CUIN Alumna Grace Lin is a Pioneer in Technology
Curriculum and Instruction alumna, Grace Lin, is currently a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, College of Education in the Department of Learning, Design and Technology (LTEC). Lin uses her outstanding research to incorporate new technologies to help students learn in the innovative era of technology.
Lin received a Master’s in Computer Science and then went on to obtain her Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with an Emphasis in Instructional Technology at the University of Houston. She then decided to integrate a wide range of digital technologies as major resources to help connect students to new concepts in ways that are fun, familiar and applicable to everyday life. In her current faculty position, Lin uses applied sciences for innovative teaching.
Lin challenges, nurtures, and explores new modes of helping student teachers learn to instruct future generations of students. Her experience in Computer Science and Instructional Technology has had a major influence in her teaching style. Lin enjoys incorporating everyday entertainment tools such as YouTube and mobile devices to help students learn in ways that are relevant to the new technological age.
When asked about incorporating everyday technology into learning Lin replied, “I hope when everyone receives the degree, you are not only a ‘master’ in education but a ‘master’ in life, not only a ‘doctor’ in education or philosophy but a ‘doctor’ about the wonder of human creativity.” By using tools that are familiar and easily accessible, Lin has found a mode of teaching that is entertaining and easier for students to understand.
The relevance of Lin’s technology based teaching has inspired students and educators alike. “Grace spends much time thinking about how to teach her courses in a relevant, engaging, and learner-centered manner. She pushes the envelope of what is possible with new technologies far beyond the safe haven projects of past semester,” says Curt Bonk, one of Lin’s former professors. “Her work stands at an important crossroad in education from traditional education (Education 1.0) to what some might call Education 2.0 or even Education 3.0.”
As a new era of digital teaching and learning arrives, new practices must be implemented on every level. Grace Lin is a pioneer and will continue to push teachers to venture outside the confines of pen and paper.