Hi, I’m posting this for my ED 610 class, but feel free to read on if you’ve found this blog… by some very odd, terrible twist of fate.  I’m Dr. John McCullough, Professor in the Education Department at Clarion University. I have a D.Ed. in Elementary Education, a M.Ed. in Science Education, and a B.S. and Secondary Ed. Certification in Mathematics.

This is my 24th year as a full-time faculty member in the Education Department. Prior to working in the Education Department, I worked for a Science Education Grant, also at CUP. My first education job was teaching at Cranberry Area School District in Seneca, PA. I taught Junior High Mathematics and Senior High Computer Science for 4 years.
I have been married to my best friend, Leeann, for 31 years. We have 3 sons, Corey – 28 and his wife Vanessa and their daughter Lily, Shawn – 24, and Kyle – 29. We also have a great family dog, Shadow, a black labrador mix.  In addition, we provide food and shelter for a stupid cat.  Our cat Luke, who I always referred to as our stupid cat, died a few days ago.  I can’t call him stupid anymore and I only did so because in truth, he thought I was stupid.  He lived nearly 19 years, he had a good life.  We live in the big city of Kennerdell, PA. Kennerdell is mostly known for its lookout high above the Allegheny River, its old railroad tunnels, its scenic beauty, and laid back attitude.

In my spare time I love to be outdoors, fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, photography, golfing, or building yet another deck. I have been using computers and the Internet for many years. Since 1989, I have been a die-hard Apple Macintosh fanatic. My tech skills are quite good on Macs and adequate on Windows machines. I just wish computers would work all the time! (Wasn’t that what we were told… they always work?… Ha!) My favorite thing to tell anyone that will listen regarding computers is “if all else fails, deprive them of power.” If they stop working correctly, pull the damn plug!

Not long after they came out, I bought an iPad. A couple of years ago I bought an iPhone. Before owning these devices, I couldn’t quite figure out why someone would want them or need them. I cannot believe the amount of time and work I accomplish now with these devices at my ready 24/7. That might also be a problem, so sometimes I have to leave them behind for peace and quiet… literally and mentally.

I believe very strongly in the educational theory of Constructivism. You learn as you do. I am not a good instructional presenter, but I’m a good instructional facilitator. In other words, I can’t lecture well, but I can effectively lead you in the right direction. One of my favorite quotes is “If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got.” I have taught a bunch of online courses, so I hope that my method of teaching is appropriate for our web course and your learning style. I have spent a TREMENDOUS amount of time planning and designing this course so that you can complete it mostly at your own pace. I look forward to reading about each of you!