Center for Technology in Education

Jacqueline A. Nunn, Ed.D.

After joining CTE as acting director in 1990, Dr. Nunn immediately began to steer the center toward its focus on the development of research-based, technology-supported instructional strategies for K-12 classrooms. She has served as Principal Investigator for all of CTE’s hallmark grants and contracts, including two Technology Innovation Challenge Grants (TICG), the Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) grant, and the federal grant that supported CTE in testing and establishing the efficacy of the Boundless Learning instructional delivery system. Dr. Nunn’s professional and research interests continue to drive CTE’s work in developing, researching, and disseminating evidence-based research practices that transform instruction to ensure that all students, especially those with disabilities, are afforded the best possible educational opportunities. Dr. Nunn has served Baltimore’s education community through participation in the many committees to which she has been appointed, including the Maryland Task Force on Inclusive Education, the Maryland Committee on Technology in Education, and the Blue Ribbon Technology Committee of the Maryland Business Roundtable. Before joining CTE, Dr. Nunn was an educational consultant for IBM. Dr. Nunn began her career as a classroom teacher and school psychologist, and then served as a school principal and central office administrator in Fairfax County, Virginia for 14 years.   Dr. Nunn has a B.S. in Social Welfare from Florida State University, an M.Ed. in Teaching Children with Severe Disturbances from Virginia Commonwealth University and an Ed.D. in Human Communication and Its Disorders from The Johns Hopkins University.  Contact:  jnunn@jhu.edu or 410-516-9838

K. Lynne Harper Mainzer, Ed.D.

Dr. Mainzer, who has been with CTE since 1993, is primary architect and leads ongoing development and implementation of Boundless Learning a specialized learning system for building inclusive, 21st learning environments that maximize achievement and performance among all learners. In addition, Dr. Mainzer has provided leadership, as PI, Co-PI, or Director, for many of CTE’s largest projects, such as the Steppingstones grant, which funded development of one of CTE’s premier tools, Student Compass; the federal Office of Special Education Program Model Demonstration Grant, which launched Boundless Learning; the Stars Schools Grant, which funded creation of Thinkport.org in collaboration with Maryland Public Television; evaluation of the four-year One-to-One Laptop Initiative in Talbot County, MD; and CTE’s longstanding grants with the MD State Department of Education Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services.

For the past 12 years, Dr. Mainzer has taught courses in leadership, supervision, as well as special education and technology in the JHU Graduate Division of Education, receiving the 2010 Teacher of the Year Award from the ISTE/JHU partnership online School Administration and Supervision program.  Prior to joining CTE, Dr. Mainzer was a general educator, an award-winning special educator, Department Chair for Special Education and Guidance, and one of the first coordinators of the nationally recognized JHU Success for All Program. Besides teaching and program development, Dr. Mainzer has directed software development initiatives for a number of CTE’s tools and coordinated business agreements to disseminate Teacher Compass and Boundless Learning nationally. Dr. Mainzer earned her B.A. in Sociology at Dunbarton College of Holy Cross, her M.Ed. in Special Education at the American University and her Ed.D. in Special Education at The Johns Hopkins University.  Contact:  mainzer@jhu.edu or 410-516-9825

Gregg Nass, M.B.A

 Gregg Nass, who joined CTE in 1999, is responsible for leading and directing the financial, administrative, operational, and reporting functions across all projects and for developing new business partnerships. Priorto joining CTE, Mr. Nass was the Circulation Marketing & Retention Manager at The Baltimore Sun. Mr. Nass holds a B.S. in Business Management from Cornell University and an M.B.A. in Marketing from Loyola College of Maryland. Contact: gnass@jhu.edu or 410-516-9835

Chadia Abras, Ph.D.

Dr. Abras joined CTE in May 2011 as the Program Director of Distance Education. Her expertise is in online learning communities, communities of practice, guidelines for success in e-learning communities, and educational technology. She has conducted research and published on heuristics of success for online communities of interest, online learning communities, and distance learning best practices. She also is the author and co-author of book chapters on online communities, distance learning, and user-centered designs. She is currently conducting research on evidence of best practices for blended learning in medical education, and effectiveness of residencies and cohort creation in online programs at JHU.

Dr. Abras has worked in online learning for over a decade; she has developed many online and blended courses for a variety of programs. At JHU school of Education, she is currently leading the development of the courses for the Master of Education in the Health Professions (MEHP) and the Master of Science in Management for Public Safety professionals in blended and online formats. She is teaching the instructional strategy courses in the MEHP program and presenting on the topic of “Use of Information Technology to Support Education” as part of the Longitudinal Program in Curriculum Development at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
She has a B.A. in Linguistics and Modern Languages from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, an MA in French Literature from the University of Maryland College Park and a Ph.D. in Language, Literacy, and Culture, with a focus on Educational Technology and Technology Application in Instructional Settings from University of Maryland Baltimore County. Contact: cabras@jhu.edu or 410-516-9704

Linda Carling, M.S.

Linda Carling has been developing and delivering online programs for over a decade. Ms. Carling leads the online teaching and learning team at the Johns Hopkins Center for Technology in Education, focusing on web-based professional development and communities of practice. Ms. Carling writes extensive research-based content for online professional development, creates management systems for development and delivery of online learning, teaches online and face-to-face graduate courses as an adjunct instructor in the JHU School of Education, and has authored tutorials, manuals, and online courses to train new course developers. Ms. Carling also coordinates, teaches, and advises in the Graduate Certificate in Teaching the Adult Learner and the Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching and Learning for Adults. Ms. Carling has a B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of Maryland, College Park and an M.S. in Education with a concentration in Technology for Educators from The Johns Hopkins University.Contact: carling@jhu.edu or 410-516-9842

Tamara Swanson Otto

Tamara Swanson Otto is the Coordinator of Research and Evaluation at CTE. Her specific areas of interest lie in the investigation of characteristics of early childhood education that contribute to later academic and career success as well as the effects of technology integration on student engagement and achievement. In her role as coordinator, she has authored articles and reports, produced evaluation videos, and presented at conferences and leadership meetings to disseminate results. In addition, she teaches in the JHU Technology for Educators graduate program and the Adult Learning Certificate program. Tamara has over 13 years of experience in the field of educational research and evaluation working for Johns Hopkins University, San Jose State University, and WestEd (the Western regional educational research and development laboratory) in San Francisco. Tamara holds a M.A. and a B.A. in Education from San Jose State University, San Jose, CA.

 Dave Peloff, M.Ed.

Dave Peloff leads CTE’s research and development work relating to emerging educational technologies. Dave’s work focuses on the educational potential of various learning technologies and their impact on the teaching and learning process at both the K-12 and higher educational levels. One of his main research interests is the use of simulations and virtual learning environments to help engage reluctant learners and raise achievement in the STEM disciplines. Dave also leads the technical development branch within CTE that creates tools that support all of CTE’s work, including the Electronic Learning Community (ELC), the Digital Portfolio (DP), and the Virtual learning Environment (VLE). Dave has taught multiple courses in the JHU Technology for Educators program and designed the course ‘Gaming and Media Design for Learning.’ As the first Program Director of LEARN NC (www.learnnc.org) at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, Dave led the design of a statewide electronic performance support system for teachers in North Carolina. He has also been on the conceptual design team for Thinkport (link to www.thinkport.org), a comprehensive professional development resource for teachers in Maryland. Mr. Peloff has a B.A. in Business from Indiana State University at Bloomington and an MA in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Contact: peloff@jhu.edu or 410-516-9845

Sue Stein, M.Ed.

Mrs. Stein’s career in education has spanned a number of years, and has taken her from urban settings in Alabama to rural counties in Maryland. She has held the positions of teacher and teacher specialist, and was a principal of both elementary and secondary levels. In addition to leading the technology implementation initiatives at the Johns Hopkins Center for Technology in Education, she also is an instructor in the Administration and Supervision Certificate Program for aspiring administrators. Mrs. Stein is an award-winning principal whose accomplishments include being selected as the recipient of the First Annual Excellence in Minority Achievement Award (1999) and Administrator of the Year (2005). Sue has authored several publications, including A Quick Reference Guide to Multiple Intelligences, 2000, and Dimensions of Learning: Strategies from Dimensions 2, 3 and 4, copyright 1998.

Through her involvement with the MD IDEA Scorecard initiative, Mrs. Stein has designed professional development programs to guide principals and their school leadership teams in making data informed decisions that promote achievement of all learners. Most recently, her work with the center played a key role in the implementation and national dissemination of one of CTE’s premier tools, Teacher Compass. She also led the development of online professional development that supports implementation of Teacher Compass nationally. Ms. Stein has a B.A. in English and Secondary Education from Bridgewater College and a M.Ed. from Bowie State University. Contact: sstein@jhu.edu or 410-516-9893

Christopher Swanson, M.Ed.

As the Director for Information Access and Data-Informed Decision Making, Chris Swanson leads a team focused on information management and delivery systems for early childhood and school-age special education. Mr. Swanson previously served as the Principal for the National Connections Academy School, a flagship virtual public and private hybrid program operated by Connections Academy, a provider of online charter schools.  Prior to that role, he was the Director of Professional Development and Instructional Supports overseeing all teacher training and RTI initiatives across the company’s 6,000 teachers and 100,000 students nationwide.  Before that, Swanson was a central office autism and cognitive delay specialist with Baltimore County Public Schools after being a classroom special educator and inclusion resource.  Swanson received his B.A. in English and Education from University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a concentration in journalism.  He completed his M.A. from The Johns Hopkins University in special education, and he expects to complete his doctoral degree by early 2012 from the same institution.  Contact:  chrisswanson@jhu.edu or 410-516-9853