Gail Potratz
Biography
Adjunct Graduate Faculty
Retired Technology Coordinator/Teacher, Emanuel Lutheran School, New London, WI
MS Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee WI: Instructional Technology
BS Dr. Martin Luther College, New Ulm MN: Education
Gail graduated from Dr. Martin Luther College and was called to serve at Manitowoc Lutheran as an English and PE teacher as well as coach. Marriage to Phil Potratz and the birth of three children precipitated a career move that resulted in a thirteen-year hiatus from the formal classroom.
It was during her “second career” that her love for technology in the classroom began. When she saw how technology increased the engagement of students in their learning, she was hooked. Like many of you, because Gail wanted to use technology in her classroom, she became the impetus for building it. From the day the first dialup connection to the Internet was brought into her classroom until they had a bonafide network, and continued to expand into all the areas of new possibilities, she became the technology coordinator for the school. After going to many workshops and learning on her own, she eventually decided to go to school and get a degree in educational technology. Thus, Gail received her master’s degree from Cardinal Stritch in the later 1990s.
Since then she has used many different avenues to help other in-service as well as pre-service teachers and their schools advance their technology skills for the benefit of education and learning. No matter how her position evolved through the years she has always desired to remain connected to a classroom because that still is her first love and it is also where she claims to “practice what I preach”. Most recently she serves as mentor in the NTI program at MLC.
Gail is currently serving as an adjunct for Concordia University of Mequon and serves MLC in that role as well. Gail also is affiliated with a secular technology program called the One to One Institute which is in a planning and developmental stage right now, but hopes to be instrumental in connecting teachers with one to one efforts across the country.
