About Me

My name is Jeffery Heil and I am from, well, I'm not exactly sure. I was born in Las Vegas, NV and lived there until I was two years old. Then I moved to  Phoenix, AZ and lived there until first grade–then I moved back and forth from Seattle, WA (actually, Marysville, but no one outside of the NW knows the city) to Phoenix, AZ. I have attended almost every college in San Diego.  I received a BA in Philosophy from UCSD, my teaching credential from National University (awesome synchronized swimming team!), and my MA from SDSU in Liberal Arts & Sciences. I also dropped out of a doctoral program at Pepperdine University. . .I have always loved school and everything about it. As a result, I have experienced a lot of success in school.  It honestly took a few years into my teaching career to discover just how fortunate I was to have my learning style and intellectual strengths align with the current model of education.  This isn't true for everyone.  It's not that I didn't know there were some people who didn't like school, but I always assumed it must have been something in them that prevented school from being the wonderland it was for me.  I have since dramatically changed my view about the institution of education and realize that there is a lot that we can change in education to make schools more inviting for a larger number of people.  I have recently been obsessed with ways in which we can make school a place where everyone can be successful. I see technology as one tool that can help us accomplish this goal.

My experiences with technology are varied. I had little or no experience with computers until I began college, at the ripe-old age of 28. I remember that my parents used a $3000 interest-free loan from my dad's employer to purchase a Mac IIvx for me. I have been a Mac fanboy ever since (if only I had bought stock). Now, I am fairly proficient in many different programs from basic word processing to advanced video editing. I have been teaching educational technology for the last 8+ years and I love to show people how to integrate technology into their classrooms and their lives!

I am currently (in my day job) a technology resource teacher for the San Diego County Office of Education's Juvenile Court and Community Schools (JCCS), where I assist teachers in their use of technology to support student learning. Although my platform of choice is Mac, my district is moving toward almost exclusively PCs, so I have been forced to go to the DarkSide during the day, but I guess it has made me more of a well-rounded computer geek. . .although the iPad is really looking like an awesome and fairly inexpensive way to revolutionize the use of technology in education!

I have been teaching for CSUSM since 2005 when I was selected as a Distinguished Teacher in Residence (DTiR).  I have found that I really love teaching adults. My university experience has been amazing as I have been able to focus on my two true passions: educational equity and technology integration. Last year, I aslo began teaching for USD in their SOLES (School of Leadership and Educational Sciences) MA program where I teach a course called "Learning and Technology."

Teaching is not just what I do. . .it is who I am.  I feel very fortunate to be able to call my passions work. . .

peace,

jeff