Kevin Jarrett
Biography
Kevin Jarrett is a K–4 Technology Facilitator at Northfield Community School in Northfield, NJ. In this role he is responsible for instruction in a lab setting for the entire elementary student body. Kevin works closely with his classroom teacher peers to develop and co-produce engaging projects leveraging Web 2.0 technologies across the curriculum — rather than just “teaching computers”. In addition to his classroom instructional duties, Kevin designs and leads technology professional development workshops in his district and also does personal mentoring, lesson technology “makeovers”, and manages the district web presence. Kevin also teaches online, part-time at Walden University in the Master’s program at the Richard W. Riley School of Education and Leadership specializing in integrating technology into the curriculum. Kevin has been working in Second Life since February 2007 as a result of a $10,000 Faculty Excellence Grant he received from Walden. The grant enabled him to take a 6-month “leave of absence” from online teaching to immerse himself in Second Life. He expects to publish his findings in the spring of 2008. Kevin is a Google Certified Teacher, a workshop presenter for the Southern Regional ETTC, a registered NJ Department of Education Professional Development Provider, and frequent speaker at local, regional, and national conferences. He holds two business degrees (Bachelor of Science in marketing and an MBA in finance). Kevin left a 17-year career in the private sector (most recently corporate IT project management & consulting) to pursue teaching as a second, “dream” career, a change that was chronicled in an Education World article. He lives in Northfield, NJ, with his wife and two daughters.