Margaret Aker, Ph.D.
Core Faculty,
Department of Teaching and Learning
Margaret Aker, is an active educator-learner with over thirty years of experience in education at all preK-doctoral levels. She has taught in higher education, both face-to-face and online for over 19 years completing a Ph.D. online in Educational Leadership at Concordia University Chicago and a Ph.D. ABD face-to-face in Reading Education at Arizona State University.
Margie is an active writer including: Aker, M., & Herrera, L. J. P. (2020). Smart literacy learning in the 21st century: Facilitating PBSL pedagogic collaborative clouds. In Ally, M., Yu, S., & Tsinakos, A. Emerging technologies and pedagogies in the curriculum (pp. 429-447). Springer. Rajan, R. S., & Aker, M. (2020). The impact of an in-school dance program on at-risk preschoolers' social-emotional development. The Journal of Dance Education. Herrera, L. J. P., Daniel, L., & Aker, M. (2019). Developing opportunity youth's literacy, creativity, and critical thinking through PBSL: Facilitating 21st century learning and mixed realities. English Leadership Quarterly, 47(4). Margie is an active researcher focusing on early reading and the late life brain.
Margie is an active presenter:
Aker, M., Herrera, L. J. P., & Daniel, L. (2020, June). Making connections: Incorporating PBSL into your 21st century classroom. Kappa Delta Pi.
Aker, M. (2018). Literacy collaborative clouds: Living the dream. The 14th World Conference on Mobile and Contextual Learning.
Aker, M. (2018). Upskilling for the future: PBL and 21st century skills. CUC-HUEB 2nd International Symposium.
An active grant professional, Margie has been involved in many proposals over the years--in business, for a Fortune 500 company, and in education, at the local, state, and federal levels. Active in her community, she is the founder of Fun Fridays, a STEAM after school program for low SES children. Margie is thrilled to become a Teaching and Learning Core Faculty member for Awesome ACE!
Education
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Doctorate in Educational Leadership
Concordia University -
Doctorate in Reading Education
Arizona State University -
Degree in Reading
National Louis University -
Bachelor's in Elementary Education
Depauw University
Research Interests
My research interests include early childhood language development and the brain; problem-based service-learning; problem-based learning; pedagogic collaborative clouds; non-linear learning; phenomenography; and grant management.