Jobs

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list of references

1. Matthew Anthes-Washburn
   • Boston Public Schools-(now at Vernier Software)
   • mateoaw@gmail.com
   • 503-567-9429
2. Steve Gordon
   • National Writing Project
   • swingordon@rcn.com
   • 781-643-7617
3. Barbara Ohrstrom
   • ohrstromb@gmail.com, b.ohrstrom@neu.edu
   • 857-345-0978
4. Mary Grady
   • mgrady@boston.k12.ma.us>,
5. Francellis Nunez
   • fnunez@boston.k12.ma.us>,
6. Marilyn Matis
   • 781-439-4275
   • MARILYNMATIS@GMAIL.COM
7. Gail A. Carpenter
   • Boston University
   • gail@bu.edu o
   • 617 529 5277

Senior Math Editor

We are seeking a senior editor with subject matter expertise in math to manage projects in both math and science for our publishing clients. We are looking for an editor who is experienced and excited about helping to create or to manage the creation/repurposing of content for educational technology products.

The successful candidate must be flexible, very detail-oriented, and a skilled communicator. He or she must be comfortable creating initial product samples to fully understand project requirements, and be able to communicate these requirements effectively to the project's internal or freelance staff. This position requires the ability to problem solve both editorial and technical solutions as issues arise, and comfort with working both at the "in the weeds" level and at the "30,000 feet" management level, often simultaneously.

The ideal candidate has a proven track record of delivering projects on time and within budget, an in-depth knowledge of math education, and at least 3 years of editorial/writing experience.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Working with our clients to ensure they get the best service possible; this may involve communicating project status, issues, and resolutions, and training clients' staff Editing/review of math materials for accuracy and adherence to guidelines Managing internal and freelance staff Creating writer's guidelines and project specifications from client project descriptions Assisting in the conceptualization of innovative new interactive product ideas for online instruction and assessment Setting high standards for editorial content and pedagogical approach, and ensuring that the final product reflects these high standards Skills & Experience

3+ years editing/writing school math materials; science experience a plus Experience developing or working on technology projects Familiarity with the Common Core State Standards Excellent writing and editing skills Detail oriented Comfortable using new technology Knowledgeable using Excel Bachelor's degree required; master's degree in math education or some teaching experience in math a plus Please e-mail your resume and cover note indicating your interest to our CEO, Stephanie Rogalin, at stephanie@epublishingpartners.com

refs

Hi Matt, You may get an inquiry from someone from ePublishingPartners. I'm applying for a 'senior math editor' job. They seemed interested in the pilot we did to combine math and physics.

I trust you had a fantastic Halloween. Love to your family.

Tim 857 498 2574

Hi Steve,

You may get an inquiry from someone from ePublishingPartners. I'm applying for a 'senior math editor' job. They are looking at innovative ways to use technology in education.

When I started I thought I would teach math. But Humanities was wide open and they were already providing rote scripts to math teachers. After tutoring for MCAS I decided that the problem with math was in large part a reading problem anyway. Matt Antes-Washburn and I tried combining math and physics. There is work to do in Math education.

Hope you enjoyed the wind without any major problems.

Tim McKenna 857 498-2574

Hi Barbara,

You may get an inquiry from someone from ePublishingPartners. I'm applying for a 'senior math editor' job. They are looking at innovative ways to use technology in education. They might like to know that I used the laptops to good effect and based my Humanities classes on standards.

Thanks,

Tim McKenna (857)498-2574

EdX Course Manager

Course Managers support edX Fellows and related content staff in the creation and implementation of online courses and other learning products. Course Managers are involved in the complete life-cycle of edX courses, from initial concept through development, launch, and data collection. EdX is seeking Course Managers who have a masters or doctorate degree. An ideal candidate will have:

• significant operational experience with online teaching and learning environments; CMS, LMS systems, and with API feature sets.
• a broad knowledge of higher education content disciplines
• experience with innovative instructional design practices
• exceptional organizational and communication skills
• proven success in digital project management
• a working knowledge of basic computer programming skills, e.g. Python, XML, HTML5
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment is essential.

Content Engineers support edX Fellows and edX Course Managers in the overall technical development of course content, assessments, and domain-specific online tools. Tasks include developing graders for rich problems, designing automated tools for import of problems from other formats, as well as creating new ways for students to interact with domain-specific problems in the system. A candidate must have:

• Python or JavaScript development experience
• A deep interest in pedagogy and education
• Knowledge of GWT or Backbone.js a plus.

If you are interested in this position, please send an email to jobs@edx.org.

email

edX Course Manager

I am applying for the course manager position. I am interested in other employment opportunities at edX as well. I have attached a cover letter and resume.

Tim McKenna 857 498 2574 http://sitebuilt.net

cover letter:

12 Parley Vale Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 857-498 2574 Mckenna.tim@gmail.com September 19, 2012 EdX 11 Cambridge Center Cambridge, MA 02142 jobs@edx.org

re: EdX Course Manager

To Whom It May Concern:

I have an ongoing interest in technology and education and in the creation and implementation of online courses. The school I began teaching in 7 years ago was brand new and every student had a laptop. English and History were combined and became the core standards of a new Humanities curriculum. It didn't exist. The teachers wrote it. We piloted a class combining Algebra, Geometry and Physics for ninth graders, writing exploration modules for students using Geometer's Sketchpad. A group of us started to meet every week to figure out this new technological territory, putting up Moodles and wikis, blogs and forums, hacking existing packages and developing new learning tools with PHP, MYSQL and Javascript. Puzzled by the huge disconnect between bright kids and poor skills, I worked with National Writing project teachers and began to see research as integral to the teaching process. The answers were in front of me if I figured out the right questions to ask. Data was easy to come by. I was in a very rich research environment.

I began to see some substantial changes caused by technology. In my Humanities classes, each student had a repository of all their work in their section of the wiki. Quotes they liked from a novel, bits of notes from class and groups, homework, in-class writing, quizzes, exams, everything was there for them to draw on. Their writing began to improve. The other students could see their work online. Surprisingly, plagiarism went down. Students would cite each other, writing more for their audience of peers than for the teacher. Their writing became another aspect of their individuality.

Last week I decided to check out edX, signing in for 6.002x Circuits and Electronics. I could see that whoever was putting this together was paying attention to the details. There were practice exercises interspersed with the lectures, each with embedded discussions. In my experience, it is craft at the fine level of component interaction that makes of breaks a learning system. How is each exploration different from the lecture example? How does it stretch the student, point in a new direction, cause brain networks to exercise and give useful feedback? The social component of that class is in an early stage of development. Mostly it catalogs the confusions, still it is creating a useful source of data for additional adaptive exercises; it looks very 'mine-able'.

The whole edX enterprise is intriguing. There is the opportunity to create a student culture that spans the world, a space where an amazing range of student types can each get exactly what they need to be successful. As a teacher, having success with some students was rewarding yet ultimately unsatisfying. It was the moments when I had the whole room engaged that I truly felt I was doing the job. A successful edX would be phenomenal and the path to that success treads on unexplored territory.

I would like very much to be involved. I am easily inspired, work tirelessly and enjoy an environment rich in ideas. Please consider this application favorably.

Sincerely,

Timothy S. McKenna

826 Boston, In-School Program Coordinator

General Expectations: The In-School Program Coordinator manages the writing and publishing program in BPS partner classrooms. This staff member works closely with and reports directly to the Program Director. Primary Responsibilities: ● Coordinate in-school tutoring projects and major publishing projects; ● Direct the workshop program by recruiting teachers and students and promoting and coordinating workshops; ● Develop new writing curricula, publishing projects, and collaborations with schools and partners; ● Build and manage relationships with teachers and administrators at BPS partner schools; ● Coordinate Saturday tutoring program with Program Coordinator; ● Support administrative and program staff as needed. Qualifications: · Minimum of 3 years experience teaching writing to students ages 6 to 18 in an urban setting; · Extensive experience teaching or working in urban public schools; · Experience developing writing curricula for students ages 6 to 18; · Knowledge of publishing and design; · Exceptional organizational skills & the ability to multi-task; · Strong written and verbal communication skills; · Proficient Spanish speaking ability (ideal, though not required); · Enthusiastic belief in the mission of 826 Boston as evidenced by a passion for writing and teaching. This part-time position will entail 3 full days of week or approximately 24 hours per week. Benefits include health insurance and nine vacation days per year and an option of a 401K plan. Interested parties should send a resume, cover letter, 1-page writing sample, and three references to: Daniel Johnson, Executive Director 826 Boston 3035 Washington St. Roxbury, MA 02119 hiring@826boston.org

cover letter

For six years I marveled at the tremendous potential of the students in front of me. The job of teaching was to entice their curiosity and ease them into the words of others. Here they could connect to ideas and develop a response. Learning to respond in writing brought them back to the words of others as my students worked to craft their own words and develop their own ideas.

I worked in an innovative environment. The big high schools had just been broken into smaller learning communities, class blocks were 80 minutes, each student had a laptop. English and History were combined and became the core standards of a new Humanities curriculum. It didn't exists. The teachers wrote it. Students saw history through the literature and arts of the time. The readings had a context, the whole enterprise connected to students lives through big ideas and essential questions. It was working and we could see the progress as I developed a relationship with each student around their writing. The National Writing Project provided the theoretical underpinning. I was becoming a teacher/researcher with plenty of student data to mull over with new things to try limited only by my need for a modicum of rest and family time. I had never worked harder.

The Gates money funding the operation ran out, the computers got old. BPS administration lacked continuity; we had 4 headmasters in seven years. Innovation got replaced by homogenization. Technology was reserved for test prep. Reading the book was replaced by telling students what the book said so they could write a scripted response about the character development or something. Daily writing was reduced to filling in graphic organizers. Average SAT scores stayed at 370.

826Boston has been on my radar for years and I have enjoyed your success. You have always struck me as a different kind of program, one working from the bottom up by focusing on students and teachers and classrooms. There are too many of the other kind. This job would be very interesting.

Boston is a great place to put together workshops; the resources are abundant.

Projects have timelines, milestones and develop their own mass and momentum. I like how they work like islands in a sea of randomness.

I'm happy to take credit for what my students have done in creating publications.

I speak enough Spanish so that student's parents would feel welcome and comfortable on parents night though when my students are speaking to each other I guess as much as I hear what they are saying.

I can multitask but, unlike my students, I don't claim to get anything done while I'm texting, checking Facebook and watching a Youtube video.

Working at 826Boston would move me in the direction I desire. Please consider me for this position.

1-page writing sample

25,000 teachers are on a strike that touches a chord ringing throughout the nation. It has something to do with teacher evaluations. Though the contract is settled in Boston, there are issues unresolved and ideas both complex and wide ranging. Some see evaluations as a straw man for the push to eliminate the unions and leave education to private enterprise. For them it bodes ill for the survival of a middle class. They know that charter school teacher salaries max out in five years at $20,000-$30,000 less than union salaries. That makes it hard to live in the city you teach in and difficult to send your kids to college. Forget that little place at the Cape. New evaluation standards make it easier to reduce the unionized workforce and open the cities to charter operators and their investors.

Narrow it down to the 'Race to the Top' and smart people still disagree. Data driven, directed from the top->down with an empowered administration is the government prescription for a better urban school system. Evaluations are a tool to help fill that prescription.

Life in the trenches is a little confusing. Students wonder if they should get back to working hard on a pre-Civil War project that just got interrupted for 4 days of computer testing of random paragraphs and comprehension questions that have nothing to do with Antebellum America. But they know the adults think it's important.

Historically, evaluations have been ineffective with ninety-something percent of teachers getting good evaluations. It is thought that the unions are too powerful and able to protect the jobs of bad teachers making the process of dismissal too long and onerous. Solutions have been negotiated to preserve some teacher rights while attempting to objectify the evaluation process. Perhaps it will work.

So what is the main idea of this piece. What is the author's bias. These are good questions that our kids need to be able to answer. If they can their teacher is good. So we hire a consultant to develop a 'main idea' product and a set of modules and worksheets with scripts for teachers to follow and graphic organizers for student to fill in in diverse groupings of 4. Everybody is professionally developed. The kids figure it out quick. They just have to read the title. The experts keep producing the products. Good teachers follow the scripts, buy into the concept, talk the talk. But who is paying attention to the students?

Well that's the teachers job. Administrators are too busy monitoring the various measures of the Whole School Improvement Plan, getting trained in the latest orthodoxy and providing constituent services to individual students to be thinking about anything particularly academic or educational. In my school one year the headmaster didn't come down to the third floor until June. So they don't really know. They need to rely on some evaluation instrument. But perhaps they need not.

Evaluation is about a conversation about what and how the kids are learning and what is working in the classroom. First you would have to be sure your administrators know as much about Math and Literature and Biology as we expect our students to know. Perhaps a new class could be added to the Broad Institute, Harvard Business School, Harvard Graduate School of Education collaboration on training administrators. Have headmasters trained to ask kids to show what they wrote today, to explain what they learned. Set a goal of 100 such questions a day. Reorganize administering so that half the time is spent in the classrooms. Drop in on a teacher and ask what are you going to try today. Add your ideas. Stop by the class and then chat about it at the end of the day. Do that for 10 classes a day, every day. A person not really suited to teaching will see themselves where they are lacking and either improve or move to a more suitable field of endeavor.

Programs like 826Boston that are working from the bottom up have the potential to help in this process. They open the classroom to other adults and a wider world. The focus shifts to the student. Students crave the attention of other adults and they respond with greater effort. What they are doing in the classroom is validated. The rest of the school community gets curious. The paradigm shifts a little.

three references for Tim McKenna

1. Steve Gordon
   • National Writing Project
   • swingordon@rcn.com
   • 781-643-7617
2. Barbara Ohrstrom
   • 857-345-0978
   • ohrstromb@gmail.com>
3. Marilyn Matis
   • 781-439-4275
   • MARILYNMATIS@GMAIL.COM

Hi Steve, Ah fall in New England. I am happily returned from a summer on the west coast rebuilding my sons house in Portland with my 3 boys. I hope you and your family are well and content.

It is possible 826Boston will contact you for a reference. They are part of that network of writing centers set up by David Eggers. They are looking for a coordinator and curriculum developer for writing projects. I like their work.

All The Best,

Tim McKenna 857 498 2574

Hi Barbara,

When I think back on teaching at PATH and the people who had some idea what I was doing in my classes around reading and writing and creating a coherent story of history I realize it doesn't really include any of my administrators. I always enjoyed talking shop with you, however. I was teaching a World History focused 12th grade Humanities back then.

I am applying for a job with 826Boston, one of a bunch of writing centers set up by David Eggers. They are looking for a coordinator and curriculum developer for writing projects. I like their work. I was wondering if I could use you as a reference?

Hope you and those dear to you are well and that you are enjoying fall in New England.

All The Best,

Tim McKenna 857 498-2574

Hi Marilyn,

I was teaching at PATH while you ran the tutoring program for Westie. Mine were 12th grade Humanities Classes on the third floor down a narrow hallway in a corner of the building, right before the lovely teacher's bathroom/ teacher lounge complex/hovel.

It is strange to think back about who knew what I was trying to accomplish around reading and writing and creating a coherent story of history for my students. You and your tutors, even more than my teaching colleagues and administrators did have a connection to my students.

I am applying for a job with 826Boston, one of a bunch of writing centers set up by David Eggers. They are looking for a coordinator and curriculum developer for writing projects. I like their work. I was wondering if I could use you as a reference?

Hope you and those dear to you are well and that you are enjoying fall in New England.

All The Best,

Tim McKenna 857 498-2574

Pfizer: Pharmacometrics Developer (PWR6717)

Hi Timothy, Per our conversation, I am confirming details for your interview. The details for the interview appear directly below. In addition I have taken the liberty of including the position description below the interview details.

As part of the interview process I am required to ask for references from you. Please type out their name, title, company and their contact details as an email titled "list of references" and send it back to me prior to the date of your interview. Please do not include references for managers where you are currently working if you do not want that manager contacted.

Recently we have been tracking placements and we have noted that there is a higher incidence of placements when a candidate sends a thank you note to the manager after an interview. We recommend that after your interview that you "dash off" a quick email to us for us to pass on to the manager.

Also note it is a breach of Pfizer policy for candidates to ask managers for their contact information during the interview process. Please refrain from doing so.

Finally I have attached some interview tips for your use. Good luck, contact me after your interview to let me know how things went and please confirm receipt of this email so I know you are all set!

INTERVIEW DETAILS

Requirement Name: Pharmacometrics Developer (PWR6717) (#3033-MH904)

Meeting Request Date /Time: 08/27/2012 1:30 PM EDT

Meeting Request Type: Phone

Additional Information - Dial into the Confrence number 1-877-580-3949 and enter the access code

                                           54078149#
                                           Interview with potential manager Steven Martin and Business technology
                                           consultant Andrew Hill
                                          

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position Code: PWR6717 Position Title: Pharmacometrics Developer Position Length: 6 - 12 months Position Status: W-2 Position Location: Cambridge, MA

Company Profile: Our client is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to discovering new medicines, new technologies and new ways to manage health for people and their valued animals. Their purpose is helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives- adding both years to life, and life to years. Position Summary:

Pharmacometrics Developer Support Role: The synergy between advanced knowledge management, quantitative drug development and statistical study design are central to the clients' drug development strategy. A 6 month to one year position in our pharmacometrics group at Cambridge park Drive, Cambridge, MA, is available for an individual with experience of Mediawiki and FCKEditor page editor as well as possessing data/analytical skills. The successful candidate will help our scientists develop Wiki pages to help integrate pharmacometric knowledge from various sources both internal and externally generated and share this information internally for a variety of disease areas and new medicines. This is a unique opportunity to develop and apply your programming and analytical skills in a research environment, at one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. You will contribute to the continual improvement of the drug development process. Candidate should be familiar with the Mediawiki collaborative wiki platform. In particular they should have demonstrated experience designing, creating and editing wiki pages, and using categories to organize page collections. Candidate Skills: Additional desirable skills would include experience with wiki page Templates, the FCKEditor page editor, and Mediawiki extensions such as Dynamic Page Listing (DPL). An enthusiasm to develop excellent skills in R/S-Plus , and/or similar data-analytical/mathematical modelling tools is expected. Excellent oral and written communication skills, as well as an ability to work effectively in a team environment, are essential. The successful candidate will also have a background in a quantitative science such as mathematics, statistics, pharmacy, medicine, physics or engineering. During your placement with us you will gain an understanding of the drug discovery and development process and see how quantitative skills can contribute towards it. You will be supervised by an experienced pharmacometrician and will be working as part of a small drug development team. You will encounter a friendly, encouraging and supportive atmosphere. Must have excellent mathmatical experience; must have excellent communication skills as the resource will be working with multiple users (Globally; NOT required to work off hours); confirmation that the candidate MUST have solid Wiki experience. MUST HAVE A BACHELORS DEGREE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE AND/OR BIOLOGY).

Breakthroughit Michael Lyman

Main Phone 561.362.7179 (X-7) Direct Office 561.594-1718 Cell Phone 561.702.6114 Direct Fax 888.561.1914

jobs@breakthroughit.com | www.breakthroughit.com | Michael on Linkedin

Attachments: BreakthroughIT, Inc. (BreakthroughIT Inc ( #78839).DOC, Timothy McKenna (BreakthroughIT Train #78939).DOC, Timothy McKenna (Timothy S. McKenna P #79551).DOC

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It's great to hear from you! I very much enjoyed our work together while you were in CNS, and would be more than happy to provide a reference to you for this or any other job. Your references can send me email (gail@bu.edu) or call my cell ( 617 529 5277).

The main reason for you to alert me to such a call is to give me as much information as you can about what the work would be and why you're interested. Can you also please send me (e.g.) a CV and (if available) a short narrative about what you've been doing over the past 6 years -- and earlier, if you'd like.

BTW: Pfizer is (weirdly, admittedly) spelled with an F. I don't care, but they might ...

I hope that you and your family have had a good few years and are enjoying the summer.

Hi Gail,

Thanks for providing a reference.

The job involves creating a platform through which researchers on different projects at Pfizer can be kept abreast of each other's work. Part of the job is to adapt and customize a wiki for this purpose. The work involves creating connections to the scientific programming platforms that they are using, statistical packages and Matlab like modeling environments. I miss being immersed in science and think I'd enjoy connecting with different research teams.

Over the past six years I have been teaching mostly Humanities in the Boston Public Schools. I have done some other things like mentor the Robotics team and co-developed a course combining algebra, geometry and physics for 9th graders. I started teaching the first year of a new school. Following trends of the time (and Gates money), big urban high schools were getting broken up into schools of 300-400 students. All my students had laptops and there was a spirit that encouraged innovation. We wrote the new Humanities curriculum in which students increased there understanding of history through the arts and literature of the time and visa-versa. We focused on case studies and broad questions that always came back to helping students understand the current world and their place in it.

It was an amazingly data-rich environment. CNS was all about modeling data so I was in data heaven. I got involved with a 'teachers as researchers' approach to education and the process of collecting data from students writing and other measures, analyzing it, developing an plan from it, implementing the plan and collecting more data became endlessly fascinating and rewarding. The students had laptops. They all had a accounts on the class wiki and everything they wrote, every essay and quiz and quote they liked lived on the wiki. Students could see others each work. Their writing became part of their identity. It improved.

In 2011 with the Gates money gone they closed the school, re-combining small schools into big schools. Th laptops weren't getting replaced. You could requisition a cart a week in advance for an hour so students could work on some test-prep package. Trying new things was frowned upon. Pacing guides were introduced. Every teacher and student would now be working on the same lesson each day. Problem was that lesson didn't really involve reading or writing, students fill in graphic organizers and teachers tell them what the book was about. It was not at all interesting to me. I resigned.

I loved teaching. It was the hardest job I ever had and it took me ~53 hour a week to do it well. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I also think I am on to something on how technology can transform education and I am looking in that area as well. Part of that is creating little apps that explain a difficult idea. This Pfizer job would be a step in the direction I want to go.

I hope you and your family are doing well. I've been out on the west coast for the second half of the summer. The ocean is freezing, the coast is rugged, not at all like our coast. I trust you are enjoying your summer. I stopped building houses when my son Tobin was 14. We had some unfinished business. So I'm showing him how to build his house in Portland Oregon. He's a mechanical engineer for Vestas.

Again thanks for the reference.

Tim McKenna
(857)498-2574 http://sitebuilt.net

Minus

How are you! My name is John, cofounder of http://Minus.com - We are an image sharing startup based in midtown Manhattan. We are looking to grow our team this summer and you can learn more at http://minus.com/pages/careers

I came across your profile on Github and was wondering if you would be interested in a fulltime position or have potential referrals. Hope to hear back soon and I'd be happy to answer any questions as well.

Cheers!

BoundlessLearning

Dear Nick, Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today.

I would imagine that being an educurator would be an interesting job for someone recently minted in a field of study. The adage that you cannot claim to really know something until you can explain it comes into play here and the process would have a good bit of intrinsic reward.

Coordinating a group of educurators would be about reinforcing that connection to intrinsic reward as you develop standards of clarity and create an infrastructure that is easy to plug into. You would likely be part of the team creating that infrastructure as well. That's the job I want. There you are thinking more like a teacher, a builder, an orchestrator, a facilitator.

Good luck with your second iteration. There is an awful lot of work to do in this sphere. Perhaps other lead positions will open up. I would be interested.

Tim McKenna http://sitebuilt.net (857)498-2574

US Greendata

To Whom It May Concern:

I have always written code, creating routines that get something done, be it automating the building process in AutoCad's Lisp, running simulations of neural network models of vision using Matlab, or extending Mediawiki for classroom use using PHP and MySQL. Recently I have been exploring using HTML5 and jquery-mobile to illuminate something complicated (like designing an income tax system) within the constraints of a mobile device. I am figuring out Amazon Cloud Services and NOSQL database services through Python. Some repositories are at https://github.com/mckennatim. I like the Agile philosophy of development.

I just got back from Portland Oregon where my former partner, Bill Clumpner, runs an energy consulting company. With my son who works as an engineer at Vestas, I am designing a system that uses junk heat from a wood stove, a solar collector and on demand water heater to warm up a tank enough to put 100F water into the radiant coils in the first floor slab and under the bathroom tiles. In the process I have seen the promise in this sector and the need for software tools to make it comprehensible. What does beyond the solar-calulator look like?

I like the things that you are working on and feel that I could contribute. Thanks for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Tim McKenna

Tech content specialist - MATLAB

I like to puzzle about the best way to explain something. When I was a builder, I'd give my crews cut-lists and assembly instructions produced by Autocad LISP programs. At first they thought it was crazy but in the end they had developed a deeper understanding about building.

I went on to different kinds of teams where well crafted code contained within it the explanation and by 2AM we were using every available machine at BU to run our MATLAB simulations: models of the brain for memory, vision and recognition.

As a teacher, you are not really creating a team but more a positive atmosphere where everyone supports everyone else and students felt comfortable taking risks. It was here where I really tuned in on how stage my writing and speaking to optimize understanding in the class in front of you.

I am interested in the job. I like writing and puzzling out how to meet the needs of my audience. Please consider me for this position. You might find one of my class websites useful in assessing my writing. Try: http://www.pathboston.com/hum3. As evidence of familiarity with programming languages you could check my repository at https://github.com/mckennatim.

Thanks for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Tim McKenna

Director of content- front end prototyper

Fortunately for you, Boundless is like a 360° mullet: party in the back AND party in the front. We need you to design and build rich HTML5 web-apps that change the way college students learn. This beauty contest has a serious talent portion, so our platform needs to both look pretty AND flow seamlessly while delighting students with innovative, interactive learning tools.

We take a thoughtful approach to the front end. We continue to move further down the HTML5 app path, and invest heavily in tools that make us productive. Backbone/Spine. ExtJS/Sencha. CoffeeScript. SCAML (like HAML, but w/ Scala). SASS (Of course, how can you make front-ends without it??) And it's not just software that keeps us productive: all engineers have standing/sitting desks, Apple laptops, cinema displays, and head-phones so you can focus and GSD. And infinite coffee—that's a big piece too.

You're a straight shooter. Like us. Since it's high noon, here come the bullets:

Manage Content Creation Process

Manage a team of in-house domain-specific Content Managers Help source, train, manage, and evaluate independent freelancers Help manage and optimize the content curation process. Continue leading ongoing optimization and improvement of the process, with eyes on how to increase quality and efficiency Maintain detailed real time analytics and metrics of status of project, including efficiency, status, and quality Product Development Support

Lead the Product Development of the internally created Content Management System Interface with product development about user experience and learning features Input on front end product development and user experience Development of additional features to support and improve the learning experience Desired Skills & Experience

Ideal work experience includes:

Managing an in-house team (3+ people) Experience working with dozens of outside freelancers/contractors Very strong analytical skills (Advanced/Expert in MS Excel) Product Management with digital products Entreprenurial experience a plus Excellence working in a digital-only environment (no paper) Incredible work output, like a force of nature, or like The Beast from X-Men Adventurous and entrepreneurial spirit, like Indiana Jones, and ability to work independently without detailed direction Craftsmanship and incredible attention to detail Fun and sociable personality that adds to team culture —Team Boundless

I'm looking for my next thing and am curious where you are going with this. So you have this system and workforce for culling content and aligning it with different texts. So you get to some critical mass of users and material and you index the hell out of it. Then what?

I suppose you could jump in do something with the questions, problems, open responses. Or you could tackle the presentation. Go beyond video clips and create some simulated environments for each discipline that ease the acquisition of difficult concepts. Or socializing seems a reasonable play. A Stackoveflow for Biochem, students competing to help each other out.

What you are doing now and all your future possibilities are very interesting to me. And your space looks cool and its eminently bike-able, in the city and near the water. I'd love to work at your company.

We used to have ping pong tournaments at lunch when I was building. Cost me a fortune in hourly wages, but it was worth it, pumped everybody up a bit.

I have some problems. Coming from mainly teaching high school seniors I think textbooks are a big part of what's wrong with education. You get enough editors satisfying enough editorial boards (TX, CA NY) and you end up with lifeless prose devoid of passion, controversy or voice. Do you really want to mimic bloat? That TIMSS study out of BC tells us we have the fattest textbooks in the world; algebra 1 in Taiwan is 1/4" thick. And we know they do better than us. But you don't do high school and college texts are better.

I don't exactly know what I am applying for. I meet a lot of your content manager specs but find the front-end possibilities for creating something fantastic pretty limitless. I will mold myself to the job at hand. I am flexible and generally can out-work most people I have ever been around.

Please take a look at my blog and resume and linkedin.

Thanks for your consideration.

Tim McKenna (857)498-2574

So if you’re comfortable wielding Javascript, HTML/SASS through enough backend MVC to create & deploy compelling features, let’s talk, we've got a lot in common!