Cassandra Scharber
Assistant professor
Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Learning technologies
Literacy education
130-A Peik Hall
612-625-6607
scharber@umn.edu
Office hours: by appointment
Preferred method of contact: e-mail
Academic interests
As a former middle and high school teacher, my professional life is centered on education and the possibilities it holds for a brighter future. My research explores the nexus of literacy, power, and technology and the possibilities technology offers in aiding the transformation of teaching and learning.
I am deeply troubled by the 1) narrow conceptions of literacy that proliferate in schools and community learning settings and 2) educational inequalities that are indicative of differences in children's race, income, gender, and culture. My research interests speak to these concerns and span both fields of learning technologies and literacy: technology integration in K12 classrooms; digital literacies; issues of digital equity; and the potential role of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) in preservice and inservice teacher preparation.
In the Handbook of Learning Sciences, Palinscar and Ladewinski (2006) argue that the fields of learning sciences and literacy are ripe for “border-crossing.” By nature, both fields are border-crossing topics as technology and literacy are integrated into all facets of life and across content areas in schools. I strive to be a border-crosser whose work helps forge a stronger, reciprocal relationship between these two fields.
K12 Technology Integration Certificate information
Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy’s Digital Literacies Blog
Computer and Internet Applications SIG information (AERA)
Selected Publications:
Doering, A., Scharber, C., Miller, C., & Veletsianos, G. (2009). GeoThentic: Designing and assessing with Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education [Online serial], 9(3).
Scharber, C., Melrose, A., & Wurl, J. (2009). Online
bookclubs for teens. Library Review [special issue],
58(3), 176-195
Scharber, C. (2009). Online book clubs: Bridges between old and new literacies practices. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 52(5), 433-437.
OBrien, D. G. & Scharber, C. (2008). Digital literacies go to school: Potholes and possibilities. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 52(1), 66-68.
Veletsianos, G., Scharber, C., & Doering, A. (2008). When sex, drugs, and violence enter the classroom: Conversations between adolescent social studies students and a female pedagogical agent. Interacting with Computers, 20(3), 292-301.
Hughes, J. E., & Scharber, C. (2008). Leveraging the development of English-technology pedagogical content knowledge within the deictic nature of literacy. In AACTE's Committee on Innovation and Technology (Eds.), Handbook of technological pedagogical content knowledge for educators (pp. 87-106). Mahwah, NJ: Routledge.
Classes taught
- CI 5351—Technology Tools for Educators
- CI 5361—Teaching and Learning with the Internet
- CI 5410—Teaching Writing Through Digital Storytelling
- CI 8391—Learning Technologies Seminar
- EDHD 5007—Technology for Teaching and Learning
Revised September 2009
