Cresencia Fong

CresenciaFong

I’m a Mitacs postdoctoral fellow, researching technology-supported collaborative inquiry learning and orchestration.  My work is a collaborative effort between SMART Technologies and Encore Lab, here at the University of TorontoOISE.

My thesis is titled:  Supporting Discourse and Classroom Orchestration in a Knowledge Community and Inquiry Approach.  This dissertation research involved collaborating with technologists and educators to co-design Common Knowledge – a scaffolded inquiry collaborative note-sharing technology, designed for use with interactive whiteboards and mobile devices.  I investigated how scripted technology design and the teacher orchestration of such technologies, may be used to:  support collective inquiry learning within a Knowledge Community and Inquiry (KCI) framework, incorporating aspects of Knowledge Building (KB) pedagogy.

Previously at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), I was an elementary teacher (grades 3, 4, 6, 7, 8), and then an Instructional Leader in the area of ICT and e-Learning. In this capacity, I provided professional development and classroom support to K-12 teachers across the TDSB, for meaningful integration of computer technologies into their teaching practice.

Other research interests include: smart spaces, tangible and embodied interactions, immersive learning environments, augmented reality, and multi-touch surfaces.