Site Statistics

Number of members: 3621

Number of videos: 70

Number of documents: 177

Staff

David Beer

David Beer, the VLC project's Principal Investigator, is working on developing effective Internet based professional development for elementary school teachers. He thinks that teachers should have more control over their PD experience; that using the Internet will not just transmit PD, but ultimately transform it, and that well-executed Internet PD will obscure the role difference between teacher and student. When he is not thinking about his 10 grandchildren, David sings in the Apollo Chorus of Chicago and the Chicago Pilgrim's Chorus.

Meg Schleppenbach

Meg Schleppenbach is the Project Director for the VLC. Prior to working on the VLC, she studied the content and uses of videos from Chinese and U.S. elementary mathematics classrooms. She believes video can be a powerful tool for teachers to reflect on their practice. When she's not thinking about the VLC, she manages to survive as one of the few Cubs fans in her south side of Chicago office.

Cheryl Moran

As an Everyday Mathematics author, experienced professional developer, and veteran classroom teacher, Cheryl Moran brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the VLC team. Her insights into the curriculum itself and her deep understanding of the teacher perspective make her invaluable in selecting and framing learning resources. In her spare time, Cheryl hangs out with her husband, 4 children, and 2 dogs. She also enjoys hiking and playing Yahtzee and Sudoku.

Mikhail Guzowski

Mikhail Guzowski joined CEMSE after living and teaching abroad, in Monterrey, Mexico, for five years. While in Mexico, he taught 4th grade and then took the position of Math Specialist. This experience made him an instant candidate to help the VLC team with lessons that are taught in Spanish, and he has been pleased to find that his Spanish skills are still above a 1st grade level! When not working, you can likely find him around the lake, biking, running, swimming, or just getting some sun.

Mollie Rudnick

Mollie Rudnick is a content expert on the VLC project. In addition to working on the VLC project, she works on research and evaluation projects, including looking at the implementation of mathematics and science programs and innovations. Prior to that, she taught middle school mathematics and science in Philadelphia. Prior to that, she played ice hockey in Arizona (among other things).

Jarrett Colby

Jarrett works on the development and maintenance of the VLC interface. He has worked as a web application developer at CEMSE since September of 2006. He has extensive experience developing web applications with Ruby on Rails and PHP. In addition to the VLC, he develops online surveys, internal business apps, iPad apps, the CEMSE website, the Researchers Without Borders website, and the Everyday Mathematics website. He earned his Bachelor's from the University of Chicago in 2008.

Margaret Sharkey

Margaret designed the VLC interface and oversees its development. She has designed several other web applications at CEMSE, including the CEMSE website (http://cemse.uchicago.edu). Before coming to Chicago, Margaret worked on web applications at Autodesk and taught high school mathematics in San Francisco, California. When she's not designing websites, she enjoys designing murals, playing with her dog, Ryan, and dreaming of hanging out in warmer climates than Chicago.

Diana Barrie

Diana Barrie is the video editor and archivist for the VLC. She studied photography and film-making at the Art Institute of Chicago and taught those subjects at various universities during the 1980s. In the 1990s she joined the Everyday Mathematics team at the University of Chicago where she has been responsible for creating technical art for the curriculum materials.

Rickey Robertson

Rickey L. Robertson has worked at the University of Chicago's Center for Elementary Mathematics and Science Education since 2005. At CEMSE, Robertson manages Survey Research Support, recruiting respondents and providing respondent support for data collection efforts. When he gets a free moment, it is spent building relationships with family and friends through music and the arts.

VLC Funders

National Science Foundation (NSF)

This website is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1020083. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in the pages of this website are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

NSF-funded work on the VLC project began in July 2010. The project proposal, as well as further information about the project, is available at http://cemse.uchicago.edu/research-and-evaluation/research/pd-technology/. If you are interested in learning more about the design and research elements of this project, please contact Principal Investigator David Beer at dwbeer@uchicago.edu or Project Director Meg Schleppenbach at megschleppenbach@uchicago.edu.

Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE)

The development of the Virtual Learning Community is also supported by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. For several years, IBHE has funded work by CEMSE and other University of Chicago institutions to improve mathematics and science teaching in Chicago elementary schools. IBHE has funded the use of this site as a vehicle for disseminating instructional and professional development tools, models, and practices created through this work. A large number of the resources on this site were forged through IBHE-funded collaborations between Chicago teachers and the University of Chicago. For more information about the IBHE project, please contact Debbie Leslie at daleslie@uchicago.edu.