Curriculum Materials Center: K-12 OER Webinar series

The 2020 Open Education Workshop: Quality Education in K-12 Using Open Educational Resources (OER) webinar series was made possible by a grant from Millersville University Positive Energy Fund. 

Stephanie Pennucci, Ed.D., is an Assistant Professor and Education Librarian at Millersville University. She transitioned here five years ago after working for 13 years as a middle and high school librarian in Pennsylvania. Stephanie worked briefly with OER materials in her former position and currently works with faculty in providing resources for the University students as textbooks and preparing pre-service teachers to use them once they are in the field. 

Nicole Pfannenstiel, Ph.D.,  is an Assistant Professor of Digital Media in English at Millersville University. She started here five years ago after working in Higher Education for 12 years in Arizona. Nicole is an avid OER adopter in all of her courses, from first year composition through graduate education. She also works with faculty as they adopt and study OER adoption in their courses. Along with Dr. Pennucci and other colleagues she has publications on Millersville University's OER adoption published in Academic Leader, and she has a co-authored research article on student perceptions that will be published in Open Praxis in November. 

Jason Petula, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Early, Middle, and Exceptional Education at Millersville University of Pennsylvania. Jason is an advocate for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and a professional development provider for teachers and school administrators.  He earned a bachelors degree in Secondary Education and Earth & Space Science from the Pennsylvania State University.  Jason taught middle level and secondary Physical Science, Earth & Space Science, Geology, and Astronomy for over a decade in public schools.  He also holds masters degrees in school administration from Temple University and classroom technology from Wilkes University. Jason earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis in Science Education and a graduate minor in Geoscience from the Pennsylvania State University.   After leaving the classroom, Jason served as the Director of Mathematics and Science for a school district in northeastern Pennsylvania.  In his administrative role, he led the district through systemic changes in their mathematics programming, resulting in students scoring 96% proficient or better – at every grade level.  Jason joined the faculty of the Millersville University of Pennsylvania in 2012 and continues to develop and provide high-quality, meaningful professional development across the United States and abroad.  He also serves as the Faculty Coordinator for Internationalization for the Office of International Programs and Services.  Jason has worked in or led study abroad programs to over 60 countries around the world and is the recipient of the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Service Medal.

Beth Powers, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Early, Middle, and Exceptional Education at Millersville University. Her teaching, scholarship, and service are focused on diversity, equity, and anti-oppressive education. Powers teaches courses in Early Childhood Education, Research Methods, and Curriculum. She has taught and worked with young children and their families in a variety states (CA, PA, NC, NH, SC, and VT) and across the world (Thailand & Zimbabwe). She has served as a teacher educator in three universities (University of North Carolina, University of South Carolina, and Millersville University). She holds two Masters in Education Degrees (Early & Elementary Education from Antioch New England Graduate School & Reading from Bloomsburg University) and a Doctoral Degree in Culture Curriculum and Change (from UNC). Although Beth has been using Open Educational Resources for several years, she has become even more skilled in and committed to this area through her OER fellowship with the MU Center of Academic Excellence. Currently, she is working on two research projects one that focus on a) children’s rights and participation, and a second study that explores b) decolonizing higher education through intersectional ethnographic exploration with Dr. Deborah Tamakloe. She is also serving as chair of the MU President’s Commission on the Status of Women.

Dr. Aileen Hower is an Assistant Professor of Literacy and the Graduate Coordinator for the Masters in Language and Literacy with a Reading or ESL concentration at Millersville University where she also runs an annual Summer Literacy Institute on Writing.