People
Technology & Research Implementation (formerly known as the Innovation Center) could not possibly be what it is today without the help of various resident professionals. Please click on any of the names to learn more:
| Director: | Jim Daugherty |
|---|---|
| TRI Staff: | Mike Aragon, Debbie Gilsdorf, Amber Medrano, Bobby Sample, Michelle Shivnani |
Jim Daugherty
Director, Technology & Research Implementation
Website
- Email
Jim directs the activities of TRI at GCC. He's also a Residential faculty member in the Nutrition Department. Jim has been researching the possibility of a collaboration with ASU's Internet2 project.
For academic year 2005-2006, Biology instructor Dr. James Tuohy, Ui Liu, and Jim received a $132,000.00 Prop 301 grant for support of a Biotechnology class. The grant includes purchase of 24 Tablet PCs and data loggers and sensors for use in experimental data collection and analysis.
Jim spends his free time perfecting his Irish Step Dancing skills and being a member of the Board of Directors of the Irish Cultural and Learning foundation in Phoenix. He is also a life-long volunteers with the Foresters, a not-for-profit fraternal benefit society with headquarters in Canada and operations in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. He has held local, regional and International offices, and currently serves on its corporate board of directors.
He maintains his personal health by dancing, by exercising whenever he gets the chance and by working on his 1943 Ford GPW, a WWII Jeep. Finally, Jim fosters an obsession with the latest computer gadgets - his latest toy is the I-Mate JasJar Pocket PC 2005 G-3 telephone/mini-tablet PDA, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Infrared capability.
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Mike Aragon
Programmer Analyst, Instructional Systems
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- Email
Mike administers several systems including Perception, our online web based assessment system, discussion group forums, .NET applications, and the media server for audio and video. His current projects include "Project Sails" for the Library Media Center, a nation-wide project for information literacy, and the Laptop Farm Resource Application that will help TRI staff manage and schedule equipment reservations.
He came to the Phoenix area in 1980 from Tucson. He and his wife recently purchased a new home in Surprise that they share with their two dogs. In his spare time Mike enjoys movies, TV, hanging out with his family, a little golf and a lot of sports. He also teaches Web Design, Javascript and Flash for the Business Department.
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Debbie Gilsdorf
Course Production Specialist
Email
Debbie is developing online tutorial and support materials for faculty and students. Her newest technology interest is Captivate software which she is becoming an expert in. Some outside interests are baking delicious treats she sometimes shares with her co-workers and being outdoors hiking with her dog.
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Amber Medrano
Technology Assistant
Email
Amber Medrano is a Technology Assistant for the TRI department. Joining the crew in December of 2006, she understands projects and can grasp both the big picture and the smallest details. She is well organized and an independent worker, so when someone provides her with broad direction, she can move ahead on her own. Her technology skills are excellent, and she can learn new applications quickly. Additionally, she can be a strong advocate for the projects she undertakes. She is friendly, enthusiastic, and positive. And best of all, she’s here to help!
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Bobby Sample
Web and Database Applications Developer
Email
Bobby was formerly in charge of the design and maintenance of the GCC home page, along with the site index, "Find" interface, calendar of events, online campus map, and other features that coordinated with the primary face and navigation of the college web site. In addition, he has coordinated and assisted in the setup of web sites for instructional and service departments, and created various original web-based applications to support them. He has collaborated with server administrators in Network Services and the programming experts in the IC, as well as various faculty and staff on the Web Steering Committee and College Technology Committee. With the new Sharepoint implementation and revision of GCC web governance, he will concentrate on specialized web applications to support the transition.
Due to his range as a graphic designer and writer, he is also tapped for assistance with occasional Powerpoint presentations for important events, logo designs for the college and its organizations, cartoons, illustrations, articles, documentation, training materials, photography, and digital photo editing. For these projects, he answers to college administrators, College Advancement Services (Marketing/PR), Training and Employee Development, various Student Services departments, and various instructional divisions.
Outside of TRI, Bobby is likely to be working online and grumbling to himself. On his better days, his beautiful wife and two children will drag him away from the computer to enjoy life with them. When time allows, he indulges in free-lance oil painting, creating comics, whining, viewing and discussing films, reading novels very slowly, taking nature walks, writing fiction, and pretending he's an international chef.
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Michelle Blomberg Shivnani
Director, Instructional Technology
Website
- Email
Michelle works with faculty to help them utilize instructional technology for online and hybrid courses. She is the campus Blackboard Administrator and currently supports about 90 GCC faculty teaching 260 sections using this Course Management tool. She is also working on training and help materials for Blackboard and many other instructional technology tools faculty can use to help teach. She is currently the Ocotillo Online Learning group representative for GCC and serves on the Technology Assessment Taskforce.
Michelle and her husband moved to Phoenix from Ann Arbor, Michigan in February 2004. She has over 16 years of experience in technology, working in education and web administration designing interfaces, online learning software and supporting users. Some former employers are the University of Michigan and ProQuest Corporation.
Some of the things she enjoys about her new home state are the winter weather, the abundance of Latin culture, and dance venues where she and her husband practice Salsa.
