Maria Elena Rosario Dickerson

I am currently the Director of Active/Blended Learning at the El Paso Independent School District. As a Director, I have an incredible opportunity to work with campus and district stakeholders. With twenty-five (25) years of experience in K-12 public school education, I have designed teams to build consistent communication, significant collaboration, and meaningful curriculum planning and implementation in schools. Likewise, I participated in the development of coaching teachers and instructional coaches in their successful delivery of content, application of meaningful best practices, and integration of relevant technology in classrooms.

As a lifelong learner and educator, I have also fulfilled the role of an Assistant Principal at the elementary level. I had the opportunity to create positive and meaningful teaching and learning environments among students, faculty, and staff. Being a campus instructional leader included serving and supporting all students' academic and motivational needs, especially learners who need personalized or differentiated learning instruction.

My journey as an educator in the United States also provided many opportunities to facilitate professional experiences in technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge. I have accomplished the role of a Virtual School Developer. One of the primary responsibilities of this particular position was to ensure that online students are successful in their learning experiences in a virtual learning environment. My experiences included the delivery of problem-based and project-based learning as essential components to motivate and engage students, develop rigor and transform traditional curricula into innovative digital learning environments. Another fundamental responsibility was providing online teachers, and course developers with targeted professional development focused on best practices for online teaching and differentiated instructional design for online course development. ​ Furthermore, I was an Instructional Technology Trainer and served on the Social Studies Instructional Team in the same school district. My vast work experience also included the opportunity to complete the Virtual Instructor Certification Program (VICP) at Texas A & M University online. With the knowledge, skills, and technological expertise that I acquired from my learning and work experiences, I promoted the development and implementation of 21st-century learning by establishing a virtual school environment. I believe that this learning environment supported the development of effective teaching methodologies and innovative technologies that are necessary to address the individualized needs of today's generation of students.