education

June, 2002 - Master of education degree in the Technology in Education Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education

June, 1993 - Earned Teaching Credentials at California Lutheran University
Multiple subject credential grades K-8
Single Subject credential in English grades K-12

June, 1990 - Completed bachelor of arts degree in English and Comparative Literature at Occidental College Los Angeles, CA

My academic interests include thoughtful integration of technology to support classroom curriculum, teacher professional development, educational media design, curriculum design, and online learning.

Grade Point Average: 4.0
Coursework:
Developing Curriculum with New Technologies, Dr. Stone Wiske
Integrating Educational Technologies into Literacy Instruction, Dr. Julie Wood
Computers and the Learning and Teaching of Mathematics, Dr. Judah Schwartz (audit)
M.I.T. - Technological Tools for Learning, Dr. Mitch Resnick
Building Web Based Environments for Learning, David Kahle and James Moore
Neuropsychology and Instructional Design: Meeting the Challenge of Individual Differences, Dr. David Rose
Educational Software Project, Dr. David Dockterman
Formative Evaluation, Dr. Ilona Holland
Learning Media that Bridge Distance and Time, Dr. Chris Dede (audit)
Introduction to Evaluation of Technology Based Programs, Dr. Ilona Holland (audit)
Emerging Technologies Outside the Classroom, Dr. Karen Price

educational research projects at Harvard

Milwaukee Public Schools New Teacher Online Portal -
Working with Dr. Chris Dede and Milwaukee Public Schools I am helping to research, mentor and develop a new teacher induction program with an online support portal. We are utilizing emerging technologies like interactive video conferencing and online collaboration tools to see what impact they can have on the mentoring experience.

Formative Evaluation -
Working with Dr. Ilona Holland and graduate students at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, I conducted front-end, production-phase, and implementation phase formative evaluations for the Boston MFA, Minnesota Science Museum Imax production, and Sensimetrics Software. I developed survey, interview, and focus group instruments and collected and analyzed data.

Harvard Technology and Ethics Project -
Developed high school curriculum integrating technology and ethics. We created a mock negotiation around a controversial scientific issue, xenotransplantation. The negotiation curriculum utilized collaborative teams and online collaboration tools to support students in researching and reflecting on complex ethical decisions.

education statement

A Japanese proverb states, "To teach is to learn." I believe all good teachers love to teach because they love to learn. I love to learn.

With that in mind, I began the master’s of education degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education two years ago to gain new insight into the learning process. I hoped to apply that insight to develop relevant and meaningful educational technology and media as well as think innovatively about supporting classroom practice with technology in meaningful ways. I hoped to utilize and build upon my six years of teaching experience in the elementary school classroom. I taught at University Elementary, a public school in Southern California, for six years. During that time, I taught grades two through five. My approach to teaching is grounded in my belief that all children are talented, intelligent, unique, and possess a strong curiosity that makes them love to learn. It is my job as a teacher to excite their curiosity, guide them in learning, and instill in them a desire to learn that will last a lifetime.

In my professional life I hope to work in an environment that values lifelong learners, encourages creativity, demands authentic experience in the field of education and seeks to create applications of technology that tap into the natural curiosity and love for learning of children.