about teachwatts
DANA SPECKER WATTSemail: teachwatts@gmail.com
website: www.teachwatts.com
ePortfolios: www.netvibes.com/teachwatts
ENG 10 blog: http://inside.isb.ac.th/dwatts10
ENG 9 blog: http://inside.isb.ac.th/dwatts9
Humanities blog: http://dwatts.msblogs.aes.ac.in/
EDUCATION
- State University of New York College at Buffalo, NY: M.S. Multidisciplinary Studies: Digital Literacy (2011)
- Canisius College, NY: M.S. Secondary Education: English (1996)
- Harvard University, MA: Extensive course work (24 credits) toward Masters in Liberal Arts: English (1994-1996)
- Canisius College, NY: B.A. English (1994)
American Embassy School, New Delhi, India 2010-Present
MS Technology Facilitator
- Coordinate the development and implementation of Middle School Assigned Laptop Program
- Facilitator of CoETaIL courses for SUNY to enhance digital literacy within culture of the school
- Integrator of an iPad pilot program for the Middle School
- Developed two after-school clubs for students: Tech Tutors and Team Geek to empower students to share their learning with others in the school community
International School Bangkok, Thailand 2006-2010
High School English Teacher
- Facilitate student learning and implementation of 21st century skills in High School English Department through the use of ePortfolios and blogging
- Assist in the coordination and implementation of High School English Department’s Organizational Goal in Independent Reading Program
- Coordinate with Grade 9 and 10 teams to ensure best practice in the delivery of the curriculum
- Restructured and implemented new curriculum in the Middle School Humanities Grade 7 Department for the Connected World unit which utilizes web 2.0 tools
English Teacher
- Taught Speech Communications, Study Skills, and English Honors in addition to English 9 and English 10
- Maintained standards in keeping with the state curriculum and incorporated women’s literature when possible
- Instructed students individually and in groups, using various teaching methods such as cooperative learning, writing groups, lectures, discussions, and demonstrations
- Developed book club for students after school and served as a judge for the school debate team.
- Created a women’s literature curriculum at the principal’s request
Full-Time English Lecturer for the Academic Skills Department/English Department
- Instructed students in all basic writing skills. Main course load each semester consisted of ENG 099, ENG 101, ENG 102, and taught ESL courses to foreign students predominantly from Asia
- Coordinated the Academic Intervention Management (AIM) program targeted towards at-risk students. Established Study Skills courses and tutors for probation students campus wide and worked hand-in-hand with various academic deans throughout the university to better prepare students for college level material
- Taught numerous subjects outside content area such as Communications 101, Speech Communications, and Anthropology 101. At one point, taught 7 full time courses in single semester due to a teacher shortage
Adjunct English Lecturer
- Instructed ENG 099, ENG 101, and ENG 102 to incoming students. Students were mostly returning adult education students, ESL students, and some traditional freshman
- Operated on campus Writing Center and taught writing process to students across campus throughout the day. Students with any type of academic paper had access to the writing center, and all levels of academia were assisted
Learning 2.011 Conference: SCIS Pudong Upper School Campus, Shanghai, China, September 2011.
21st Century Learning Conference: West Island School, Hong Kong, February 2011.
Bridging the Gap Community Conference 2010: Yokohama International School, Yokohama, Japan, November 2010.
American School Bombay Un-Plugged 2010: International One-to-One Learning Conference February 2010. Workshops attended: TEDxASB; Learning Institute: Creativity, Innovation, and Building the Right Brain Student; Learning Institute: Leadership for the Next Half Decade; Moving Towards the Center with ePortfolios; Differentiating Instruction Using Technology; Innovating the Writing Process with Digital Tools; Hardware is Not Enough: The Teacher-Facilitator Partnership; Developing Ethical and Intellectual Identity Online; and How to Webcast Your Event.
CoETaIL: Certificate of Educational Technology and Information Literacy 2009-2010
Completed Course work: Workplace Literacy: Information Literacy and Ourselves as Learners; Instructional Technologies: 21st Century Literacy Ideas, Questions and Issues;
Authoring for Educators: Visual Literacy; The Microcomputer in the Instructional Program: Best Practice as a Catalyst
21st Century Learning Conference Hong Kong: Extending Tomorrow's Leaders with Digital Learning: September 2009. Workshops Attended: Managing Your Time on the Web . . . Survival Skills; Digital Portfolios; Harnessing Digital Content for Learning: An inquiry into texts online in audio, video and e-book format; Walking the Talk: 21st Century Learning in Curriculum Design and Learning; K12 Online Conference: Free Professional development on Web 2.0 Technologies
ISTE National Educational Computing Conference 2009:
Full Day Workshop Attended: Web 2.0 Tools for Classroom-Based Assessment and Interactive Student E-Portfolios
EARCOS Conference: Creating a Global Community: The Power of One: March 2008
Workshops Attended: Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the 21st Century; Organizing Classroom Libraries that Work; The Power of Poems; Students as Creators and Contributors; Co-Teaching: Myth or Reality; Teaching About Contemporary Issues in an Asian Context
Additional Forums and Un-Conference Workshops: Filtering and Monitoring in Today’s School; Characteristics of Integrator, Tech Specialist or Learning Tech Coordinator
PRESENTATIONS
"ePortfolios and WordPress" K-12 Online Conference: December 2011
"Technology and Curriculum: Moving Forward Together" with Stacy Stephens at Learning 2.011 in Shanghai, China: September 2011
Full Day Learning Institute on "Building Student Centered Blended Learning Environments" with Jeff Utecht at the NESA Spring Educators Conference: March 2010
"Technology and Curriculum: Moving Forward Together" with Stacy Stephens at Learning 2.011 in Shanghai, China: September 2011
Full Day Learning Institute on "Building Student Centered Blended Learning Environments" with Jeff Utecht at the NESA Spring Educators Conference: March 2010
Two Day Presentation on "Beginners Learning Technology Tools Together" for TechTrain 2010 for EARCOS at ISB: January 2010
21st century learner in the following areas: PowerSchool, Microsoft Office applications, Netscape Navigator, Google, Moodle, Pearsons, Rubicon Atlas, FirstClass, Skyward, ISTE member since 2009
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Tsunami Relief Adviser (2 years), Invisible Children adviser (1 year), Student Council Leadership Retreat, Tsunami Relief Friendship Exchange Co-Coordinator: Fall and Spring
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