Albert D. Ritzhaupt (Editor)
Dr. Albert D. Ritzhaupt is an associate professor of educational technology in the School of Teaching and Learning at the University of Florida. An award-winning researcher, Dr. Ritzhaupt has published more than 80 journal articles, book chapters, and conference proceedings; and has presented more than 100 presentations at state, national, and international conferences. His primary research areas focus on the design and development of technology-enhanced learning environments, teaching practices in technology-oriented curriculum (e.g., Computer Science or Information Systems), and technology integration in education. Dr. Ritzhaupt has been funded by the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and National Science Foundation (NSF) to support his research endeavors. His publications have appeared in multiple leading venues, including Educational Technology Research and Development, Computers & Education, and Computers in Human Behavior.
Nihan A. Dogan
I am a doctoral student and graduate assistant in the School of Teaching & Learning at the University of Florida. I have been pursuing a doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction with specialization on Educational Technology. I earned my BS and MS in Teaching Chemistry from Bogazici University which is one of the top universities in Turkey as a top student in the department. Before coming to U.S., I worked as a science teacher for two years in a private middle school in Istanbul. My research interests include technology integration, teacher use and perception of technology, teacher inquiry and teachers’ professional development.
Li Cheng
Li Cheng is a PhD student of Educational Technology at the University of Florida. As a Graduate Instructor and a Graduate Research Assistant, she has been passionately involved in teaching and research. She has taught EME2040 Introduction to Educational Technology to undergraduate students and she will co-teach EME6606 Advanced Instructional Design to graduate students. Her research interests focus on facilitating student learning through effective technology integration in formal and informal educational settings, designing technology-enhanced learning environments, and the application of educational neuroscience in multimedia learning. She has presented at the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) and Florida Educational Research Association (FERA). She has been serving as an Assistant to the Editor for the Excellence in Education Journal and a peer reviewer for educational journals such as the TechTrends Journal. She will serve as the Graduate Student Coordinator for Florida Educational and Research Association (FERA) for 2017 and 2018.
Jandy Gu
Jandy Gu is currently pursuing her PhD in Anthropology at the University of Florida. Her work is concerned with the subjectivities of graffiti and street art, particularly the border line between official and unofficial culture, establishment and oppositional modalities, and the continuing evolution of art and artists from outlaws and public nuisances to creative geniuses. These symbolic distinctions between art and crime, vanguard and vandal, illuminate the way society propagates and internalizes classifications of cultural objects as well as the people who make them, revealing how criminality and legitimacy are socially produced. Jandy is also a lecturer for the University Writing Program and emphasizes the communicative potential of narrative in her classes.
Adam Jordan
Adam joined the UF College of Education’s Educational Technology program in the spring of 2012. Over the past four years he has enjoyed expanding his knowledge base in the field of EdTech through his participation in various classes such as Human Computer Interaction and the Learner, Designing Integrated Media Environments, and Qualitative Foundations of Educational Research. As a full-time employee at the University of Florida and part-time PhD student, Adam continually strives to manage his work/school/life balance. As a member of the UF Dean of Students office, he serves students on a daily basis, and these interactions have helped him to stay informed on what college students needs are and how to effectively serve them. As Adam finishes his final courses he hopes to hone his research interest on assistive technologies for students with disabilities.
Kairan Kang
Kairan Kang is a second-year graduate student in the ESOL program in College of Education, University of Florida. She received a bachelor degree in English from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China. Currently she is working with students from Educational Technology program on the E-book project about distance education. She is interested in instructional design, curriculum and materials development and teaching methods for K-12 students.
James W. Kline
James W. Kline is a doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction (Educational Technology) in the School of Teaching and Learning at the University of Florida. Along with an M.A. in Linguistics and an M.B.A. focusing on Project Management, James has over 15 years of experience in higher education as an instructor, academic advisor, and instructional and training coordinator. Each of his various roles and responsibilities has uniquely contributed to his commitment to furthering his professional expertise in faculty, staff, and student development, in researching, designing, and implementing instructional systems, and in disseminating knowledge gained through informed research, practical experience, and active collaboration. In terms of current research interests, James is primarily interested in instructional design project management, technology integration in higher education, distance and blended learning, and faculty development and training.
Jingwei Li
Jingwei Li is a first year Ph.D. student in Educational Technology program in the School of Teaching and Learning at the University of Florida. She earned a master’s degree in ESOL from the University of Florida. Jingwei is a teaching assistant and undergraduate instructor of Introduction to Educational Technology. She is working at a local Chinese school as a voluntary educational technology teacher to guide students understand how technology engaged in the environment of study and entertainment with the assistance of iPad apps, for example: Little Story Creator and Book Creator. She teaches how to create iPad games using appropriate commands and logic on the platform of Hopscotch, Lightbot Hour, and Daisy the Dino. Her research interests including games and simulations in education.
Feiya Luo
Feiya Luo is a doctoral student in Educational Technology in the School of Teaching of Learning at the University of Florida. Feiya received her bachelor degree in English and French from Shenzhen University in China, and her master’s degree in Translation and Interpretation from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey in California. She also finished a certificate program in computer programming at Mission College, Santa Clara. Feiya has been a teacher of high school and undergraduate students, a translator and interpreter, and a translation project manager. The experience she gained from these various roles has empowered her to pursue her interests in educational technology. Her current work includes building an educational website that aim to improve children’s interests in biology as well as to help college students learn biology better.
Wenjing Luo
Wenjing Luo is a doctoral student of Educational Technology in the School of Teaching and Learning at the University of Florida. Her research interests include the implementation of educational robotics in K-12 schools and its implications for students’ STEM learning and cognitive, affective, and social development, especially for students from historically underserved backgrounds. She is also interested in exploring the potentialities of educational technologies in narrowing the digital divide and granting equal access to educational resources for students from diverse backgrounds. She earned her Master of Education from Vanderbilt University in English Language Learners. She was a high school teacher in Orlando, FL, where she taught English and reading to speakers of other languages.
Shalaunda Reeves
Shalaunda Reeves is an Instructional Designer for the University Florida, UF Online. Originally from Detroit, MI, Shalaunda earned her Bachelor of Arts in English Education from Madonna University. Additionally, she earned her Masters of Arts in Education Technology from the University of Michigan. Before joining UF, Shalaunda taught high school English and guest lectured for the AIM program at UF. Shalaunda enjoys traveling, and spending time with her husband Kevin, son Kevin Jr. (age 7), and daughter Kerrington (1).
Ryan Rushing
Ryan Rushing is the Coordinator for Learning and Development at the Department of Housing and Residence Education at the University of Florida. In this role, he is responsible for providing training and staff development resources to over 300 full-time staff members within the department. Ryan’s professional interests include using educational technology to enhance the transfer of training and to make learning easier for staff and utilizing technology to improve motivation. Ryan expects to graduate in Fall 2017 with a M.A.E. in educational technology. In his spare time, Ryan enjoys video games (particularly simulations and strategy games), reading science fiction, and computer programming.
Zaina Sheets
Zaina Sheets is pursuing a Master of Arts degree in the Educational Technology program at the University of Florida. She received a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in creative photography from the University of Florida in 2014. Zaina currently works as the customer service supervisor in the University of Florida’s Registrar Office. She is responsible for not only supervising the team, but also for the continual creation and improvement of training materials for the office.
Max Sommer
Max Sommer is a graduate student at the University of Florida in the Master’s of Arts in Education with an Emphasis on Educational Technology Program. He is also the Head Coach of the Boys’ Freshman Basketball team at Gainesville High School. As an undergraduate student at the University of Florida, Max received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Geography and a Minor in UFTeach, a program that prepares math or science students to teach secondary education. He also received valuable Informal STEM Education experience through working in the Education Department of the Florida Museum of Natural History for multiple summers. Max made sure to pursue coaching opportunities as well, earning valuable experience working both at Gainesville High School and for the University of Florida Women’s Basketball team.
Anita Stephen
Anita Stephen is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Florida, College of Nursing. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing Science from Dominican College in Blauvelt, New York. She received her Master of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Florida, College of Nursing with the specialization in the Clinical Nurse Leader track. She has been a registered nurse for 27 years. Her nursing experiences include medical/surgical, oncology, surgical intensive care, and nursing education. She currently teaches undergraduate nursing students’ procedural skills, clinical, and simulation. She is also a part time PhD student at the University of Florida, College of Education with a specialization in Educational Technology. Her research interests include the use of Educational Technology in patient education to prevent hospital readmissions.
Natercia Valle
Natercia Valle is graduate student in the Educational Technology Program – School of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education at the University of Florida. She has a bachelor’s degree in Portuguese Linguistics and Literature from Federal University of Para (UFPA) and an English as a Second Language Teaching Certificate from Duke University. Her research interests include self-regulated learning, attention, and cognitive neuroscience. Her professional experience includes teaching Portuguese as a Second Language, working as a freelance translator, and as a Graduate Assistant in the Citizen Scientist Project-UF. In her free time, Natercia also works as a Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) Volunteer.
Jiahui Wang
Jiahui Wang currently is a third-year Ph.D. student and research fellow in Educational Technology in College of Education. She graduated from the University of Virginia in August 2013 with a M.Ed. Degree in Curriculum & Instruction and she taught Chinese at elementary and secondary levels in Fairfax County Public School, VA after graduation. Jiahui has been working with Prof. Pasha Antonenko in the Neuroscience Applications for Learning (NeurAL) Laboratory, studying how people learn in technology-assisted learning environments through the use of advanced attentional and cognitive assessment techniques such as EEG and eye tracking. Her future goal is to carry out interdisciplinary research that can provide valuable insights on the design and development of technology-rich learning environments.
Zhen Xu
Zhen Xu is a doctoral student and teaching assistant in the School of Teaching and Learning at the University of Florida. She is pursuing a degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Educational Technology. Zhen got her bachelor’s degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language from Sichuan International Studies University in China. Then, she worked as an English teacher in a community college in a small city near her hometown. She later moved to Gainesville, U.S.A and got her Master of Education in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in College of Education at the University of Florida. Experienced in teaching students from K-12 to college level, Zhen is also a student organization leader in Gainesville, and devotes herself to helping underprivileged students to achieve academic success.
Hongyu Zhan
Hongyu Zhan is a second year graduate student of ESOL program at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Originally from China, Zhan earned her bachelor degree of Literature at Shandong University. She has been an English teacher for one year in China. With related experience in web design, online communication and ESOL education, she managed to integrate the knowledge and skills of education technology into bilingual education for her future career as an English teacher.