By: Hailey Temple
Laura J. & L. Douglas Meredith Professor Ruth V. Small was recently interviewed and featured in Educational Technology magazine for recognition as a leader in the education technology field.
As “the world’s leading periodical publication covering the entire field of educational technology,” Educational Technology features leading international authorities active in educational research, development, and application. Considered a leader in her field, Small shared her current research projects and expertise on the application of motivation theories and the role of information in the process of innovation. Despite authoring or co-authoring over 100 publications and having 25 years of experience in the field, Small was surprised when she was contacted for an interview.
“Education Technology features leaders in the field, so I at first thought it was a practical joke that I was asked to be interviewed and named among people who are legends to me,” said Small.
As the Director of the School Media Program and Founding Director of the Center for Digital Literacy at the School of Information Studies (iSchool), Small manages and supervises graduate students who are working on funded projects. In the publication, Small discusses both her research and several of these projects she is working on. For example, Project Enable, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, focuses on training school librarians to provide effective services to students with disabilities. Small also noted the mentors who inspired her career path, including former iSchool faculty members John Keller and Don Ely.
To be distinguished as a leader by Education Technology is not only a surprise but also an honor for Small that she associates with her career at the iSchool. “It was great for our school to be recognized because we are not a school of education or a corporation that is generally recognized by the magazine. Although I consider myself in a different field implementing different types of education technology, it is great to have this type of recognition attract attention to the iSchool.”