Cassie with her best friend, Reg
Cassie Scharber
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN, USA
Professional Life: Cassie Scharber is an assistant professor of Learning Technologies and Co-Director of the Learning Technologies Media Lab at the University of Minnesota. Her research explores the nexus of literacy, power, and technology and the possibilities technology offers in aiding the transformation of teaching and learning. Cassie is currently the co-editor of the Digital Literacies column for the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacies. She is also a co-investigator of a research project called DigMe (www.digitalmediastudies.org) that focuses on understanding at‐risk adolescents’ engagement within a project-based, technology-rich program at a local urban high school.
Passions: reading, water, dogs, yoga, outdoors, Pearl Jam, gardening, life
What is education to you?
For me, education is literacy. In the words of Paulo Freire, a person needs to be “able to read the word and the world”. I prefer to define literacy within a New Literacies perspective and believe that education, as well as literacy, is contextual, cultural, and constantly changing.
Additional links:
www.cehd.umn.edu/ci/faculty/Scharber.html
Brad on a winter day in Minnesota
Brad Hosack
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN, USA
Professional Life: Brad Hosack works in the LT Media Lab and is a PhD student in the Learning Technologies program at the University of Minnesota. His work includes integrating technology into projects to improve learning and strengthen knowledge transfer. He received his BS from Purdue University in Computer Graphic Technology with an emphasis in online application development. In 2001 he joined GH, a disabilities company, as their Marketing Manager; a position he served until 2006 before deciding to return to a life in academics.
Passions: cycling, fishing, running, paddling, snowboarding, playing guitar, rubik’s cube solving, and juggling. He also enjoys viral videos online, and has been known to star in the occasional one 
What is education to you?
For me, education is the process of deconstructing what you know, analyzing all the pieces, and reassembling it with some new parts. The true challenge is learning what to do with the pieces you accidentally have left over.
Patrick with a smile!
Patrick Johnson
Hometown: St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA
Professional Life: Patrick Johnson is the Technology Director for the Learning Technologies Media Lab at the University of Minnesota. He attended the University of Minnesota and received his bachelors degree in Economics and Spanish studies, and is pursuing a master’s of education in Learning Technologies at the University of Minnesota. A keen interest in computers drove him into the IT field and has placed him in a position to make a difference to educators. By making technology support easy, and having an open mind to the needs of educators, he can find unique solutions for their technology needs. Patrick hopes that with this approach educators can embrace and use technology in their curriculum, furthering their ability to maximize their impact on students.
Passions: technology, hunting, family, canoeing, dogs, outdoors, grilling.
What is education to you?
For me, education is learning to learn. I feel as we go through our early, more traditional, school based education we train ourselves to be successful later in life by training ourselves to learn later in life. Education is not something that happens only early in life, it is a process that continues for us each day.
Jeni on Wasson Peak in Tucson
Jeni Henrickson
Hometown: born and grew up in Germany; currently, Minneapolis, MN
Professional Life: Jeni Henrickson is a PhD student in learning technologies at the University of Minnesota, and an interactive and instructional designer. She is interested in researching and designing adventure learning environments, in exploring the uses of mobile and other technologies in the K-12 classroom, and in getting kids outdoors, actively interacting with the natural environment.
Passions: spending time outdoors, running, learning, teaching, traveling, and trying new things.
What is education to you?
For me, education is life. I have learned and continue to learn equally from my informal interactions and the formal classroom. My teachers have been formal educators, friends, colleagues, family members, complete strangers, and the natural world. I believe it’s critical that from an early age we work to engage kids in the beauty of learning and the power of quiet observation, and to imbue them with the confidence to ask questions, believe in their ideas, and take action.
