Resume

Timothy S. McKenna

12 Parley Vale, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130, tim@sitebuilt.net
(617)524-0938 (home), (857)498-2574 (mobile), http://sitebuilt.net

Work Experience

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2005-present

High School Teacher at Parkway Academy of Technology and Health(PATH), a Boston Public High School that started in 2005

• I primarily teach Humanities.
  • Working with the humanities team, developed the course to meet MA standards in ELA and World History II.
  • Working with the National Writing Project, engaged in a year long research project on teaching writing in a content driven Humanities class.
  • Produced an online version of the course. Students created online group projects and digital portfolios of student work. I explored the ways in which online coursework changes the nature of learning.
  • Incorporated the use of personal response systems (activevote) for instant item analysis allowing for ongoing improvement in reading comprehension.
  • Developed a case study approach to frame the big ideas of history in a focused study.
• Developed and co-taught a pilot course for 9th graders combining Algebra and Physics. The hypothesis was that math is the language of physics and that taught in tandem both would make more sense to young students.
• Contributed to development of an extended day program by collaborating with the administration to create and teach a semester long extended day Geometry course. Used Geometers' Sketchpad as an authoring environment to create exploration modules for geometric concepts and problem solving.
• Robotics team mentor and member of the Instructional Leadership Team.

2001-2005

Research Assistant Boston University department of Cognitive and Neural Systems, Technology Lab

1976-1998

President, Site Built Systems, Inc. a construction firm working in new, mostly urban infill affordable, housing.

• Responsibilities included: marketing, sales, community relations, surety relations, accounting, worker training and development and site management
• Implemented Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing CADCAM technology integrated with estimation, production and job-cost accounting

Education

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• PhD candidate in Cognitive and Neural Systems, Boston University (ABD, on leave of absence) coursework and qualifying exams complete
• MA in Cognitive and Neural Systems, Boston University (2003) Research in learning and memory. Projects included: object recognition in satellite imagery, predicting drug resistance in HIV patients using genotype data, CELEST project: development of educational curriculum illuminated by recent understanding of how the brain works
• BS in Physics, University of Massachusetts, Boston (2000)

Certifications and Additional Courses

• preliminary MA certification in English (8-12), History (8-12), Mathematics (8-12), Mathematics (5-8)
• Special Education: 2 years of school based PD on differentiated instruction and inclusive learning. NEU course: Special Education: Foundation for Understanding Inclusive Schools
• Boston Writing Project -courses in Teaching Academic Writing, Revision, Writing Research
• Other Courses: Latin American History and Literature. Oil and the Contemporary Globe. Primary Source courses: Cold War, Africa, jazz and blues, Cuba and Vietnam, Cuba and Nicaragua, China: Enduring Legacies and Radical Transformations, Asia today
• Facing History and Ourselves: Book Burning and Propaganda, Weimar Republic

other Skills

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• Curiculum development using technology. Designed math explorations using Geometers' Sketchpad and online course in Humanities using Mediawiki: http://pathboston.com/hum (javascript, MYSQL, PHP}
• Scientific simulation implementation using MATLAB, JAVA and C/C++
• CADCAM integrated with database experience using AutoCad/AutoLisp/SQL/Access
• master carpenter, licensed builder, site supervisor