Contributors

Dr Susan Young is senior lecturer in early childhood studies and music education at the University of Exeter, UK. She is also a senior research fellow at the Centre for International Research in Learning and Creativity in Education (CIRCLE), University of Roehampton. A graduate of the Royal College of Music, she went on to study Dalcroze Eurhythmics in Switzerland and the Kodaly approach in Hungary. She spent her early career teaching music both at secondary level and in general primary practice, including several years teaching on the specialist music scheme at Wells Cathedral School. She has worked extensively in early childhood and the arts throughout her career – earlier as a practitioner and for many years now in research, evaluation and consultancy and is frequently invited to present at national and international occasions. She is author/co-author of five books and has published numerous articles in practitioner and academic journals.

Philippa Gerbic is Academic Group Leader at the School of Education, University of Technology, Auckland. She has been involved with the development of online and flexible learning since 1997 and has wide experience in ICT implementation, curriculum and learning design, and innovation in education and learning. Currently, she teaches at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and is involved with research ethics at the university. Her research interests are around blended environments, communicative technologies and e-portfolios.

Sharla Snider, Ph.D., professional activity and research focuses on seeking a better understanding of the use of technological tools in the developing child's life, specifically children 8 years old and younger. Her research explores how children understand, construct, and create meaning related to their technical realities and virtual identities as well as the related perspectives of the adults who care for them. She has presented research related to the impact of technology on a child's growth and development to the American College of Osteopathic Physicians and the American  Academy of Pediatrics. Her publications include articles in Early Childhood Education Journal, Computers in the Schools, Journal of Research on Technology in Education, and Journal of Educational Computing Research. Additionally, Dr. Snider has earned several grants, including awards from  the United States Department of Education, Intel Corporation, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, to examine the integration of the Internet into the curriculum and the effects on the change process as related to pre-service and in-service teacher stages of concern and levels of use.

Sharon Hirschy's professional activity  and  research  have  focused  on  the use of technology in the  classroom  and  the  training  of  teachers  in  the use of technology.  She  has  integrated  technology  use  in  her  teaching with young children in both child care and public school settings  and has presented and published  articles  in  several  venues  on  technology integration in the classroom. She  is  currently  Professor  of  Child Development and Education  at  Collin  College  and  a  member  of  the Executive Committee of the Technology  Interest  Forum  for  the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Karin du Plessis has a background in psychology and a strong research interest in all areas of education, including transferring academic teaching skills to the online environment and student experiences of e-learning. She was involved with conducting the first and second phase of a pilot project around web-enhanced learning at New Zealand Tertiary College. Currently, Karin is conducting research at the Centre for Mental Health Research at Australian National University in Canberra.

Paul White has taught for over twenty years in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors, working in international schools, state schools and universities in South America, Japan and his native UK. After completing a seven year cycle with the class of 2001 at Te Ra Waldorf/Steiner school  near Wellington he took up the position of senior lecturer (Steiner) on the B.Ed at AUT University. You'll find him at pawhite@aut.ac.nz