Irene Bal is a lecturer in the Educational Technology Graduate Program in the School of Education at Loyola University Maryland. She is a certified PreK-12th grade music teacher who has taught elementary general music, high school band and orchestra, and has served as an instructional technology coach at the district level. Bal holds a bachelor's degree in music education from Furman University, as well as a master's degree in music education and a master's in educational research from the University of South Carolina.