John Spencer

My goal is simple. I want to make something new everyday. Sometimes I make things. Sometimes I make a difference. On a good day, I get to do both. I'm currently working as an assistant professor of instructional technology in a small private college just outside of Portland, Oregon. Before that, I spent twelve years as a middle school teacher, where I used design thinking and creative processes for student coding projects, documentaries, and blogging. I am a frequent keynote and conference speaker and I had the honor of sharing my vision of the future of learning at the White House Future Ready Summit in Washington, D.C. I also delivered a TEDx Talk on the topic of creative constraints. My research experience includes writing a chapter in The Nature of Technology textbook and winning the NAU Education Technology Graduate Award for my work around transforming professional development. I am an avid writer whose work has been featured in Kappan Magazine, The Answer Sheet, Slate, and Edutopia. I am the author of Wendell the World's Worst Wizard and co-founder of Write About.