Meet Our Team: Teaching and Technology Fellows Ugur Baslanti Ugur Baslanti is a doctoral student in the Educational Technology Program at the University of Florida. He received his B.S. and M.S. from Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey. He participated in several technology-related projects and has experience in writing scenarios to develop educational software in science and mathematics. He is interested in integrating technology into teaching and teacher education, gifted education, and in the implications of brain research for teaching and learning. He currently works on the Faculty Development component of the Teaching and Technology Initiative. (Years 2 & 3 of the Initiative)   Uzma Bhatti Uzma Bhatti is a graduate student in Curriculum and Instruction specializing in Educational Technology. She recieved a bachelor of science degree in psychology from the University of Florida. She has taught technology courses at multiple educational level, ranging from middle school to higher education. Currently she is working with the Office of Instructional Technology working on developing faculty development workshops and providing support for the Electronic Portfolio project. She also helps maintian both the PT3 and the Office of Educational Technology web sites. (Years 2 & 3 of the Initiative) David Bosarge David Bosarge serves as the Technology Teacher at Lawton Chiles Elementary School and the K-12 University Liaison in the Alachua County School district. He has a masters degree in elementary education from the University of Florida. David has also served worked with students taking a technology methods course to students pursuing their masters through the S.I.T.E. based program (our nontraditional elementary education certification program). David also serves as Co-Coordinator of the SECME (Science, Engineering, Technology, Math, Enrichment) program at Chiles. This program focuses on encouraging minority students to enter engineering fields. (Years 1 & 2 of the Initiative) Darral Brown Darral Brown is a Curriculum and Instruction doctoral student specializing in Educational Technology. She has an MSc in Information Systems & Technology from City University, London, England. Darral is on study leave from the University of the West Indies in Jamaica where she is involved in supporting faculty in the use of technology with an emphasis on WebCT. Her research interests are supporting faculty in the use of technology, online teaching & learning in higher education. As a Teaching and Technology Fellow in the School of Teaching & Learning, Darral is working with Dr. Ruth Lowery to integrate technology into the Children’s Literature curriculum. (Year 2 of the Initiative) Sebnem Cilesiz Sebnem Cilesiz is a Curriculum and Instruction doctoral student majoring in Educational Technology. She received her Ed.M. in Technology in Education from Harvard University. Before coming to the United States for graduate studies, Sebnem taught Mathematics and English at a high school in Turkey. She also has employment experience in Educational Multimedia Software Development and Educational TV Program Development in Turkey. She now works on the Faculty Development/Training component of the Teaching and Technology Initiative. She is most interested in psychological, social, and cognitive impacts of technology as well as representation and symbol systems. (Years 1, 2, & 3 of the Initative) Meredith DiPietro Ela Kaye Eley Ela Kaye Eley is pursuing her Ph.D. in Educational Technology and working with Dr. Diane Strangis, professor in the Early Childhood Education department, to find ways to integrate technology into the teaching of preservice teachers in Early Childhood. In addition, they are developing a course on integrating technology into the early childhood classroom to teach to preservice teachers beginning with the Spring semester 2003. Ela Kaye received her B.M. from Valdosta State College, M.A. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and her Ed.S. degree in Instructional Technology from the State University of West Georgia. The topic for her thesis was Factors That Influence K-5 Teachers to Integrate the Internet Into the Curriculum. Ela Kaye has worked in the elementary school for 13 years as either a classroom music teacher or an Instructional Technology Specialist. She has taught professional development courses at the local, district, and state level while in Georgia. In addition, Ela Kaye has led in presentations for a variety of audiences, including the Georgia Educational Technology Conference, the National School Board Association annual conference, and the American Association of School Administrator’s conference. (Years 2 & 3 of the Initiative) Meral Hakverdi Meral Hakverdi is Curriculum and Instruction doctoral student majoring in Science Education. Meral received her B. A. degree in Biology Education from Middle East Technical University, Turkey. Meral taught middle school science and high school biology at Cagribey Anatolian High School in Ankara, Turkey for four years. She received her M. Ed. in Science Education from University of Florida in December2000. Her research interests are effective integration of technology in science education, simulations, and web based learning. (Years 1, 2, & 3 of the Initiative) Richard Hartshorne Richard Hartshorne is an Instruction and Curriculum doctoral student majoring in Educational Technology. Richard received his M. Ed. in Educational Technology from the University of Florida. Prior to entering the doctoral program on a full-time basis, Richard taught high school Physics at Ed White High School in Jacksonville, FL for seven years. Richard has considerable experience in the areas of physics, database design, creating applications (both online and stand alone) using various educational technologies tools, and integrating technology into the classroom. In addition to being a Teaching and Technology Fellow, Richard teaches the Integrating Technology into the Curriculum course for secondary education majors this spring. (Years 1, 2, & 3 of the Initiative) Skip Marshall James "Skip" Marshall is an Instruction and Curriculum doctoral student majoring in Educational Technology. Skip received his B.A.E. and M. Ed. from the University of Florida's ProTeach Program, specializing in developmental psychology and multi-cultural education. After completing his teacher education training, Skip accepted a faculty position at CW Norton Elementary in Alachua County. While teaching, Skip served as the Technology Coordinator, providing technical support and inservice training on technology integration. Currently, Skip is on leave from Alachua County to pursue his doctorate full time. In addition to his role as a Teaching and Technology Fellow, Skip has been an instructor for the Integrating Technology into the Curriculum course for elementary majors since the Fall of 2000. (Years 1 & 2 of the Initative) Allan Nail Allan Nail is a Curriculum and Instruction doctoral student majoring in English education. Allan received his M.Ed. from the University of Florida’s Secondary English Education ProTeach program. After completing his training, Allan taught high school at North Marion High School and Keystone Heights High School. Allan’s research interests include the transformative effects of hypertext on literacy and communication and how technology informs language arts curricula. In addition to his role as a Teaching and Technology Fellow, Allan has taught Teaching Language Arts in the Middle School and is slated to also teach Reading in the Secondary School. (Years 1 & 2 of the Initative) Tara Orlowski Tara Orlowski is a graduate student in the Unified Early Childhood ProTeach program. She has completed undergraduate work in Geography and Special Education. During her post-baccalaureate work, Tara began working on the e-portfolio project. She has participated in discussion panels on the development and use of e-portfolios. Tara has assisted students in the Early Childhood cohorts with their e-portfolios throughout the past two years. For the Teaching and Technology Initiative, Tara serves as a mentor for students working on their electronic portfolios. (Year 2 of the Initiative) Madeline Ortiz-Rodriquez Madeline Ortiz-Rodríguez is a Curriculum and Instruction doctoral student majoring in Educational Technology; a graduate of The University of Iowa (M.A., 1990) and The University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus (M.Ed., 1987; B.A., 1977). Before coming to the University of Florida, she taught Math and Computer Science courses at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Fajardo Campus (1991-2002), where she still holds a teaching position. She has also taught mathematics at middle school and high school. At the University of Florida she worked as a Math tutor during her first year of studies (2002-2003). Besides her family, teaching is one of the most important things for her. This is, finding new ways to engage students in learning, empowering them while exploring new concepts and learning new ideas. Since her studies at The University of Iowa, she has explored different ways of integrating new technologies in learning and teaching processes. She is also interested in the use of the Web and Distance Education and the roles they can play in education. Madeline served as a teaching assistant in the Integrating Technology in the Early Childhood Curriculum. (Year 3 of the initiative.) Aisha Wood, M.Ed. Aisha Wood has a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Florida. She earned her Elementary Education Bachelors degree from Flagler College. Aisha taught first grade in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and is currently teaching at the undergraduate level at the University of Florida. Aisha’s research interests revolve around technology and teacher education, integrating technology in K-12 schools, K-12/university partnerships, critical theory and critical pedagogy. Aisha stays active in research by participating in the CRIF grant, and the Technology Integration Partnership at J.J. Finley Elementary School. For the Teaching and Technology Initiative, Aisha serves as a Teaching and Technology Fellow. (Year 1 of the Initiative) Perihan Savas Perihan Savas is an Instruction and Curriculum doctoral student with a major in ESOL, cognate in Educational Technology, and minors in Educational Administration and Applied Linguistics. She earned her B.A. and M.A. in ELT at Middle East Technical University in Turkey. She has four years of teaching experience in English as a Foreign Language to freshmen students at Bilkent University in Turkey. She also worked as a teacher trainer at the same university for two years. Her research interests are Effective Uses of Visual Aids, Online Teaching and Learning, and Teacher Education in EFL/ESL. (Years 1, 2, & 3 of the Initiative)   Jeffrey Xu Jeffrey Xu is a doctoral student in the Educational Technology Program at the University of Florida. He received his B.E. from Shanghai Jiaotong University in Shanghai, China. Jeffrey worked on network-based courseware in both training and education in China. His experience in technology integration ranges from scientific subjects such as chemistry and biology to technology training. He currently serves as a Teaching and Technology Fellow on the Faculty Development component of the Teaching and Technology Initiative. (Year 2 & 3 of the Initiative)
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