Dr. Aletha M. Harven is an Assistant Professor at California State University, Stanislaus in the Department of Psychology and Child Development, where she teaches on-ground, hybrid, and online classes regarding the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development of children and adolescents. Dr. Harven holds a Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis on Human Development and Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Harven’s areas of expertise include human development, K-12 education, adolescents in context, risk and resiliency, psychosocial adjustment, academic motivation and achievement, and social justice teaching. Her current research explores the relation between school-related risk factors and the mental health, academic motivation, and school achievement of underserved students of color. She also explores how psychological factors, such as having a strong racial identity, and social environmental factors, such as having strong parental support, can help students to stay resilient in the face of adversity. Dr. Harven has earned various academic honors and awards and is published in journals such as the Journal of Educational Research and the Journal of Science Education and Technology.

Similar to many of you, Dr. Harven is still exploring all that technology has to offer in terms of increasing student learning and achievement. She is excited to share some of her ideas with you regarding technology use in the classroom, as it relates to increasing student interest and engagement. Dr. Harven can be reached at alethaharven@gmail.com

This workshop will discuss the ways in which various online tools can be used to increase student interest and engagement. Social media tools such as Facebook, and Google Drive tools such as Google Forms and Docs will be discussed as pedagogical instruments that place students in the driver’s seat; thus, shifting the unit of focus from being teacher-centered to student-centered.  By incorporating online tools into the exploration and delivery of content, educators can help students to (a) become accountable for their learning, (b) become critical consumers of knowledge, and (c) experience a more democratic education, where their voices are valued. Sample lessons will be discussed and attendees will have the opportunity to begin developing a lesson incorporating online tools for engagement.