Welcome to the TATC Portfolio Home
for
Cheri Walker

The major components and navigation of my portfolio are presented on the left, at the top under the banner and at the bottom of the page. The following components comprise my navigation and portfolio framework:

• TATC Portfolio Home - An introduction of myself including my Resume and my technology life history.
• Goals - A brief statement of the goals I have set for myself concerning technology and teaching.
• Observation - A reflective statement concerning my overall thoughts about my Observation experiences.
• Reflection - A brief statement concerning the program.
• Standards I-XI - All of the Technology Applications (8-12) Standards and their artifacts are listed on one page with a link provided to each individual standard. Each standard has one or more captioned artifacts linked to it. Note that when you view an artifact representing any standard, a separate window will open for the artifact. When you finish viewing the artifact you can close the window.
  • I, II, III, IV, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI - Links to direct access of each individual standard and its captioned artifacts.
• Standard's Matrix - A matrix diagramming the relationship between the TA Standards and each of the associated indicators with my portfolio artifacts.
  

Personal Background / Significant Events / Reasons / Preparing / Resume

Personal Background

I grew up in Ft. Worth, TX. I was born Cheri Elaine White, daughter of John and Lavonne White, and the granddaughter of Fred and Onace McGilvray of Keller, TX. My childhood was normal and quiet and full of experiences on my grandparents farm in Keller, where they had 200 head of milking cattle. I have one sister, Judy who is now married with three beautiful children to Danny Hartt. I married Norman Walker, born in Lebanon, Oregon; the oldest son of Gordon and Marybelle Walker, also from Oregon. We are the proud parents of a daughter Amy and a son Tyler.

Significant Personal and Technology Events in My Life

I am what used to be called the child of the 60's. I find that being born in 1957, I was at the perfect age to be malable by the incredible changes in our culture and music during this era. I love music performance of any kind. The events in school that changed my course are linked to one teacher during junior high, in drama, who believed that I could do something great and gave me the chance. I previously had been an anamoly because of an erratic growth spurt at age 2, it was difficult to believe that I really belonged in the age group of kids I attended school with. I was 12 inches taller than everyone until 6th grade. Nature kindly helped all the others not only catch up, but leave me at a petite 5'3" tall. The distinction that my size had made during those important years in elementary school stayed with me. A teacher helped me see beyond my labels. From that moment on I believe I had a compassion for those who were different and a love for the theatre, where you could be anything or anyone.

Reasons for Wanting to be a Technology Applications Teacher

I became a technology teacher because of Mrs. McWhorter, Business teacher at Richland High School. She constantly reminded me that the skills in business were the skills that everyone needed to succeed in everything else. Responsibility, organization, leadership, integrity, decision making skills. These things were necessary to be a good politician, parent, spouse, and any other profession imagined. I earned a Bachelor in Business Administration from North Texas State University, where I graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1979. Along with that degree I also earned certification in Composite Business Education, Secondary. I left college with a full time position with Emery Air Freight, a leader in freight transportation and within two years, I began using my educational/business background as a national trainer and Customer Service Supervisor. The Dallas office was the third largest in the nation. The skills that I used in the position at that time included a state of the art computer system with real-time communication links around the world. I was hooked.

Preparing to Teach

Teaching today is a multicolored "trip", a phrase used in the 60's to elude to unusual, mind altering, wild. Those same adjectives could be used to describe teaching in the New Millenium. High School students come to our classrooms with skill and knowledge that were not even considered possible during the same adolescent period of my life. Teaching them is a daily challenge to find the right key to start their motor, to steer them in the right direction, carefully braking at the turns and listening for the sounds of a special need that should never cause the trip to come to a screeching halt. They need structure, but demand new horizons to explore. Technology offers this. Technology in any grade level allows the student to acquire the information, to test theories, to demonstrate understanding in ways that are meaningful to their life. Bright colors, digitally created pictures, reports, music. Videos that bring history to life and tie it to anchors of reality. I believe that technology is the boat that will safely cross the vast task that educators face today.