San Benito resident and TSTC alumnus Mark Anthony Pinon (right) reviews MerchCube, an augmented virtual reality software, with Annette Gonzalez, a seventh grade English teacher at Lyford Middle School. (Photo by TSTC)
By GABRIEL CANTU
TSTC Communication Specialist
gabriel.cantu@tstc.edu
exas State Technical College (TSTC) alumnus Mark Anthony Pinon is proud of the trajectory that his life has taken, from working in the construction industry to currently working with instructional technology at the Lyford Consolidated Independent School District (LCISD).
“I collaborate with each campus’s administration about the planning of instructional technology that I design,” the San Benito resident said. “I teach strategies and instructional materials that teachers use in their classrooms, such as MerchCube. With that program, a teacher will choose a lesson with their iPad and place a black cube underneath the device’s camera. Once the object is detected, an interactive lesson will be displayed for a student to do, such as identifying planets in the solar system.”
Years ago Pinon developed an interest in researching computer hardware, and that became the spark that led him to an education at TSTC.
“The Computer Systems Management Technology (now Computer Networking and Systems Administration) program at TSTC’s Harlingen campus offered courses in preventative maintenance, upgrades and other related skills that I wanted to attain,” he said.
Pinon graduated from TSTC with an Associate of Applied Science degree in the program in 2013.
Three months later, he accepted a job as a full-time copier technician with Dahill Office Technology (now Xerox) in Pharr. “I performed new service installs that involved setting up computers to print and serviced the mechanical side of the copiers,” he said.
After four years of gaining industry experience, Pinon transitioned to being a full-time computer technician with Lyford CISD in 2017. Two years later he was promoted network technician, and currently he is an instructional technology specialist.
Laura Juarez, chief academic officer at Lyford CISD, said Pinon’s efforts are a critical component of supporting the campus administrators with the integration, implementation and extension of lessons through the use of technology.
“Mark’s experience on our team provides an excellent resource for our district,” Juarez said.
Want the story in its entirety? Pick up a copy of the San Benito News, or subscribe to our e-Edition by clicking HERE!
Recent Comments