Karin Forssell, Ph.D. is Program Director for the Learning, Design, and Technology Master's Program, and a Lecturer in the School of Education. She studies the choices people make in learning new technology applications, with a special focus on teachers and students using technology in schools. Some research questions of special interest include the impact of social networks in and out of school on technology use and interest development, the roles of colleagues in motivating and supporting teacher technology use, and the features of digital tools that make them useful in the classroom context.
Karin received her doctorate in the Psychological Studies (now DAPS) area and Learning Sciences & Technology Design program at Stanford University's School of Education. While a student, she worked with Professor Brigid Barron in the youthLAB research group, and was actively involved in the NSF-funded LIFE Science of Learning Center.
Tag crowds based on Karin's Statement of Purpose, Qualifying Paper, and Dissertation Proposal.
A resource list of inspirational readings and presentations.
Designing Learning Spaces (EDUC 303X): Winter, 2012
Technology for Learners (EDUC 281X, formerly EDUC 94SI): Fall 2009, 2010, 2011
Innovations in Education: Designing the Teaching Experience (EDUC 338X, sponsored by the d.school): Spring 2011
PAPERS
Forssell, K. S. (2010). Supporting Teacher Technology Learning: Important Relationships in the Learning Ecology. In Online Repository of the American Educational Research Association 2010. Denver, CO. Available at aera10_proceeding_393806.pdf
Forssell, K.S., (2009). The Roles of Expertise and Experience on Teachers' Technology Use in the Classroom. In C. Crawford et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2009 (pp. 4074-4080). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
Forssell, K.S., Barron, B., Martin, C.K., Takeuchi, L. & Fithian, R. (2008). Roles of Parents in Fostering Technological Fluency. Proceedings of the International Conference for the Learning Sciences 2008, Utrecht.
Forssell, K.S. (2008). Girls, Games, and Getting Interested in Technology. In K. McFerrin et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2008 (pp. 991-996). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
Walter, S., Forssell, K., Barron, B. & Martin, C.K. (2007) Continuing motivation for game design. Proceedings of ACM CHI 2007 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 2735 - 2740). New York, NY: ACM Press.
PRESENTATIONS
Forssell, K. S. (2010, May). Personal social networks for teachers' development of technological pedagogical content knowledge. Presented at the Workshop on Digital Learning Environments, May 17-18. Stanford, CA.
Forssell, K. S. (2010, May). Learning to Teach with One-to-One Technologies: Insights from the Analysis of Teachers' Learning Ecologies. In H. Spires (Chair), New Learning Ecologies Prompted by One-to-One Technology Programs. Symposium conducted at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO.
Forssell, K. S. (2010, May). Supporting Teacher Technology Learning: Important Relationships in the Learning Ecology. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO.
Forssell, K. S. (2009, February). Roles and resources: Learning to teach with technology. Poster presented at the Student/Postdoc Conference for Science of Learning Centers (iSLC), Seattle, WA.
Forssell, K. S., Barron, B., Martin, C.K., Takeuchi, L. & Fithian, R. (2008, June). Roles of parents in fostering technological fluency. Poster presented at the meetings of the International Conference for the Learning Sciences. Utrecht, Netherlands.
Rogers, M., Forssell. K. S., Martin, C.K., Barron, B., Eugene, W., Daily, S.B., Acholonu, U., Takeuchi, L., Walter, S., & Brigg, K. (2008, June). Collaborative game design: analysis from a middle school programming project. In E. Hayes (Chair), New Perspectives on Learning Through Design. Symposium conducted at the meetings of the International Conference for the Learning Sciences. Utrecht, Netherlands.
Mercier, E.M., Forssell, K.S. & Barron, B.J. (2008, March). Documenting engagement in technologically mediated production activity across settings and time: the role of prior interests in sustaining activity. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.
Rogers, M., Forssell, K.S., Martin, C.K., Barron, B., Eugene, W., Daily, S.B., Acholonu, U., Takeuchi, L., Walter, S., & Briggs, K. (2008, March). Collaborative Game Design: Analysis from a Middle School Programming Project. In E. Hayes (Chair), New Perspectives on Learning Through Design. Symposium conducted at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.
Forssell, K.S. (2008, February). Teach-nology. Poster presented at the Student/Postdoc Conference for Science of Learning Centers (iSLC), Pittsburgh, PA, USA, February 8-10.
Forssell, K.S. (2006, December). Continuing Motivation in Technological Fluency-Building Activities. Poster presented at the First Year Session for Psychological Studies in Education. Stanford, CA.
Fithian, R., Barron, B., Forssell Chapin, K., Takeuchi, L. (2006, July). The role of online and face-to-face social networks in nurturing interest and experience. Symposium: Clubs, Homes, and Online Communities as Contexts for Engaging Youth in Technology Fluency Building Activities. Presented at the meetings of the International Conference for the Learning Sciences. Bloomington, IN.
Teacher on Special Assignment (Technology Mentor); Computer Electives Teacher, J. L. Stanford Middle School: 1999 to present
National Board Certified in Career and Technical Education (Business), 2003
German Teacher, Jordan Middle School: 1992 to 1997
OTHER SERVICEMember, American Educational Research Association, International Society of the Learning Sciences, Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education.
Reviewer, AERA Annual Meeting and International Conference of the Learning Sciences.
Conference planning committee member, Second Annual inter-Science of Learning Centers (iSLC) Conference, Feb 5-7, 2009
Founder, SUSE Parents. SUSE Parents connects students at the Stanford University School of Education who have children with their peers, providing support for balancing family commitments with the demands of research and classes.
Stanford University, PhD Learning Sciences and Technology Design, 2011
Dissertation: Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: Relationships to Learning Ecologies and Social Learning Networks
Stanford University, MA Stanford Teacher Education Program, 1992
Stanford University, BA Linguistics, 1991
