Welcome!

Welcome to my blog. My name is Cassandra Duff, however, very few people call me Cassandra. My friends and family call me Candy. I am writing this introduction for EME 6936 Distance Learning course through the University of South Florida. I recently graduated (Spring 2006) with a BS in Elementary Education. Luckily, I was able to get a teaching position in Sarasota County as a third grade teacher at one of the best schools in the county. This is a major accomplishment since the district had a hiring freeze! Since teaching is a career change for me, I decided to continue on to seek a Master's Degree in Instructional Technology. (I just turned 40 y/o and didn't want to wait too long!) This is my third semester, however, I'm taking only 1 class each semester so that I can devote time to being a new teacher.

I am married to a wonderful man who recently retired after 22 years from the military. (11 years US Navy and 11 years US Army). We have two children, Lance who is 17 years old and Faryn who is 11 years old. Brian is currently working for a company out of California and travels. Lance attends a military school, competes on the drill team and fencing team. Faryn is a swimmer for the Sarasota YMCA Sharks. She has competed in junior olympics. We have a 2 year old Boston Terrier named Bailey.

I'm taking this course because it was one of my elective courses and I believe that understanding and embracing distance education is important in the 21st century as an educator. I hope to gain a better understanding of distance learning and to know how I can apply it to my future students. Distance Learning is a new topic for me, however, I have personally taken more than 10 online courses.

I am pretty comfortable with computers. (not programming) I am comfortable in MS Word, MS PowerPoint and MS Publisher and am a quick learner. I also have a digital camera. I am willing to fill most roles within a group. I live in the south part of Sarasota County so I am about 1+ hours from the Tampa campus but am willing to travel if in person meetings are necessary. My schedule can be pretty flexible, however, I do work full time, so I am not usually available Mon-Fri until after 5 pm. Most weekends are free, except when there is a swim meet for my daughter. However, I also travel with my computer and stay at a hotel with internet service, so my availibility should not be affected. I check my email frequently and am responsible and dedicated to doing excellent work as a team member. I also follow through on assignments and meet deadlines.

One thing about me that you might find interesting is that I was an registered nurse for 9+ years. I chose to change careers and be a teacher because I love teaching!

Thank you for visiting and considering me as a team member. I look forward to great semester.