evolution of a Website into a Truly Interactive Teaching Platform.  Oral Presentation at the 2008 Annual Virginia Society for Technology in Education Conference, Roanoke, Virginia.
  • October 17 - 19, 2007:  National School Boards Association Technology and Leadership (T + L) Conference, Nashville, Tennessee.

Grants/Awards

  • Doors to Diplomacy Gold Award
  • Instructional Mini Grant 2011: $320 for a clas set of the book Half the Sky
  • Instructional Mini Grant 2010: $350 for comiclife software
  • 2009 Menchville High School Teacher of the Year
  • Kids in Need Teacher Grant 2008: $200 for classroom technology development

Favorite Software

  • Dreamweaver
  • Flash
  • Fireworks
  • Garageband
  • iMovie
  • Moodle
  • PhpBB3
  • Google Earth/Google Maps

Travels

  • Yukon Territory, Canada
  • Guadalajara, Mexico
  • All of Central America except Panama
  • Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
  • Manzanillo, Mexico
  • Hanoi, Vietnam
  • French Polynesia
  • England