Instructor

[Randy Hoyt]My name is Randy Hoyt, and I am the instructor for this course. My main interests are web development and mythology.

I built my first web site in college, a personal web site that highlighted my coursework, hobbies, and favorite links. Participating in online courses and internet projects at university showed me how the internet could improve education by providing tools for widespread communication and collaboration. As my passion for the web grew and I started to understand its potential to change everything else, as well, I completed a graduate degree in business and technology (M.I.S.) at the University of Oklahoma. Since graduation, I have held a handful of jobs in information technology: a business analyst for a utility company, an implementation consultant and project manager for a web-based software company, and a front-end web developer for a large retail company. I now work as an information architect and web developer for a creative agency here in Dallas, and I offer freelance web development services through my own company, Amesbury Web. I speak at local events like WordCamp Dallas.

Raven totem pole - <a href=I spend my free time reading and writing about mythology and fantasy literature. My first memorable encounter with mythology came in my eighth grade world history class. We read many different creation myths, and the differences and similarities among them fascinated me. I remember in that class developing a particular fondness for the stories and rituals of ancient Egypt: I even briefly wanted to be an Egyptologist when I grew up. I have since spent considerable time since getting acquainted with the gods and goddesses of Greek and Norse mythology, the adventures and battles in the epic poems of ancient India, the delightful legends of Native American tricksters like Raven and Coyote, and many more stories from other great mythological traditions around the world. I think that the stories contained in ancient myths can still challenge us to fulfill our human potential today.

You can learn more about me by visiting my personal web site, [randyhoyt.com].

* Raven totem pole, photo by styler*