Our Global Projects: About Us

Fran Siracusa, M.Ed. Educational Technology

Fran Siracusa believes in the power of connections. She is a passionate educator who shares the power of technology to make a difference in the lives of learners and teachers worldwide. Fran advocates for students by facilitating and inspiring student learning and creativity in the classroom; likewise, through conference workshops and sessions, she advocates for excellence in professional practice by engaging teachers in quality professional growth and development. An innovative teacher, Fran coordinates actual and digital global projects with partnering classrooms across the globe to co-create and produce authentic digital artifacts where students think and work creatively, then implement tech tools to demonstrate quality communication in studied target languages.

Fran is the Co-founder of Calliope Global, whose mission is to empower teachers and students to prepare for their futures in a world that will prioritize creativity, innovation, and collaboration. Fran connects international classrooms by teaching through global projects, travel, and professional development. Taking to heart our goal to “connect, create, inspire,” Fran currently devotes efforts to the Conquistadors Connect 2015 experience, an intensive assimilation program for students from Colegio Decroly in Spain. She affords students with the authentic opportunity to become successful “networked persons,” who alongside global partners will become active, compassionate and lifelong learners, well-equipped with 21st Century skills to learn from and interact with their connected world in responsible ways.

In her 19+year career in Education in previous positions at private Tampa Bay area high, middle and elementary schools, she served as International Programs Co-Director, Educational Technologist, World Languages chairperson and Spanish teacher. Fran speaks, blogs and consults on Educational Technology and World Language teaching and learning; she is a synergist for global collaboration and the use of iPad apps and Web 2.0 tools in the K-12th grade World Language, English, and STEM classrooms. She has presented most recently at SCOLT, FETC, FLENEF, ISTE, FFLA, ACTFL, FCIS, and GEC.

View My Curriculum Vitae

http://hablamostechnology.blogspot.com
https://excellenceinflinstruction.wordpress.com/home/ http://exploramos.wikispaces.com/Sobre+la+Profesora
http://www.scoop.it/t/global-projects-by-fran-siracusa
https://twitter.com/la_Profe_S

http://www.scoop.it/t/global-projects-by-calliope-global-fran

Jennifer Williams, M.S. CCC-SLP

As the co-founder and lead program developer for Calliope Global, Jennifer Williams works with schools, universities, and organizations from around the world. Recognized as a transformational leader in education, Jennifer empowers teachers and students to learn and explore together as digital composers in common learning spaces. Through her vision of providing authentic opportunities for international collaboration and relevant learning with use of advanced teaching practices and latest technology, she champions teachers and students to prepare for their futures in a world that will prioritize creativity, innovation, and exploration. She strives to inspire educators to be curious and motived in efforts to lead meaningful change. In her previous positions as a school Director of Education, program Literacy Specialist, and district Speech-Language Pathologist, she supported teachers to redefine pedagogies and transform the educational landscape. Today, she speaks, writes, and consults on educational practices that develop global perspectives through creative uses of technology. She has presented most recently at ISTE, FETC, FCIS, and GEC, and as a doctoral candidate in education, she was named the American Montessori Society 2015 Research Award Grant recipient. Jennifer’s research and writing interests include multimodal literacy and digital technologies, collaborative learning space design, student motivation for learning, preservice teacher preparation, and Montessori and student-centered pedagogies. Jennifer is also the co-founder of both EdCamp Tampa Bay and #Read4Fun Spark Chat. She is inspired every day by teachers and students that are catalysts for making the world a better place!