Master’s degree in Education Policy and Program Evaluation. Coursework included statistics, data analysis, leadership, design of learning spaces, digital literacies, evolution of assessment, program evaluation and more. Emphasis on combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. Master’s Thesis: Federal Policy and the Access, Equity, and Integration of K-12 Educational Technology. Click on the post-it note for more information.
One of my favorite graduate courses was “Digital Literacies in a Networked World.” The course was organized around two central principles: participation and praxis, and invited course members to participate in a variety of digital activities. After the conclusion of the course, five members formed the Diglits Inquiry Group. Influenced by one another’s commitment to a critical orientation over the semester, we came together after the course ended to examine how these principles played out in our ensuing practices, as we began working with students and educators in new capacities that stretched and challenged our beliefs in unexpected ways. Our work culminated in a panel discussion at the UPenn Ethnography Forum. Click on the post-it note for more information.
I had the opportunity to take the Penn Literacy Network (PLN) course “Forming & Reforming Reading, Writing, Talking Across the Curriculum.” This unique professional development opportunity allowed me to dive into evidence-based literacy instruction as well as reflect on what that looked like in my teaching environment. I embedded the PLN frameworks into a fifth-grade research project that became known as “#havPassion” and focused on mentoring student passions through inquiry-driven research. Click on the post-it note for more information.
I had the opportunity to travel with the University of Pennsylvania’s Mid-Career Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership on their trip to San Francisco in 2016. The trip was a combined event between the Wharton School of Business and the Graduate School of Education. The group was about ten individuals with a variety of backgrounds, roles and perspectives on education. We were tasked at looking at examples of innovation and leadership in schools and start ups in the bay area. Click on the post-it note for more information.
Christy Brennan 