jenna mcwilliams
[learning sciences program]
::indiana university::
“you don’t just give up / you don’t just let things happen / you make a stand / you say no //”
HASTAC: https://www.hastac.org/users/jennamcwilliams
Doctoral student, Learning Sciences Program, Indiana University (expected 2013)
· Areas of interest: new media and participatory cultures, equity in education
Master of Fine Arts, English (Creative Writing / Poetry Emphasis), Colorado State University (May 2005)
· Areas of focus: film studies, discontinuous narrative, foreign languages and literatures
B.A., English, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI (1999)
· Areas of focus: colonial literatures, gay and lesbian literatures, memoir, French language and literatures
Massachusetts Educator’s License, English 8-12 (2007)
RECENT AWARDS AND SERVICE
Jan. 2011-present: Panelist, Lesbian, Gay, & Bisexual Speaker Series, Indiana University
2010-2011: HASTAC (Humanities, Arts, Sciences, Technology Advanced Collaborative) Scholar
2010-2011: President, Learning Sciences Graduate Student Association, Indiana University
2010-2011: Recruitment Chair, Learning Sciences Graduate Student Association, Indiana University
Feb.-April 2010: Web administrator, coordinator, Save Aurora School organization
Jan. 2010-present: Web administrator, LSGSA website (http://www.indiana.edu/~lsgsa/index.html).
2009-2010: Secretary, Learning Sciences Graduate Student Association, Indiana University
2009-2010: Professional Development Chair, Learning Sciences Graduate Student Association, Indiana University
2009-present: Social co-chair, Learning Sciences World Domination Task Force
Participatory Assessment Project, Indiana University’s Learning Sciences Program (September 2009-present). Principal Investigator: Daniel T. Hickey. Research activities include: collaborative design and implementation of reading and writing curricula in the secondary English classroom; development of assessments to support and help teachers interpret student learning gains; data collection and interpretation of student learning gains; and collaboration with teachers to develop and refine modules that reflect the assessment principles of this project.
SociaLens book development project, Bloomington, IN (December 2009-present). In collaboration with a team of researchers, I designed and implemented research protocol for qualitative inquiry into organizational new media literacies and design thinking proficiencies. I helped to complete case studies of a range of organizations, including a cooperative supermarket, a pharmaceutical supply company, and a national corporate training organization. This work led to development and testing of a tool to assess individual and organizational proficiencies in new media fluencies and design-thinking approaches.
Project New Media Literacies, MIT (2007-2009). Principal Investigator: Henry Jenkins. As this project’s curriculum specialist, I led design and testing of a multimedia curriculum intended for use in the high school ELA classroom. In collaboration with researchers at Indiana University and at MIT, I collected and analyzed field notes from seven schools piloting material from this curriculum.
WRITING AND PUBLISHING
print publications
McWilliams, J., Hickey, D.T., Hines, M., Conner, J.M., & Bishop, S.C. (2011). Using Collaborative Writing Tools for Literary Analysis: Twitter, Fan Fiction and The Crucible in the Secondary English Classroom. Journal of Media Literacy Education 2:3, 238 – 245.
Hickey, D.T., Honeyford, M.A., & McWilliams, J. (in press). Reading Moby-Dick in a Participatory Culture: Organizing Assessment for Engagement in a New Media Era. For Journal of Educational Computing Research, Special Issue: Young people, Learning and Social Media.
Hickey, D. T., Honeyford, M. A., Clinton, K. A., & McWilliams, J. (2010). Participatory assessment of 21st century proficiencies. In V. Shute & B. Becker (Eds.), Innovative assessment in the 21st century: supporting educational needs. New York: Springer.
book reviews
McWilliams, J. (2011, May 16). The Kids are Alright: a review of Hanging out, messing around, and geeking out: Kids living and learning with new media, by Mizuko Ito, Sonja Baumer, Matteo Bittanti, danah boyd, Rachel Cody, Becky Herr-Stephenson, Heather A. Horst, Patricia G. Lange, Dilan Mahendran, Katynka Z. Martinez, C. J. Pascoe, Dan Perkel, Laura Robinson, Christo Sims, and Lisa Tripp. Mind, Culture, and Activity.
McWilliams, J. Book Review: ‘Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology,’ by Allan Collins and Richard Halverson. eLearn Magazine. November 17, 2009. Published online at http://elearnmag.org/subpage.cfm?section=reviews&article=11-1.
McWilliams, J. Book review: Teaching the New Writing: Technology, change, and assessment in the 21st-century classroom. THEN: Technologies, Humanities, Education, Narrative. June 15, 2009. Published online at http://thenjournal.org/review/234/.
blogs and online writing
2010: HASTAC Scholar forum host, “Openness in Academia” (http://www.hastac.org/forums/hastac-scholars-discussions/openness-academia).
July 2010-present: making edible playdough is hegemonic: notes toward resistance (http://jennamcwilliams.com). key topics: civic engagement, social justice, politics, human rights, gender politics, education, public schools.
May 2009-August 2009 featured blogger: The Guardian / Comment is Free. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/jenna-mcwilliams).
February 2009-July 2010: sleeping alone and starting out early (http://jennamcwilliams.blogspot.com), an occasional blog on culture, education, new media, and the social revolution. key topics: education, new media, participatory cultures, social justice, journalism, open education, film and book reviews, popular culture, the social revolution.
INTERVIEWS & PRESENTATIONS
Interview with CBCradio: Spark (March 28, 2010). Computers are hard. Who’s to blame? Available at http://www.cbc.ca/spark/2010/03/spark-107-march-28-30-2010/.
Interview with CBCradio: Spark (November 19, 2009). On New Media Literacy: Practical strategies for equipping young learners in a new media age. Available at http://www.cbc.ca/spark/2009/11/full-interview-jenna-mcwilliams-on-new-media-literacy/.
Interview with the BBC: BBC News Hour (May 8, 2009). On Rupert Murdoch, the news pay wall, and the future of print journalism: a conversation with Joshua Benton. Available at http://www.joshuabenton.com/bbcworldservice050809.mp3.
::conference presentations::
Hickey, D.T., McWilliams, J., Bishop, S., & Soylu, F. (April 2011). Participatory Assessment for Engagement, Understanding, and Achievement in Online Learning Contexts. AERA Annual Meeting 2011, New Orleans, LA.
McWilliams, J. (March 2011). on the question of democracy and empowerment. Presentation for symposium: Participatory Culture Reconsidered: Moving Beyond Rainbows, Unicorns and Butterflies. Digital Media & Learning Conference, Long Beach, CA.
Hickey, D.T., McWilliams, J., & Bishop, S. (Nov. 2010). Participatory Assessment for Engagement, Understanding, and Achievement. Presentation for Faculty Research Seminar, Office of Research and Development, Indiana University School of Education.
McWilliams, J. (Oct. 28 2010). When we tell kids they can make a difference…and they’re wrong. Disembodied citizens and communities: How new technologies are changing how students learn, collaborate and construct civic identities, panel for the International Association for Research of Service Learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE).
McWilliams, J., Baechtold, T., & Finn, G. (Oct. 8, 2010.)Today’s writing is social, collaborative, and multimodal—so how do we grade it? Roundtable discussion for the Indiana Teachers of Writing Annual Conference.
Clinton, K.A., & McWilliams, J (2010, April). A Model for Reading in a Participatory Culture. AERA Presentation.
Hickey, D.T., Honeyford, M.A., & McWilliams, J. (2010, April). Participatory Assessment: Remediating Curriculum and Testing for the 21st Century. AERA Presentation.
Honeyford, M., Rupert, R., & McWilliams, J. (2009, Nov. 18). What is Assessment for? Creating Participatory Classrooms for Readers and Writers. National Writing Project Convening: Digital Is…., Philadelphia, PA.
Honeyford, M., Rupert, R., McWilliams, J., & Sykes, L. (November 20, 2009). Reading in a Participatory Culture: New Media Literacy Practices and Discursive Assessment Strategies for Critical and Creative Engagement with Classic Texts. National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention, Philadelphia, PA.
McWilliams, J. (Oct. 24, 2009). Participatory Assessment for New & Traditional Literacies: Positioning Assessment to Support Participation. Home, Inc., Biennial Media Literacy Conference, Boston, MA.
Honeyford, M., Rupert, R., & McWilliams, J., The “Rise of Writing”: Meeting the Challenges of Researching, Teaching, and Assessing Writing in a Participatory Culture (October 9, 2009).
McWilliams, J (May 2009). Opening Keynote: Project NML’s Teachers’ Strategy Guide: What We’ve Learned. Project NML Spring Conference: Learning in a Participatory Culture, Cambridge, MA.
Reilly, E., & McWilliams, J. (August 2008). Roundtable Discussion. Salzburg Academy: Salzburg, Austria.
McWilliams, J. (August 2008). Multimedia Presentation: An Overview of Project New Media Literacies’ Teachers’ Strategy Guide. Project NML Teacher Workshop: Cambridge, MA.
McWilliams, J. (May 2005). Same as it Ever Was: Class, race, and gender in Romero’s Living Dead trilogy. Colorado State University Graduate Student Conference, Fort Collins, CO.
::poster sessions::
McWilliams, J.M., Hickey, D.T., & Conner, J.M. (April 2011). Closing the Participation Gap: Using Participatory Assessment to Support Digital Literacy. Poster for roundtable session: New Tools, New Times, New Learning: Using Digital Environments and Assessments to Promote Sustainable Learning, AERA Annual Meeting 2011.
McWilliams, J. (November 2008). Media Gallery: What is Reading in a Participatory Culture? NCTE Annual Convention: San Antonio, TX.
McWilliams, J. (Oct. 2007). Poster Session: Introducing Project New Media Literacies. Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference, Nashua, NH.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Senior Lecturer, Suffolk University (Fall 2005-Spring 2007)
Taught advanced composition and literature courses focusing on study of the essay as a literary form and on the basics of writing compelling, engaging, and creative expository and argumentative essays.
Lecturer, Bridgewater State College (Fall 2006-Spring 2007)
Taught basic and advanced composition courses emphasizing the idea of argument as dependent on awareness of context.
Lecturer, Newbury College (Fall 2005-Summer 2006)
Taught remedial and advanced composition, literature, and business communication courses.
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Colorado State University (Fall 2003-Spring 2005)
Taught four sections of COCC150, College Composition, and one section of E210, Introduction to Creative Writing.
Apprentice Poet, Literacy Through Poetry Program (Fall 2002-Spring 2004)
Taught the art of reading and writing poetry to at-risk elementary school students throughout the Poudre School District in Fort Collins, CO. Forty-five-minute lessons focused on reading and writing original poems, which were anthologized for the class at the end of each semester.
Writing Consultant, Colorado State University (Fall 2002-Spring 2003)
Served as a writing tutor helping undergraduate, graduate-level, and foreign and ESL students and non-students develop, organize, and focus academic, creative, and professional writing.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Curriculum Specialist, Project New Media Literacies (March 2008-June 2009)
Education Outreach Coordinator, Project New Media Literacies (September 2007-March 2008)
Administrative Assistant, Mary Crow—Colorado Poet Laureate (Fall 2002-Spring 2004)
Reporter, Holly Herald/Fenton Independent, Spinal Column Newsweekly (2000-2002)
Assistant Director, Public Interest Research Group in Michigan (1999-2000)
HONORS
2005 First Place: CSU Outstanding Literary Essay Award
2005 Honorable Mention: Academy of American Poets College and University Prize
2004 Associated Writing Programs Intro Journals Award
2003 Academy of American Poets College and University Prize
2003 Honorable Mention: Ruth Lilly Prize
1999 Outstanding English Student Award
1999 Honorable Mention: Oldenburg Award (Poetry)
1998 First Place: Oldenburg Award (Poetry)
