As the new director for the Connecticut Writing Project~Fairfield University, my primary interests are with secondary school writing, teaching adolescent literature, working with students traditionally marginalized by American education, using creative writing for critical thinking, 21st Century digital literacies, and establishing professional development for best practices in writing instruction through district-wide writing plans.
For many years I was a high school English teacher at the J. Graham Brown School in Louisville, Kentucky. The Brown was the only k – 12 public school in Jefferson County and we shared a mission of diversity, self-directed learning, and the celebration of individuality. My students (the Class of 1998 to the Class of 2007) were phenomenal mentors who taught me the importance of teaching to the unique learning styles of every child. Drawing two kids from each of twenty-five zip codes established a pastiche of learners. We did not track at our school, remained on a first-name basis to sustain relationships, and kept standards high for all. Our achievements were many.
This online portfolio was a way to teach myself about online literacies at Syracuse University and is a hub for sustaining myself as a professional (hence the Mecological Sustainability title). My work showcased on this website culminate from my educational and professional experiences. It brings together a B.A. in English Literature from Binghamton University, a M.A.T. in English Education from the University of Louisville, an M.S. from KIESD, work with the Bread Loaf School of English and the Louisville Writing Project, additional learning experiences at Cambridge, in Denmark, and in Japan, and recent doctoral work at Syracuse University. In the 21st Century, an online portfolio such as this is a way to maintain a professional identity. It is flexible, approachable and demonstrative for audiences I don’t necessarily know (but I hope to one day meet). It is a model of the digital possibilities I promote with teachers and students I work with.
Above are pages to the work I do as a researcher and teacher and to the right are links to many of my professional communities and online doodling. Each has been created to bring light to my professional goals, current work, and previous accomplishments. It is one to meet me as an educator, researcher, and scholar in action. I welcome your comments and feedback to better what it is I am trying to communicate.
Best,
Bryan Ripley Crandall Feel free to Email me
PS: This professional portfolio can be translated into multiple languages. Simply copy the address to this site, click on the GOOGLE sign here and paste the site’s URL in the open box. Google Translator will do the rest!
