Embedded Files
William Beaumont Johnson
RESEARCH + PUBLICATIONS
RESEARCH + PUBLICATIONS
Learning in the Making
UW-Madison, MIT, & George Mason University
Personalization in Practice
UW-Madison & Wisconsin State & Department of Public Instruction
Collaborated on innovative technological tools in non-conventional learning spaces with the research goal of assessing educational technology in various locations for pedagogical sustainability and individual site application. Partner sites and programs included: MIT Media Lab, Stanford, Tufts Madison Public Library, Pittsburgh Children’s Museum, Milwaukee Children’s Museum, and Raven Software.
From varied age groups and multicultural participants, interviews were carried out using a clear format; insights helped shape detailed research papers written alongside colleagues, while results found their way into presentations delivered at scholarly gatherings. Bringing together standard and tailor-made edtech tools shaped how training and implementation rolled out at several locations, while handling information flow plus coordination between study groups. Across sites, systems adapted to fit shared goals - data tracking stayed consistent even when setups differed slightly. Each partner kept UW - RESEARCH alignment through structured updates, avoiding fragmentation despite varying local needs.
Learning in the Making: Leveraging Technologies for Impact
Stanford University — FABLearn Conference | September 2015 | LINK
Learning in the Making with Charts.pdf“Build in Progress” — Towards Iteration, Ideation, and Critique
American Educational Research Association (AERA) | 2016 | LINK
Build in Progress 2016.pdfReprinted in
MAKEOLOGY: Developing a Maker Mindset (link)
Peppler, K., Halverson, E., & Kafai, Y. B. (Eds.). (2016). Makeology: Makerspaces as learning environments (Vol. 1). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315726519
Personalization in Practice
UW-Madison Reserch Poster
Reserch Concepts & Preliminary Findings
PiPResearchPoster.pdf“Stonewall Jackson is a Unicorn” and “Dixieland DubStep”: Creating Middle School Communities That Foster Multimodal Artistic Expressions Based on the American Civil War
Georgia Southern University
Curriculum Studies Summer Collaborative 2016
Johnson, William Beaumont, ""Stonewall Jackson Is a Unicorn" And "Dixieland DubStep": Creating Middle School Communities That Foster Multimodal Artistic Expressions Based on the American Civil War" (2016). Curriculum Studies Summer Collaborative (2011-2025). 41. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cssc/2016/2016/41
Stonewall was a Unicorn Prez Slides.pdfAbstract
Abstract
By taking primary resources from historical and cultural arenas surrounding the American Civil War, Middle School students can interpret the actual voices and perspectives from the 1800s. Combined with structured research and classroom discussion, the accessibility of multimedia creation technologies grants classroom communities an opportunity to create multimodal artifacts that are historically accurate and reflect the students’ own interests. The artistic results can range from installation art designs, stop-motion movies, songs, narrative fiction via comic book or film-making, performance – the possibilities are limited only by the creative environment fostered by their peers and instructor.
Aspects of this work are a part of every holistic reform phrase from personalization to project-based-learning but these are no mere “projects.” These creations serve as snapshots of modern cultural and social trends used to express and explain cultural and social issues of the past. They are also lens that can be used to understand comprehension and possibly measure the very abstract concepts that standardized tests are attempting to do in California.
The Broadway musical, HAMILTON, is nothing more than a variation of the work described above that I have been doing in classrooms of all sociocultural and socioeconomic levels for years. However, to allow for the creative to be as much a part of the conversation as standards it takes more than access to an iPad. It takes a learning space that fosters communal and individual student expression so that they learn as much about themselves and their own abilities as they do about exact details of the Battle of Shiloh.
Presentation Description
Presentation Description
If the American Civil War were fought by opposing armies of My Little Pony unicorns to background music inspired by the Foo Fighters then you might have an idea as to how student interest can get them invested in academics. But first you have to figure out how to create the community that supports them to do so. From Anime to iMovie, Student expression via multimedia projects can reflect more than just facts about the Battle of Antietam.
Maslo AI
What Happens Next? Education, Technology, and Defining the Post-COVID “New Normal”
Your Virtual Self — Technology & Psychology | October 2020 | LINK
Foundations in Educational Companionship — AI in Schools
Your Virtual Self — Technology & Psychology | October 2020 | LINK
Bakhtinian Dialogic as a Framework for Human/AI Co-Learning
Your Virtual Self — Technology & Psychology | November 2020 | LINK
Computational Thinking and Socratic Learning
Your Virtual Self — Technology & Psychology | December 2020 | LINK
Ossification and Interoperability: Required Vocabulary for the Future of Successful Education Technology
Your Virtual Self — Technology & Psychology | January 2021 | LINK
Working in an ed-tech startup, my focus was testing early-stage AI systems - such as unreleased versions of Google’s AI projects and the experimental iterations created by OpenAI before the public release of ChatGPT - to assess how they might fit within real classroom settings. Exploration began by observing student use and engagement and teacher workflows, then moved into piloting specific features during actual lessons. Instead of assuming benefits upfront, each tool faced scrutiny based on student engagement and ease of use. Some prototypes showed promise, while others created more complexity than support. Feedback loops with developers followed every trial phase. Insights helped shape adjustments both for instructional methods and software design. The process continued without fixed outcomes in mind, adapting as data came in from daily classroom experiences
White Papers were written, shaping ideas from recent studies in education. Ideas about artificial intelligence wove into teaching methods across subjects like reading and expression. Communication growth became a central thread, explored alongside progress in student writing abilities. Learning how emotions intersect with classroom activities shaped another layer of analysis. Each presentation built connections between theory and real-world school practices
From testing several AI models directly, insights emerged about their constraints. Ethical questions arose during real-world trials in varied learning environments. Practical approaches took shape through observation in different classrooms. School and district requirements informed each phase of the process. Unexpected patterns appeared when results were compared across settings.
Collaborated with Google Classroom and Wolfram Alpha teams to develop and evaluate AI-supported teaching methods across subjects.
Working alongside creators of learning apps helped to test if artificial intelligence tools could fit real school settings while focusing on how students actually learn. Ideas evolved through trial, always asking whether new tech supported genuine classroom needs rather than chasing trends. Practical use came first - features were adjusted based on feedback from teachers and learners alike. Long-range planning stayed tied to everyday experiences inside classrooms instead of theoretical models. Experimentation shaped each phase, ensuring alignment with actual educational goals over time
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