Christina Herrera Biography ED 517 Professor Bruzzese Fall 2011

Hello! My name is Christina DiNielli Herrera, but I just go by Christy. My husband (Ben) and I got married December 19, 2010.

Yes, it rained on our wedding day! But we had a great time!! We spent two glorious weeks in Italy right after our wedding. We went to Rome, Florence, Pisa, and of course Venice!

I currently teach English, Spanish, and Yoga at Century Academy, which is a hybrid online independent study high school. I started teaching in 1992 and spent the first 10 years of my career in grades 1-3. I left the classroom for a few years to work for an educational publisher. That was a really fun and profitable job, but I ended up missing the classroom and the students! For the past 3 years I have been in alternative education including a community court school, juvenile hall, and continuation high school. In addition to teaching, I am also certified as a yoga instructor and as a reflexologist. I would eventually like to become certified in reiki.

When I first started the Educational Technology program at APU I felt somewhat pro ficient in technology. Now that Ive completed my first two courses and am nearing the end of the second term, I see that I have so much more to learn than I thought! I really want to be able to give my students good online experiences with their education. I want them to leave our school and be able to flourish at either a brick and mortar college or an online program. Im hoping to be more tech savvy on completion of this program. My experience includes email/calendar such as Outlook, limited Excel, some PowerPoint, MS Word, general Internet. At work I use APEX software for delivery of lessons to my students. I also use my iPhone frequently to check emails and to move my students along in their classes when they get stuck.

I am really excited about this opportunity and am looking forward to learning much more! I do not have children, but my husband has two grown sons, one granddaughter, and one grandson. Ben and I often go hiking in the local mountains and are hoping to start bicycling soon. We enjoy cooking together and doing local wine tasting.