Who is Barbara Z. Taylor...
and what does that "Z" stand for? Through the text below and the links above, I hope you can learn more about the roles I fill in my professional and personal life. Feel free to contact me for more information at btaylor@elon.edu.
Teacher
I have been teaching at Elon University
for a long time, initially teaching biology, then getting
interested in computers back when they were very large and
working for a few years as Director of Academic Computing where one of
my many tasks was teaching faculty how to use the first personal
computers we had on campus - dinosaurs now - the computers, that is, not
the faculty.
I then returned to teaching students, initially courses for computer science majors and computer application courses for majors from all areas on campus, and finally finding my current home teaching undergraduate and graduate courses for prospective and current teachers aimed at helping them make effective and appropriate use of technology to enhance teaching and learning.
Technology support
In addition to teaching, I also serve as technology coordinator for teacher education, where I expand on my teaching role by providing technical support to Elon's teacher preparation program. I work with faculty and students as they learn to use and incorporate technology into teaching and learning.
I assist faculty one on one and through group workshops, and I communicate technology news and updates to students and faculty, for example through the Ed Tech News blog for faculty. I coordinate the maintenance of program-specific websites including the teacher education website and the community partnerships site and serve as the campus Livetext coordinator.
Advocate
An additional passion of mine is advocating accessible websites - ones that can be read and used by those with different types of disabilities. Check out some web accessibility links that provide additional information about the challenges and barriers faced by users as well as how web designers can create accessible content.
Outside Elon
I enjoy home improvement projects, listening to music (classical, folk, and '60s/'70s rock), gardening, piecing patchwork quilts, reading, and camping, though I don't find enough time to enjoy these activities as much as I'd like. In fact, the background of this website is what quilters refer to as a UFO (unfinished object); it's a quilt I pieced and have not had time to finish.
As for that middle initial, my mother's family name was Zimmerman, and my parents shortened it to Zim as my middle name. Nobody used it much, but if they did, as in "Barbara Zim," I knew I was in trouble. Today it serves me well as a middle initial to distinguish me from all the other Barbara Taylors in the world.