Gloria Doherty
Assistant Professor
Director of Hybrid Learning Programs
503-554-6128
gdoherty@georgefox.edu
I love my job.
I am one of those lucky individuals riding the Digital Wave that is hitting us in Tsunami proportions. My career started in educational broadcast video production and now I find myself exploring virtual worlds. Go figure.
My focus started on how we can make theological education available to as many people as possible. Today I can say that our focus is on how we can make this education available to EVERYONE. We can now be lifelong learners pursuing our passion at nano speed. Welcome aboard!
But here’s the most important part; this phenomenon is enabling us to develop authentic learning communities that are personal and transformational. This is why I’m so passionate about virtual learning spaces and global learning communities. We have the ability to engage each other in extended conversation that transforms knowledge into purpose and action. I love the ethos of the George Fox learning community that says, “Your world is our classroom.”
Academic Background
MDiv, Fuller Theological Seminary, 1985; BA, Mass Communications, Minnesota State University, 1978
Expertise and Experience
Educational technology consultant
Instructional designer and developer with a focus on pedagogical methods for online education and communities
Media producer
Director of Media Services, Fuller Theological Seminary 1987-1995
President and Executive Director, The Fisher’s Net 1995-2006
Personal Interests
My passion is my family. My husband, Jim, is my inspiration. Our children, Jake and Elizabeth, give us daily doses of love and laughter. My mom, Beverly, provides an abundance of Grandma hugs. We drag each other out for bicycling, camping and hiking, a night at the movies, a walk for cancer, a run for local school Physical Education. And we all like to read a good book.
My strength is my church family. My husband is a pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Beaverton, Oregon. This congregation truly gives itself to the community, both locally and globally. We care deeply for each other and our world. I’ve discovered this kind of community with my George Fox colleagues. They are my extended church family.
Favorite Web Links
Just a sampling . . .
• Stephen’s Web Stephen Downes is a stellar contributor to the understanding of online learning
• Educause Learning Initiative Resources, events and community for educational technology
• Twitter I follow colleagues, educational institutions, the Chronicle of Higher Education, New York Times . . . you get the idea
• iTunes and iTunesU If you don’t have it, get it! http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
• YouTube This phenomenon bridges the generation gap and nudges non-techies across the digital divide
• For Virtual Worlds explore Second Life. Controversial but it pushes us to consider new realities. Go to Education in Second Life: Explore the Possibilities for a 6-minute introduction to SL for education. Open Cobalt Edusim gives us more to think about with cross-platform virtual worlds. To get a glimpse, see the Edusim 3D SMARTBoard demo.