Powerful Ideas for Global Learning and Leadership in the 21st Century

IDIT HAREL CAPERTON: FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT

Dr. Idit Harel Caperton is a pioneer in using new-media technology for creative learning, innovation, and globalization through constructionist learning theory. She founded the World Wide Workshop in 2004 to leverage her unique blend of award-winning research, business acumen, and leadership in spreading innovative new-media learning projects for benefiting kids and youth around the world. Most recently, the foundation launched Globaloria to invent ways of using social networking and Web 2.0 tools to teach computing and game-making in schools worldwide. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Dr. Harel Caperton conducted breakthrough research at the MIT Media Lab that led to publishing the book Constructionism with Seymour Papert. Her book Children Designers received the 1991 Outstanding Book Award by the American Education Research Association (AERA). In 1995, she founded MaMaMedia and launched MaMaMedia.com, ConnectedFamily.com, and Papert.org. Pioneering kids Internet media, MaMaMedia established global distribution and advertising partnerships, and won numerous honors, including: the Computerworld-Smithsonian Award (1999), the Internet industry's coveted Global Information Infrastructure Award (1999), and the 21st-Century Achievement Award from the Computerworld Honors Program (2002). In 2002, she was honored by the Network of Educators in Science and Technology and MIT "for devotion, innovation, and imagination in science and technology on behalf of children and youth around the world." Selected MaMaMedia activities were recently re-programmed for OLPC and are being used worldwide by thousands of kids in developing nations. Most recently, Idit was named the 2010 Recipient of the Jessie McCanse Award for Individual Contribution to Media Literacy by the National Telemedia Council. She is a published author and speaker worldwide, and serves on Advisory Boards and Committees at the MIT Media Lab, Harvard Graduate School of Education, CUNY Macaulay Honors College, CU-ATLAS Institute, PBSKids Next Generation Media, MEET in Israel, TIG in Canada, and Saybot.com in Shanghai. Idit holds degrees from Tel Aviv University (BA, 1982), Harvard University (HGSE EdM 1984; CAS 1985), and MIT Media Lab (PhD, 1988). Print Resume

SHANNON SULLIVAN: VICE PRESIDENT, PROGRAMS AND PRODUCTION

Shannon Sullivan directs and produces all of the World Wide Workshop Foundation’s learning programs, defines the content offerings, curriculum and learning materials, sets the editorial tone, and leads the technical production teams. In 2006, she launched the Globaloria platform with a unique online/classroom hybrid game-making course where students learn to create educational web-games using a social network for learning. For 15 years, Shannon has been a director, producer, writer, and editor of innovative multimedia programs that entertain, educate and inspire action. She has worked for MTV, MaMaMedia, Knowledge Adventure, and Davidson and Associates. Her body of work includes online communities, websites, video games, creativity tools, interactive learning programs, broadband video shows, CD-ROMs, mobile phone applications, print products, and museum exhibits. She holds a MEd in Instructional Technology from the University of Virginia, and a BA in Journalism and History from the University of Southern California.

AMBER OLIVER: VICE PRESIDENT OF PARTNERSHIPS AND OPERATIONS

As Vice President of Partnerships and Operations, Amber is responsible for identifying and managing partnerships with states, districts, schools, youth service associations, business and government. She focuses on scaling up with excellence the deployment of Globaloria Networks, both within and between states, to nurture a vibrant and sustainable social learning network. Prior to joining the World Wide Workshop in 2006, Amber managed UNICEF's interactive youth portal, Voices of Youth, which she grew to 3 million members in four languages. During her 15+ year career in international development, she also worked for the United Nations Secretariat, The World Bank, and for organizations in Bangladesh, India, Senegal and other developing nations. She holds a master's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University and a BA from Brown University.

DEBORAH SUPER: DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS AND OPERATIONS

As Director of Partnerships and Operations, Deborah Super is in charge of program quality and operational success of Globaloria implementations in all states. Deb has been an educator for over 35 years, teaching English at elementary, middle, high school, and college levels. She was one of the first teachers of the gifted in West Virginia, establishing a model program. During her years as a yearbook adviser, her staffs' publications won numerous national awards. Since 2003, she has served as Work-Based Learning/Academic Coordinator for Randolph County Schools in Elkins, WV. Under her leadership, the system's senior project process has earned recognition as an Outstanding Practice by both SREB High Schools That Work, and National Career Pathways Network. She holds a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from West Virginia University, M.A. in Gifted Education from Marshall University, and BA in Secondary Education/English and Special Ed from WVU.

DENISE STALNAKER: DIRECTOR OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

As the Director of Professional Development, Denise is in charge of training teachers, principals, mentors and interns. Denise participated in the launch of the Globaloria pilot in West Virginia in 2007 as a high-school educator at Randolph Technical Center in Elkins. By her second year, Denise became a mentor to other educators, and lead training sessions in professional development academies. As the Globaloria pilot scaled, Denise's aptitude for learning through teaching was an inspiration, and made her an exemplary Globaloria educator. Denise works closely with Shannon Sullivan on all planning and running professional development programs across the nation.

CODY SMEDSRUD: DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND IT

As Director of Technology Development and IT, Cody leads and manages technology platforms and strategies for long term growth. Cody is a former Teach for America Corps member with a strong interest in education reform. After completing his TFA commitment he spent three years as the Educational Technology Associate at a fast growing NYC-based charter school management organization. During his time there the organization grew from one school to seven and integrated a host of new technologies. Cody is an avid onlooker for cutting-edge technologies that can improve educational outcomes for students. He holds an MS in Childhood Education from Pace University, and BS in Political Science from Marquette University.

YASMIN SAFDIE: PROGRAMS MANAGER

Yasmin manages the Globaloria Game Design Competitions and Globaloria Research Partnerships and other educational programs. She assists in managing the new Globaloria deployments in Austin, Texas and Brooklyn, New York, Tampa, Florida and San Jose, California, and is also responsible for special projects for the Workshop President. Her interest in education reform stems from her work at the Facing History School and the Harlem Renaissance High School in New York City. She has also worked in juvenile justice reform for a number of organizations, including the Center for Community Alternatives in Brooklyn and the Youth Part of the New York County Supreme Court. While in graduate school, she worked as a Community Organizer for the Voices of Women Organizing Project and the National Association of Social Workers' Undoing Racism Project. Yasmin received her MS in Social Work from Columbia University and her BA in History from McGill University.

LAURA MINNIGERODE: PROGRAMS MANAGER

As a Globaloria Research Manager, Laura Minnigerode is responsible for evaluating the implementation of Globaloria at the East Austin College Pre Academy (EACPA) a new charter school in Austin Texas where Globaloria is integrated into the daily core curriculum. Laura is an experienced educational researcher who began her career working with research departments at Children's Television Workshop and WGBH. During 1992-96, Laura worked as a founding researcher for the Living Books series, as well as other early learning software products. She has been a classroom teacher, leading writing workshop classes with middle grade students. Before joining the World Wide Workshop, Laura was a School Reform Specialist in the Houston Independent School District as part of the Houston Annenberg Challenge, focused on professional development for technology integration and project based learning. From 1995-2009, with Barbara Flagg’s Multimedia Research Group, Laura was an evaluator of more than 40 educational media projects for organizations such as WGBH and WNET. She has a BA in Telecommunication from Indiana University in Bloomington, California teaching credentials in multiple subject areas, and a Master’s in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

ALESSANDRO LA PORTA: PROGRAMS AND PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

As Programs and Production Coordinator, Alessandro is responsible for working on curriculum development, maintenance of the Workshop site, wiki administration, and on-demand Flash help for students. He graduated from Harvard University in 2009 with a degree in Computer Science, but doesn’t think of himself a programmer. Rather, his experience with many different fields of study (including psychology, intellectual history, and Japanese) led him to a strong interest in the way people think and a firm belief in the power of humanity to overcome its problems through willpower and learning. In turn, this belief has brought him to the World Wide Workshop as a place to shape the way students learn to think.

YVONNE MARTINEZ: PROGRAMS AND PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

As Programs and Production Coordinator, Yvonne is responsible for helping with curriculum development, graphic design and creative direction as well as on-demand help in Flash for students across the Globaloria network. Yvonne is a graduate of Bard College, where she studied Studio Arts. Her interest in sculpture and digital media makes the structural and artistic capacities of programming languages like Flash a natural outlet for her skills and interests.

BRIAN JUDY: SENIOR FLASH DEVELOPER, INSTRUCTOR, CURRICULUM DEVELOPER

As Senior Flash Developer, Brian created an original application called Sound Toy and donated it to Globaloria. He continues to contribute to the program by updating and donating other activities in Flash. As Curriculum Developer, Brian creates, expands and improves custom tutorials and learning content for the MyGLife, MySLife and MyHLife networks. He also leads online problem-solving sessions with Globaloria participants via web conference. Brian owns his own Web Design and Development company, Red Aphid. As a visiting faculty at American University in Washington DC, Brian is implementing a pilot of Globaloria in his "Introduction to Gaming" course and assessing how it can be used at the university level. He has 20 years experience in computer development, website development and design for companies such as AOL, Sierra Online and Viacom Interactive. He holds an MFA in Art and Technology from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BS in Computer Science from the University of Maryland.

ERNESTO SANTOS: INFORMATION/DATABASE ARCHITECT, LEAD WEB DEVELOPER

As Information/Database Architect, Ernesto developed the site framework and back-end systems to support the Globaloria 'starter kit' website in English and a wide variety of other languages. He also authored a set of administrative tools for the site. As Lead Web Developer, he wrote the HTML templates for both the front and back-end web pages, and provides technical support for Wiki issues. Ernesto also wrote Globaloria's HTML tutorials. Ernesto has taught Flash and Internet Design classes at Brooklyn College, and has worked for Scholastic Software and Bear Stearns. He co-founded an Internet startup, Monkeydreams LLC, in the late 1990s. He holds a BA in Philosophy and Art from Brooklyn College.

RICHARD GOEHL: ART DIRECTOR AND LEAD DESIGNER

As Art Director and Lead Illustrator/Designer for Globaloria, Rich is responsible for establishing a design direction that visually conveys the mission of the Globaloria program to world audiences with little or no text. He was the Lead Designer for the MyGLife.org website, establishing the overall style of the site and creating design assets for all activities. Rich has more than 12 years of professional experience as an illustrator, designer and fine artist. He holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design.

DANIEL RON: TRAINING AND TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANT

Daniel started as an intern with the World Wide Workshop, working on and off since December 2007, but has more recently been more of a Flash teaching consultant than an intern. He graduated from Lexington High School in Massachusetts in 2009, and is now a member of the MIT class of 2013. He plans to major in mathematics and physics, and study computer science. While in high school, he was a member of the Math Team, track team, soccer team, linguistics team, and captain of both the computer science team and robotics team.

MONICA BEANE: GLOBALORIA LIAISON, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF INSTRUCTION, WV DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Monica Beane's educational career stems from teaching special needs students in Grades PK and K to teaching Reading English Language Arts to student in grades 3-8. She earned the prestigious National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification EA: ELA in 2003. Monica has served as an elementary school principal and a county director of technology. Currently, she is ABD in her doctorate in Educational Leadership. In her current role, Monica serves as the liaison for the implementation of Globaloria in WV schools.

INGRIDA BARKER: PROGRAM CONSULTANT

Originally from Latvia, Ingrida moved to the United States in 2002 and started working as a teacher in Sandy River Middle School two years later. She became a part of the Globaloria pilot in WV in the summer of 2008, in its second year of implementation. Since then, she have seen my students blossom and acquire many relevant, complex, and rigorous skills needed in the 21st century world. A year later, she became a mentor to the teachers in WV as well as in TX and has greatly enjoyed the experience. She holds a Masters Degree in Secondary Education from WVU and an Educational Leadership Certification from Concord University. She is currently a Globaloria Educators’ Mentor and works as a Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction at River View High School.

GLOBALORIA MENTORS

Jim Allder, Greenbrier East High School
William Dorsey, Capital High School
Tracy Halsey, Liberty High School
Karen Kail, George Washington High School
Angela Leef, Greenbrier West High School
Aaron Lester, Sandy River Middle School
Crystal Moore, Chapmanville Middle School
Vicky Neal, Greenbrier West High School
Cindy Paynter, Man Middle Schol
Jeremy Reed, Spring Valley High School
Jeremy Ross, Doddridge County High School
Melanie Sheppard, Eastern Greenbrier Middle School
Christina Waybright, Randolph Technical Center
Diane K. White, Tygarts Valley High School

JULIA WILSON

Julia works to improve teacher participation and communication within the Globaloria program. She helps manage the Globaloria Game Design Competitions, and oversees the Globaloria Spotlight Blog, twitter account, and other social media tools. Julia recently graduated from SUNY New Paltz with a BA in Secondary Education, Social Studies and is certified to teach in New York State. She has deep interest in bringing more technology and innovative thinking into our public schools.

LINDSEY LOSH

Lindsey is a senior at Randolph Technical Center and started with the Foundation as an intern in the summer of 2010. She has worked with us on a number of projects, including the August Globaloria Educators' Academy. She also has logged many hours at the Help Desk and will continue to do so for the rest of the fall of 2010. Her wiki page and blog can be found here and here.