An experienced educator of over 18 years, Dawn Berkeley currently leads technology integration and development as the Educational Technology Coordinator at St. Albans School in Washington, DC. Prior to St. Albans, she served in a similar capacity at Sidwell Friends School as the Upper School Academic Technology Coordinator and Coordinator of the Global Online Academy. She began her teaching career at Parkdale High School, in Riverdale, MD, a suburb of Washington, DC, where she taught AP Biology and spearheaded the school’s first iPad program and facilitated the deployment of 700 iPads into a school population of 2,300.
Dawn is a Level 1 and 2 Google Certified Teacher, a Common Sense Certified Educator, and a Raspberry Pi Certified Educator. She has also been a member of the Discovery Educator Network Leadership Council and was a scholarship recipient of the Google Developer Challenge for Front-End Web Development offered through Udacity. She is a wife and mom to four children.
My research question:
How might the boys use technology for good in order to create meaningful opportunities for underserved populations?
Why you came up with your research study:
Given the school and context, technology can often be placed in a negative light. Reasons for this may abound, from the student who posts an inappropriate comment or image, to the shaming that occurs in some social media communities, to the inability to engage in a civil conversation when some of our heart-felt convictions and core values collide. Technology has certainly served as a medium to amplify behaviors like these and others. However, not enough attention is placed on the great benefits technology has afforded and for this reason, I wanted to take a deep dive into exploring how I could facilitate learning opportunities wherein my students use the power of technology to spread some good.
I work in an all-boys school and wanted the boys I work with to engage in a service learning project which positively impacts society. In particular, I wanted the boys to work on a project which serves individuals from underserved populations, all through technology.
Your hypothesis:
If the boys create an experience with technology that positively impacts the school and beyond, community members and students’ perceptions would shift to view technology as a social change agent and be willing to engage in thought and dialogue around the positive influence technology can have in our lives.
Variables you want to study:
Independent variable: Boys creation of a technology-based product (app, program) or tool that positively impacts the STA Community and beyond
Dependent variable: Perception of technology within the community, a perception of faculty.
