Me on what was left of the Berlin Wall in April 1990
Hola! I am an American English-as-a-foreign-language teacher who has lived in central Mexico for over 13 years, first in Toluca and now in Mexico City. My interest in Wikipedia began as an outgrowth of my interest in technology and language learning in general, looking for ways to authentically practice language skills in the form of projects. That was about eight years ago. Since then, I have become rather addicted to writing and improving articles on Mexico in the English language Wiki for several reasons. First of all, much of what I write about requires the use of Spanish-language sources of information. For some reason, L2 reading is tough for me, so this forces me to read in Spanish and produce something to show for all the effort. My Spanish reading skills have improved. Second, I learn so much about my adopted home Mexico. It has allowed me to look at what I see with new eyes and much better appreciation since I know about the history and culture behind all the churches, archeological ruins, plazas and crafts that can seem to be the same after a while. Thirdly, I have met many intelligent and wonderful people through the various groups, people and projects of the Wikimedia Foundation.
I cannot stress enough how much this has enriched my "wiki life" and my life in general, meeting people from all over Mexico with ambitions. I have an international networks of contacts in museums, national archives and more to allow me to give opportunities to students as I help myself as well.
My Academic Discourse and Writing class Fall 2016 Tec de Monterrey, Mexico City
As a teacher, I have worked at ITESM for over 13 years..., for the first five years, I worked at Campus Toluca but now I am at Campus Ciudad de Mexico. My professional interests are Computer assisted language learning, Self_access_language_learning_centers and the teaching of composition. At Campus Toluca, I started their self access digital lab and used Wikipedia for the advanced college-level English classes to teach writing skills. Because of this, I tend to work on articles related to Mexican geography, Mexican handcrafts, folk art and fine art.
While I still teach classes, Wikipedia has enmeshed itself into my working life. I co-founded and run the program "Wiki Learning Tec de Monterry," a recognized affiliate of the Wikimedia Foundation. In this program, students work with Wikipedia as part of class, to earn community service hours (mandatory of all Mexican university students) and with "Semana i" a week-long event at Tec de Monterrey when students work soley on a single project rather than attend classes.
I have a B.A. in Linguistics from Rutgers University, a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Arizona and M.A. in English Language and Linguistics from the U. of Arizona. I have taught advanced English as a second/foreign language for over 20 years at Cochise College, the U. of Arizona, ITESM Toluca and ITESM Ciudad de Mexico
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