He taught in a high school in Oregon and received a PhD in curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas at Austin. He has since worked as an assistant professor at the University of Idaho and the director of the College of Education at the University of Idaho. His research focuses on new technologies, open education, social networks, and technology integration in K–12 and higher education. His awards include the Best Conference Proposal in 2011 from the Research and Theory Division of AECT and in 2015 from the Teacher Education Division of AECT, and he received the Outstanding Research Paper Award in 2013 at AACE.