When Gretchen Thomas first arrived at the University of Georgia in 1990, she set out to study geology before switching to middle grades education.
“I changed my major so that I could teach earth science to middle schoolers, which, oddly enough, I never did,” said Thomas, a senior lecturer in the Mary Frances Early College of Education.
That switch was the first of many that led to her current role teaching courses in educational technology to students in the College of Education as well as non-education majors from across the university.
A Triple Dawg with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in middle grades education and an educational specialist degree in instructional technology, Thomas’ experience as a classroom teacher and with teacher professional development paved the way for her current work.
While working as a middle school science teacher in Oglethorpe County, she earned her master’s and educational specialist degrees. After taking an interest in how educational technology supports teaching and learning, Thomas pivoted again to working as the technology coordinator in Rockdale County Schools. Shortly afterward, a teaching position opened at UGA, where she’s been ever since.
“I was in the classroom, and then I did technology professional development in Rockdale, and my job now is sort of a blend of those two things,” Thomas said. “So, it was perfect for me.”
Gretchen Thomas teaches undergraduates to use technology for educational development. (Photo by Chamberlain Smith/UGA)
Now in her 23rd year of teaching at UGA, Thomas facilitates the undergraduate certificate in Learning, Design, and Technology and works with her professors-turned-colleagues in the Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology.
Thomas teaches both in-person and asynchronous online classes in topics including teaching and learning with technology and assistive learning technologies. Some courses are required for education majors while others are open to students across UGA to fulfill an elective or experiential learning credit.
One course she teaches is an experiential learning and service course filled by mostly non-education majors, where they host the Makerspace at David C. Barrow Elementary School for elementary school students in first, third and fifth grades. During the course, UGA hosts maker activities twice a week for the Barrow Elementary students doing activities like finger knitting, programming robots and pixel art.
“That’s always fun, because I get all these people who don’t work with kids necessarily and then they learn how to do that, and they do a really, really good job of it,” Thomas said.
All along the way, Thomas said that she is fortunate to work with UGA students and that students are the ones who make her job fantastic.
“I have found that in all of my 23 years, if anything, students are becoming more interested in other people, more compassionate, have a better ability to speak to all different types of people,” Thomas said. “I mean, I am more than twice their age, and they are more likely to say ‘how was your weekend? I hope you’re doing well,’ before I have a chance to say it.”
