About+KADS

Background
KADS Global EDU is a consulting firm that originated through the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. All four team members of the firm are enrolled as graduate students in the Unversity's Department of Educational Psychology's Curriculum, Technology, and Education Reform (CTER) program. The four members originally met through their first course together in the CTER program, CI 484: Learning Technologies, and have continued their coursework together in EPSY 556: Analysis of Advanced Instructional Technology. Throughout these courses, the members of KADS have conducted research, discussed, debated, and shared topics that relate to technology and the future of education. Because of the group members' expertise in instructional technology, the U.S. Department of Education has asked the group to propose and design the schools/learning environments of 2025.

**Assignment**
KADS Global EDU has been asked to identify key components that will affect teaching and learning in the future and make administrators, teachers, students, parents, and agencies invested in education aware of these components. On this Wiki, the group has addressed the following:
 * Curriculum and Pedagogy for the 21st Century Learning Environment
 * Design of Learning Spaces
 * Sustaining the Vision

**Group Mentor**
Professor Karen Hamilton serves as a mentor/adviser to KADS Global EDU as the group researches, prepares, and develops their proposal and design. The Department of Education has offered the services of Professor Hamilton to provide insight throughout the project. Based on her recommendations, the U.S. Department of Education will then decide if the group's design project should be submitted to the Senate to lobby for funds and support policies for the future of education.

**Team Members**


**Katrin****a Strauss** is a high school science teacher at Round Lake Senior High School. She graduated from Millikin University with a B.S. in Biology Education with an Endorsement in Mathematics. Currently, she is working on her masters degree in Curriculum, Technology, and Education Reform through the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

**Anita Gorski** is an Instructional Technology Specialist for the Special Education District of Lake County. She graduated from Concordia University with a B.A. in Organizational Management in 2002 and is currently pursuing a masters degree in Educational Psychology with a focus on Curriculum, Technology, and Education Reform. She has been working with students with special needs for nearly 10 years and believes that technology is the ultimate equalizer for persons with disabilities.

**Dan Le** graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in 2006 with a B.S. in Mathematics and minor in Secondary Education. He also completed a M.A. program in Educational Leadership from Aurora University in 2010. Currently, he is enrolled as a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is pursuing a master's in Curriculum, Technology, and Education Reform. He currently teaches Mathematics at Ottawa Township High School.



**Shweta Perswal** graduated from Delhi University (India) with a B.Sc, M.Sc. and B.Ed in Biology. She taught science for 3 years in Hopkins Middle School (South Carolina) and biology for 5 years in schools of India .Currently she is a graduate student of CTER program (Curriculum, Technology and Education Reform) at UIUC (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign).