Kara Dawson, Current Practices Co-Editor

Kara Dawson joined the faculty at the University of Florida in August 1999 as an Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology in the School of Teaching and Learning.

She received her Ph.D in Instructional Technology from the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education in 1997. She then spent two years in a postdoctoral position, directing the Curry Center for Technology and Teacher Education at UVa.

Prior to pursuing a doctoral degree, Kara taught elementary and middle school in Virginia Beach, VA. She was involved in testing and modifying a new manipulative mathematics program in the district, served on a district-wide committee that reviewed elementary science resources and was involved in planning, assembling and opening five computer labs in a new middle school.

Since coming to Florida, Kara has worked with her colleagues at the University of South Florida, the University of Virginia, Iowa State University, and the University of Florida to develop a collaborative e-learning facility in the College that enables cross-university collaboration via Internet2. She taught the inaugural course in this facility.

Kara, Colleen Swain, and Donna Baumbach (from the University of Central Florida) have recently completed a book chapter on educational technology policy in the state of Florida. The goal is for this chapter to be used as a platform for dialogue about issues related to educational technology policy for the 2001 legislative session. Kara and Aileen Nonis (Iowa State University) recently received the 2000 SIGTE research award from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) for work related to technology-based in-service/preservice collaboration.

Kara M. Dawson
Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology
School of Teaching and Learning
University of Florida
2403 Norman Hall
PO Box 117048
Gainesville, FL 32611-7048

http://www.citejournal.org/editorbios/dawson@edu15.coe.ufl.edu