Instructional Technology and Media for Learning

About our authors Sharon E. Smaldino served for many years as a speech therapist and special educator in school districts from Florida to Minnesota. She spent many years working with PK to 12-aged deaf and hearing-impaired students in public schools and in residential programs. For several years she worked with hearing-impaired students who were placed in a residential program for social and emotional issues. During the time she was working with those students, Sharon began a doctoral program at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale with a focus on instructional design and technology integration. Sharon brought her personal computer into her classroom to help her deaf students explore new technology-integrated learning experiences.

Following completion of her degree, Sharon started her career as a teacher educator, where she focused on working with teacher candidates, faculty and PK to 12 teachers to integrate technology into the learning process. Presenting at state, national and international conferences, Sharon has become an important voice on applications of technology in the classroom and in distance education. In addition to her teaching, Sharon has written articles for state and national journals, chapters and books on her primary research interest, effective technology integration in learning. She has worked on the development and implementation of grants that are designed to support teachers to integrate technology into their teaching. Sharon has received several awards for her teaching and professional activities. She has served as a journal editor and has held leadership positions in several state and national professional associations.

Deborah L. Lowther has been an educator for over 30 years. For the first seven years of her career, she taught middle school science and was highly engaged with providing professional development to teachers within and beyond her district. Because of her desire to work with teachers, she received her PhD in educational technology in 1994 and accepted a faculty position at the University of Memphis in 1995. At the University of Memphis, Deborah served as Department Chair for Instruction and Curriculum Leadership (ICL). The ICL department offers eight initial teacher licensure programs as well as several MS and EdD options.

Prior to accepting the chair position, Deborah served as the senior technology researcher for the Center for Research in Educational Policy, through which she researched PK to 12 technology integration issues. She has personally conducted observations in PK to 12 classrooms and interviewed students, teachers and principals in numerous schools across the country. She has used the knowledge and experiences gained through engagement in applied research to develop the iNtegrating Technology for inquiry (NTeQ) Model with Dr. Gary Morrison. This model has been the foundational approach for several high-profile state-level technology initiatives. With regard to scholarship, Deborah has coauthored several books, chapters and refereed journal articles; presented at numerous national and international conferences; and provided professional development to educational institutions across the nation.

Clif Mims is a teacher, researcher, author, speaker and educational consultant specializing in the effective integration of technology with teaching and learning. His teaching career began over 20 years ago as an elementary and middle school teacher. He also coached basketball and math teams to numerous championships. While earning his doctorate in instructional technology at the University of Georgia, Clif began focusing on teacher education and professional development. He is a professor of instructional design and technology at the University of Memphis and is the founding executive director of the Martin Institute for Teaching Excellence. Clif is both a Project Zero Faculty Fellow and a Future of Learning Fellow at Harvard University. He and his wife have three children.