Bonnie Bracey-Sutton

Introduction:

by Allan Jones, President, Emaginos

Advocate, educator, leader, networker, motivator, critic, tireless worker and wonderful person.  And that’s an understatement!  Bonnie has a vast personal network of people including CEO’s of major corporations, classroom teachers, students, professors, researchers, politicians, agency heads, and foundation leaders – all of whom respect her and rely on her for her wisdom and dedication to education and equity.  Bonnie may the most amazing teacher and student you will ever meet, as long as you measure amazing based on enthusiasm for the work.  She continues to have a thirst for learning and a gusto for teaching that is incredible.  If you have not had the privilege and pleasure of knowing Bonnie, I encourage you to peruse the information below to get an appreciation for this remarkable lady.

Specialties

  • Science, math, engineering and technology expertise, Gender, and NASA youth projects, particularly ASEC at NASA, Quest. Bonnie is one of the outreach teachers for this program
  • Theater, Shakespeare and regular drama.
  • Bonnie has taught summer classes in informal education at the Smithsonian.
  • Excels at Professional Development workshops and trainings.
  • Worked internationally in media, in the Agora from Greece. And produced a book  from the UN Task Force Dublin Meeting.

Education

  • University of California, San Diego
  • San Diego State University-California State University
  • Arizona State University
  • Virginia State University; MEd, Education; 1981–1993
  • Marymount University (SET Graduate Program) This was a special program for teaching science , math and technology education for Arlington Teachers.
  • 30 hours in Gifted and Talented programs; many of the hours at UVA, but some at Virginia Tech.
  • Hubble Space Science Institute
  • University of Oklahoma, NASA work with youth projects.
  • Stanford University , Technology ,
  • Berkeley for Astrophysics and physics,
  • NASA nurtured my knowledge of astronomy and the most recent thing Bonnie has done with it is the After School astronomy project.
  • I belong to SF Java Hut, spent a decade learning space science education and astronomy
  • Mary Baldwin College, Gender Equity courses.
  • Science, Math and Educational Technology; George Mason University (Chris Dede as Mentor )
  • George Washington University ( 30 hours in Geography) NGS NCGE
  • National Computational Science Institutes 9 hours ( virtual community) collaborating with NCSA and Shodor.org

Continuing Education

  • Geography
    • Participation in the National Geographic Summer Institute 1988.
    • Workshop on Water 1993 Owens Valley Ca. Summer Seminar
    • Hayes -Fulbright Seminar/ India 22 cities and cultural/geography study 1987
    • Secretary , Virginia Geographic Alliance, 1990 through 1994
    • Member NCGE, attending all conferences since 1988.
    • Geography book author / McGraw Hill 1989-90 / Project held for technology Forests of Bohemia,
    • Earthwatch Grant 1994
    • Earthwatch Teacher Council Member 1993
  • Science
    • Virginia Energy Grant and course 1989 Vepco
    • Virginia Science Museum Leadership 1989
    • Earthwatch , Grant Wildcat Foundation, 1989 Deia, Marjorca , Spain
    • “Prehistoric Man of Majorca”
    • Virginia Association of Science Teachers 1987 through present
    • Virginia Presidential Awardee 1990
    • Challenger Award – Challenger Center
      NEWEST 1990 Langley , NASA
    • Caribbean Mongoose, Dr. Roy Horst,
    • Earthwatch grant, Pepco
    • POPS University of Virginia, Guest Lecturer, 1994
    • Challenger Faculty , 1991 to present, workshop facilitation and demonstrations.
    • Young Astronaut Chapter Leader 1984-present
    • Earthwatch, Teacher participant award, article 1994
    • Earthwatch , Endangered Songbirds, Canada 1995
    • POPS Berkeley, Astrophysics, Lawrence Hall of Science, participant
  • Integrated Curriculum Projects
    • ” Under the Microscope “television productions, Challenger Center . ” AIT” Inside Out Television Project, teacher advisory and writer 1983-85 “Bread and Butterflies ” AIT review board.
    • “Shake Hands with Shakespeare “, enrichment program with involvement of the Folger Shakespeare Library. Lecture series, Folger Teacher workshops 1983 Enrichment programs from 1983 through 1994.
    • “Solar Energy” Kidsnetwork, “What is in Our Water “Kidsnetwork, ” Hello” Kidsnetwork. ” What are we eating?” Kidsnetwork.” Acid Rain.”  Kidsnetwork. “Trash”, 1988-through 1995.. Student work featured in various magazines, such as Scientific American, and Apple Magazine. Wrote the article for Apple magazine.
    • “Moonbase America”, ” Touching the Future”, ” Marsville”. “Mars City Alpha ” These are all national programs. Presented our models to the IEEE group and shared experiences with Moonbase America on a national teleconference. Young Astronaut Chapter Leader with commendation from President Bush in 1992. Distance education participation as teacher, Young Astronaut teacher 1994. Participation Challenger Center Faculty meetings, Arizona, Hawaii, Seattle.
    • Jason Foundation, each project, Mediterranean, Great Lakes, Galapagos, Belize, resource person for Hawaii. Participated in the telepresence project each time at the National Geographic. Lead teams of 4 teachers in the school project.
    • Columbus Quintencenerary Project/ Santa Domingo NCGE Workshop
  • Presentation of Smithsonian Summer Project Aditi Festival, the Smithsonian, 1986, teacher participant.

Leadership Positions

Educator

  • Keynote speaker and workshop presenter at Classroom Connect
  • Consultant and workshop planner
  • Keynote Speaker
  • Visionary
  • She is also a Challenge Center Fellow and an Earthwatch Fellow. She serves on the faculty of the Challenger Center and is a NEWEST Graduate, Langley, and NEW graduate of Goddard Space Center. She has a special interest in science, math and technology use and creating learning landscapes. Her work in inquiry and innovation is reflected in the use of hands on projects, She has worked with NASA projects and outreach with NASA youth projects including the Young Astronaut program.
  • Specialist in STEM and Digital Divide and Digital Equity workshops.
  • Specialist in ICT workshops for international customers.
  • Workshops presented:
  • Arts and Social Sciences Outreach Speaker the George Lucas Educational Foundation
  • Curriculum Developer, The Thornburg Center for Professional Development

www.tcpd.org

Connecting with Bonnie

Other Ventures

  • Co Founder with Ferdi Serim: Online Internet Institute
    • Educational Institution; 11-50 employees; Primary/Secondary Education industry
    • June 1995 – Present (15 years 1 month)
    • Cofounded this initiative funded by NSF, thinking of ways to teach teachers to integrate technology into their learning landscape.  Created by classroom educators and supported by proponents of systemic reform, the OII is the product of a one-year planning grant (NSF Grant No.REC-9554232) to develop an effective, efficient, and economically feasible model for providing training. It is intended to enable teachers to implement systemic change in science, mathematics, and technology instruction through the use of Internet resources. It combines regional face-to-face collaborative learning with an online support system.
      I moved to the next position but still collaborate with Ferdi
  • Outreach George Lucas Educational Foundation
    • Non-Profit; 11-50 employees; E-Learning industry
    • March 1992 – Present (18 years 4 months)
    • The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) was founded in 1991 as a nonprofit operating foundation to celebrate and encourage innovation in schools. Since that time, they have been documenting, disseminating, and advocating for exemplary programs in K-12 public schools to help these practices spread nationwide.

      Publish the stories of innovative teaching and learning through a variety of media — a magazine, an e-newsletter, CD-ROMs, DVDs, books, and this Web site. Here, you’ll find detailed articles, in-depth case studies, research summaries, instructional modules, short documentary segments, expert interviews, and links to hundreds of relevant resources. You’ll also be able to participate as a member of an online community of people actively working to reinvent schools for the twenty-first century.  Acts as an outreach person to share the vision of the foundation.

  • Technology Director; 21st Century Teachers Initiative
    • US Technology Initiative
    • Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Telecommunications industry
    • 2003 – 2007 (4 years)
    • Initiated the programs and projects of the 21st Century Teachers Initiative. It was an idea of President Clinton’s to do online and outreach for teachers embracing the new technologies.
  • High Technology Co-Coordinator
    • The Agora /World Summit on Media for Children – Broadcast Media industry
    • January 1998 – 2006 (8 years)
    • 3rd WORLD SUMMIT ON MEDIA FOR CHILDREN – High Technology coordinator
    • 3rd World Summit on Media for Children, was held on March 11-15, 2001, in Thessaloniki, Greece, European Children’s Television Centre, 20, Analipseos street, Vrilissia, 152 35, Athens, Greece; phone: 30.1.6851.258; fax: 30.1.6817.987;
      Athina Rikakis, Michaelis Maniatis, www.3rd-ws.org
    • The position continued as participatory through the Fourth World Summit in Rio, and the Fifth World Summit in Johannesburg.The 5th World Summit was held in 2007 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa.
      www.5wsmc.com/
    • The Sixth World Summit is scheduled to be held in Sweden.
      The Board of the World Summit Foundation will meet there in the beginning of September and, also, that a delegation of the Swedish Ministry for Cultural Affairs will visit Karlstad. From there they will work in committees for the next summit.

  • Teacher Consultant: Road Ahead Program, Microsoft
    • Partnership; 11-50 employees; Primary/Secondary Education industry
    • April 1997 – 1999 (2 years)Microsoft , under the direction of NFIE, and
    • Marilyn Schlief, created a network of schools in which to help with the use of technology in their curriculum. We served as teacher mentors and was one of 23 nationally known educators who discuss educational technology and diversity, provide historical and philosophical insights into digital divide issues and offer practical suggestions for teachers, administrators, and policy makers so she worked in the schools with a digital divide profile. They also had seminars and projects as mentors for the teachers in the school and visited the schools on a fairly regular basis.

  • University of California, San Diego: workshop
    • SuperComputing 2007
    • Research and collaborative digital communications
    • For persons interested in an introduction to computational and high performance computing tools and techniques applicable to undergraduate humanities, arts and social science courses. This workshop was recommended for faculty and graduate students new to computational research tools and approaches, as well as those who have previously attended one of the HASTAC or CHASS workshops, but still feel they need an expanded introduction.

  • Educator and Workshop Planner, Consultant
    • Award Reading
    • August 31, 2007
    • “Bonnie is a great visionary. She nurtures and motivates other young professionals to serve the community just like her. Her communication skills and confidence encourage teachers, parents, and students in every workshop.”?

References and Recommenders

  • Raymond Rose, Owner, Rose & Smith Associates
  • Paul Fletcher, Director of Instructional Technology, Marcus Whitman School District
  • Bob Plants, Assistant Dean, University of Mississippi
  • Robert McLaughlin
  • Ferdi Serim, Owner, Online Internet Institute Technology Director
  • Bill Burrall, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Marshall County Schools
  • Victor Rivero, Owner, VICTOR RIVERO | Writing ■ Editing ■ Design ■ Special Projects
  • Yvonne Marie Andres, CEO, President & Founder, Global SchoolNet
  • Manorama (mano) Talaiver; Director, Institute for Teaching through Technology & Innovative Practices, South Boston
    • “Bonnie brings powerful insights to her thinking about the effective use of technology in K-12 education, built on her tireless research and travels to see leading edge work all over the world. Her skills made her a valued advisor to the Executive Office of the President during the Clinton administration, and her outspoken perspectives on digital equity have placed her in high demand as a presenter of this topic, especially as it relates to math and science education”
  • David Thornburg, Owner, Thornburg Center for Professional Development

Activities and Societies:

Comments and Endorsements

  • Raymond Rose, Owner, Rose & Smith Associates Vice President, Concord Consortium; Technology Director October 16, 2007
    • “Bonnie is a premier networker and resource identifier. She is also a strong advocate of teachers, under-represented populations. and the use of technology in education. She is an innovator and a connector.  Bonnie is absolutely the best networker and resource connection provider for STEM education there is. She is knowledgeable about the latest projects and products in STEM education and has connections to the developers in all these areas. Bonnie is a steadfast advocate of teachers and for under-represented populations. She can be depended on to be heard, and will not sit quietly when someone takes a position that is counter to what Bonnie knows is right. You want Bonnie working with you.”
  • Paul Fletcher, Director of Instructional Technology, Marcus Whitman School District worked with Bonnie at George Lucas Educational Foundation October 4, 2006
    • “Bonnie is visionary, and a rare one in education, who is prepared to challenge the normally perceived viewpoint to make a difference where it counts – enhancing the learning process. We have had numerous discussions on the K12 listserv about how technology relates to the learning process and how to use it to its most efficient. Bonnie was invaluable as a sounding board for new ideas and always gave constructive criticism where required. I wish there were more like her….”
  • Ferdi Serim, Owner, Online Internet Institute August 9, 2006
    • “Bonnie Bracey is a true Internet Pioneer, discovering and sharing resources with colleagues on a global level, and elevating the awareness of policy makers in national and international arenas about the crucial role educators can and indeed must play. Bonnie tirelessly shares resources in support of 21st century learning, and relentlessly works to bridge the digital divide, everywhere.”

  • Bob Plants, Assistant Dean, University of Mississippi; worked directly with Bonnie at US Technology September 9, 2009
    • “The most well connected, well informed advocate for technology in the classroom that I know.”

  • Robert McLaughlin; Executive Director of the National Institute for Community Innovations, hired Bonnie as a Writer/Editor in 2001, and hired Bonnie more than once. September 17, 2007; Technology Editor for Portal
    • http://www.nici_mc2.org/NICI_MC2_home.htm
    • “Bonnie is a joy to work with. She brings an extraordinarily wide and deep knowledge of promising and proven learning technologies and ways to foster equitable access to them for students in economically distressed communities. She has edited NICI’s Technology Applications for Learning portal (http://applications.edreform.net) for several years, pointing educators to dozens of powerful learning technologies. I highly recommend Bonnie not only as a content editor and advisor on effective learning technologies but also as a partnership developer who brings an equally encyclopedic knowledge of individuals and organizations worldwide who are undertaking important technology research and development. Above all, she brings to all of her work a profound understanding of the challenges teachers face in the classroom as they do their utmost to make learning meaningful for their students.”
  • Raymond Rose, 21st Century Teachers Initiative;
    • “Bonnie is absolutely the best networker and resource connection provider for STEM education there is. She is knowledgeable about the latest projects and products in STEM education and has connections to the developers in all these areas. Bonnie is a steadfast advocate of teachers and for under-represented populations. She can be depended on to be heard, and will not sit quietly when someone takes a position that is counter to what Bonnie knows is right. You want Bonnie working with you.”
  • Bill Burrall, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Marshall County Schools worked with Bonnie at 21st Century Teachers Initiative September 7, 2007
    • Bonnie is a true visionary who sees educational technology as the key to enabling students achieve their place in the 21st century. Her dedication to learning is exemplary as are her leadership skills.”?
  • Dennis Harper, Ph.D., CEO, Generation YES was with another company when working with Bonnie at 21st Century Teachers Initiative August 31, 2007
    • “Bonnie Bracey-Sutton provides one of the clearest voices on what K-12 students need to succeed in the 21st Century. Bonnie is well respected throughout the educational technology field as having first-hand and realistic perspective on the digital divide. My work with Bonnie involved empowering students to provide technology support in the form of mentoring both their teachers and peers. Finally, Bonnie is on the Advisory Board of our Generation Y non-profit organization and has been influential in establishing a 21st Century school in the West African country of Liberia.”?
  • Victor Rivero, Owner, VICTOR RIVERO | Writing ■ Editing ■ Design ■ Special Projects November 10, 2009; Appointed by President Clinton; K-12 Teacher Member of the National Information Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIIAC)
    • “Bonnie is a dynamic, enthusiastic individual who pours her heart and soul into everything she does. She is passionate and smart, a high-level player and a rogue leader and connector who knows how to get things done. Over the years I’ve requested her counsel and help and she’s always been brimming with ideas and an abundance of energy, resources and life.”
  • Dr. Larry Anderson, Founder/CEO, National Center for Technology Planning August 5, 2006; worked Bonnie at NIIAC, appointed by President Clinton
    • “Bonnie’s work on the National Information Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIIAC) was of inestimable positive value. Not only was her work–along with her presence on that council–immensely important, but also was the sole voice for the hundreds of thousands of classroom teachers and school leaders across the country. Authentic classroom learning is much stronger now, as a direct result.”

Interests

  • Astronomy
  • Travel
  • cooking
  • rocks and minerals
  • new technologies
  • the grid and teragrid

Advisory Boards:

  • George Lucas Advisory Board since 1992
  • Lightspan Partnership 1994
  • Apple Advisory Board 1995
  • Technos Advisory Board
  • Learning Company Advisory Board

Honors and Awards

  • Selected as a Christa McAuliffe Educator, National Foundation for the Improvement of Education, NEA 1992
  • Elected Digital Equity Chair, ISTE NECC 2007
  • Honored by the Annenburg School for Communications as one of the 50 most influential women on the net as a pioneering educator. http://olj.usc.edu/indexf.htm?/sections/features/98_stories/stories_whotoknow_women.htm
  • Online Journalism Review, One of the San Francisco Women on the Web?
  • Top 25 Women on the Net 2001
  • SITE http://site.aace.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Page.OSDEAward The third Outstanding Service to Digital Equity Award was presented in 2004 to Bonnie Bracey, USA, for her work as a change agent and reformer within the US and abroad, including her collaboration with GLEF: the George Lucas Educational Foundation. http://glef.org/foundation/speakersbios.php#bonnie .
  • PAEMST Presidential Awardee: Teacher, Virginia, Outreach Teacher National Geographic Society
  • Selected as a Christa McAuliffe Educator, National Foundation for the Improvement of Education, NEA 1992,
  • Fulbright to India 1987
  • Keynote Speaker/Presenter
    • Keynote IDECOLN Conference 1994
    • Ask Eric Seminar, Alexandria,Virginia, 1994( Lynn Smart)
    • Keynote : Secretary’s Education Conference, 1994
    • Keynote CECA Conference, Massachusetts Conn
      Keynote presentation:Dade FLA,County Schools 1994
    • Keynote presentation: Eureka ,CA County Schools 1994
    • Keynote presentation: Apple Advisory Board 1995
    • Keynote presentation: Charter Oaks School District 1995
    • Keynote presentation : Desegregation Conference 1995 (Atlantlic City NJ)
    • Keynote presentation: MECA, Promised Land -Tupelo Mississippi
    • Keynote presentation: MIT NESDEC CONFERENCE 1995
  • Collected over 47 grants to finance her technology for the classroom and when in the classroom was often filmed by the National Geographic, Challenger Center, and various news organizations.
  • Won the Campbell’s Soup, Portrait of a teacher award, and her project centered on the Chesapeake Bay
  • Current television work: Discovery Channel Resource teacher.
  • Last television project ” Promised Land” a history of the migration of blacks from the south. This project has a homepage , and can be located on Web in the Discovery Channel area.
  • Bonnie has a listserv Nii-teach@wais.com. She shares the NII work on this and several other lists.

Closing thoughts from Bonnie

As information technology reshapes American workplaces, public education must change in three fundamental ways: –beyond learning how to rapidly assimilate information, students must master how to create and share knowledge; –beyond learning from teachers and textbooks, students must become proficient participants in virtual knowledge-building communities distributed among schools, homes, businesses, and community settings; and –rather than only some students succeeding in school, all learners must reach high levels of competence in sophisticated content and skills. Educational technology can accomplish this vision — if coupled to interrelated shifts in curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, professional development, administration, incentives, and the organizational structure and culture of schools. However, to achieve these outcomes, the public must invest more than tax dollars. Too often, classroom computers and telecommunications are envisioned as technologies comparable to fire –just by sitting near these devices, students will somehow receive a benefit from them, as knowledge and skills radiate from the monitors into their minds. Instead, the public’s direct involvement in improving learning must accompany investments in educational technology. As examples, new media can build partnerships for learning between teachers and families, and “telementoring” relationships among students and businesses can link the curriculum to workplace skills. If educational technology is to effectively prepare students for the 21st century, stakeholders in quality education must invest not only their money, but their knowledge and time.