Since my undergraduate years, I have always been interested in the intersection of education and technology. I received my BA from Brown University where I created an independent major studying Computers in Education; which combined coursework in Education Studies and Computer Science. I also began my teaching experience as a 6th grade mathematics teacher in the Providence Breakthrough program. I taught in the program for 3 summers and also served as a year-round coordinator there.
After graduation I worked as a computer science teacher at the Lincoln School for Girls and then moved on to an administrative position as a Director of Technology at the Mayfield Junior School. During this time I completed my MA in Computing and Education from Columbia University in their hybrid program (part online, part on campus).
In my doctoral studies, I sought to explore how educational technologies could aid in broader goals of education reform in the United States. I received my PhD from the University of Southern California in Urban Education Policy. I was advised by Dominic Brewer, who is an economist and expert on education governance and reform, former vice president at RAND, and now Dean at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. However, I combined my focus on education reform with my passion for new technologies, and had the opportunity to take much of my coursework at the Annenberg School for Communication.
From 2010-2016 I was an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, where I held a joint appointment in the College of Information Studies and College of Education. During my time at UMD, I was promoted with tenure to Associate Professor in 2016, and directed the Human-Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL), which is a cross-campus, multi-disciplinary laboratory that brings together faculty from diverse disciplines who study issues at the intersection of social sciences, computer science, and interaction design.
From 2016-2018, I was an Associate Professor at New York University, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. I taught in the Digital Media Design for Learning (DMDL) and Games for Learning programs, and led the development of an online DMDL program.
In 2018, I moved to the University of California, Irvine, School of Education and joined the Connected Learning Lab. At UCI, I am working to bring my expertise in design methodologies and education research to develop research-practice partnerships in the local community, and develop research projects that lead to both societal impact and innovative scholarship.