Belinda Lopez
I have over fourteen years of experience of in designing and developing creative learning environments for everyone from preschoolers to astronauts. My current dream job is working as the Training Project Manager at Canonical, the commercial sponsor of the Ubuntu Linux distribution. In addition to my work at Canonical I also volunteer with the Ubuntu Learning Project and Ubuntu Women's groups.
I'm a strong advocate for using open source technologies in education and am constantly researching how to best use FOSS in innovative learning environments. I can happily speak about my experiences in NASA's Human Spaceflight program, being a Learning Consultant and working directly with teachers to use technology in the classroom. I'm a huge fan of taking the theory and science of learning and applying it to help integrate technology into the learning process.
What makes me sad is when technology is deployed into schools with no real deployment plan! Time and again I've seen technology projects fail because there was no effort given to teacher training and curriculum integration before deploying the technology! eBooks, mobile learning, digital textbooks, OLPC, Moodle, Sakai, blended and online learning are just a few of my interests. I also have a great love of informal learning environments like museums, zoos, nature, entertainment, music and performing art venues. I'm probably the only person who's ever walked into the Hilton's Las Vegas Sportsbook and said, "this would be a great classroom setup!"