Lucy is an experienced consultant and observer of educational innovation, working with a variety of people and institutions on modernizing education. She is a frequent speaker and workshop presenter at conferences, and her projects include professional development coaching, virtual conference development, strategic planning for schools, and consultation to companies and non-profits. Lucy has a strong voice within social media and has developed a vast professional network which brings added value to her projects.
Her career began in the Chicago Public School system where she taught primary grades and she went on to serve in various capacities related to educational technology at the University of Chicago's Laboratory Schools, Urban Education Institute and Center for Elementary Mathematics and Science Education. She has received the distinctions of Apple Distinguished Educator and Google Certified Teacher.
In 2007, Lucy founded the Global Education Collaborative, a 18,000+ member network for educators interested in connections, collaboration and project-based learning. She expanded on this work by co-founding the Global Education Conference with Steve Hargadon, which has highlighted some of the most innovative educators and thinkers in the global education space. Steve and Lucy also have launched another virtual conference in 2013 focused on STEMx education.
Lucy's specialities and interests include:
-Innovation
-Professional development
-international education
-Project-based learning
-Information literacy
-Mobile learning
-Design of learning environments
-Educational technology tools
-Social media
She writes:
"I’m the child of two educators who grew up attending public and independent schools. I worked in Chicago Public Schools for a number of years as a elementary grade level teacher, and then taught middle school computer science at an independent school in Chicago and earned an M.Ed in Technology in Education around this time. My professional life became greatly enriched during this phase of my life as I had plenty of support and autonomy to focus on my teaching craft. As a result, I became an Apple Distinguished Educator and Google Certified Teacher. Seeking more leadership opportunities, I moved on to serve as a technology coach at a set of charter schools and worked at an ed tech advisor at a math and science education research group before starting my consulting business in 2010. The main impetus for going into consulting was that my expertise was increasingly being sought and it gave me a great deal of flexibility when my husband and I moved our family to the suburbs of the Chicago. (My children’s experiences in school are also a big driver in my thought process and advocacy work.)
"I now work with schools and companies in a for-profit capacity and run a couple of innovative online conferences. Throughout my various projects, it’s important to me to keep my finger on the pulse of what is going on in education because I’m not working as much inside school buildings. I still consider myself an educator on a less than traditional career path. I love what I do and how my current position allows me to travel the country (and beyond) to see interesting institutions, to interact with great educators, and to sometimes work on projects with progressive for profit institutions.
"I particularly enjoy working with teachers in professional development settings and and I value what they think of me as a consultant. Currently, I’m working in two school districts coaching teachers in mobile learning pilots. Authenticity is key to working teachers because they, in my experience, have built in bs detectors. I try to be cognizant of their needs and opinions, so that I can support them fully and earn their trust. I see myself as an advocate for educators and for excellence in education, and understand that good relationships are the cornerstone of my work."
