Spring 2021 Newsletter

SPRING 2021 NEWSLETTER

As the trees blossom and spring is upon us, I look forward with optimism to a re-opening, to seeing many of you in person and to continuing to find ways to increase connections across our ECT community.


At the same I want to acknowledge the many challenges we have endured (and are still enduring) through the pandemic and related stresses and uncertainties, and because of race-based hate crimes and racial inequity we have witnessed. As educators, we rededicate ourselves to promoting equity, belonging and well-being to all people here in the US and around the world.

Our community has continued to find creative ways to come together which you’ll see highlighted below- from alums who are mentoring current students (thank you!), to faculty and students attending our ongoing ECT BrownBag speaker series to our upcoming ECT Design Expo where we celebrate our graduates (our “covid-19 scholars”) on May 13th from 5-8:30pm EDT.

ECT Faculty Spotlight: Kayla DesPortes & Yoav Bergner

ECT Professors Kayla DesPortes and Yoav Bergner, in collaboration with community partner STEM From Dance, developed danceON, a culturally responsive creative computing platform. The technology, including a live-coding web app and domain-specific language, was the work of Willie Payne, a PhD student in Steinhardt’s Music Technology program. danceON allows learners to generate code-based animations on top of webcam or uploaded videos, using body position data and machine learning models. The work was featured (along with an Honorable Mention) in the 2021 ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Read full paper here.

Our greater ECT Community

...where we highlight some exciting updates and announcements from current and recently graduated students. Read more spotlights with other alumni here and let us know what you’re up to- we’d love to hear from you!

Cecilia Hevia (DMDL, 2018)

Cecilia was spotlighted in Holon IQ as one of the top 200 Women CEOs and Founders leading the most promising Edtech Startups globally. Cecila is the founder of MentorPro, a web and mobile platform that connects teachers with mentors to support and enhance their professional development. ECT Adjunct Professor Alex Britez sits as an advisor for Mentor Pro.

Roxy Ho (DMDL, 2022)

Roxy recently gave a short presentation about her Fall 2020 internship experience with Ape Lab. Check out this clip where she gives insight on her experience and how she discovered more about her career passions. If you are interested in learning more about our current internship partners check our internship page.


Martine Charles (DMDL, 2023)

For the last 4+ years, Martine worked at Spotify as a learning and development specialist across their tech and sales teams, helping people learn and grow in their careers. She recently announced her next big step as a Training Facilitator at TikTok! We wish her well, and are so happy she’s part of our ECT community. Learn more about Martine’s interests and experience: https://www.martinelcharles.com/


Professionals Talk Shop


For those who missed it, ECT held a three-part guest speaker series that included a diverse set of panelists who shared perspectives on jobs and skills in the field. Thanks to organizer and host, Abby Adams, DMDL alum and Adjunct Professor J term "Professional Applications of Product Development" class (January 2021).

Panel 1: Learning & Instructional Design

A guest speaker panel offered in conjunction with our J- term ECT “Professional Applications in Educational Media & Technology class” and hosted by Adjunct Professor Abby Adams (NYU DMDL alum)

Panel 2: Research in Ed Tech and Product Development

A guest speaker panel offered in conjunction with our J- term ECT “Professional Applications in Educational Media & Technology class” and hosted by Adjunct Professor Abby Adams (NYU DMDL alum)

Panel 3: Ed Tech Product Design and Development

A guest speaker panel offered in conjunction with our J- term ECT “Professional Applications in Educational Media & Technology class” and hosted by Adjunct Professor Abby Adams (NYU DMDL alum)

ECT Opportunities & Events

Our ECT Mentorship Program launched in March 2021! ECT students were matched with ECT alumni that share similar interests- thanks to all who applied. To learn more and find out how you can get involved, take a look at our student website for more information about the program, and our first cohort of mentors and mentees.


Upcoming ECT Brownbags Speaker Series, open to all, Zoom link | More info

Thursdays, 10:00 am - 11:00 am EDT, Fall and Spring semesters only

  • April 15, 2021 -Tamara Galoyan: Games, cognitive load, and neuroeducation

  • April 21, 2021- Ananda Marin: Native education and Place-Based Learning

  • April 29, 2021- Marc Lesser: Digital Learning and Youth Development



SPRING 2021 ECT Design EXPO, open to all!

RSVP Here (virtual)

Thursday, 5/13, 5:00- 8:30 pm EDT


You are invited to celebrate the achievements of graduating DMDL and G4L students and the end of a very unusual semester!

-Masters thesis project showcase 5-8:30pm

-Celebration and awards 8:00-8:30pm EDT

Current Student Corner

It’s time to register for classes! Summer registration has already opened and Fall registration begins on May 24th! Don’t forget to meet with and get cleared by your advisor, peruse our internship opportunities, and explore our ECT Summer and Fall 2021 courses (fall schedule coming soon). We are working towards opening for an in person fall semester, but will work with all students who might be delayed due to visa or travel issues. Stay tuned for more details or contact your advisor or Kimmie at Student services if you have questions.

We’re super excited to welcome our new incoming Fall cohort. We had a fantastic welcome event where we met students from many backgrounds and locales. More than ever, we need you all in this field-- so many educational technology opportunities and problems to solve so little time ;-)


Do you have an idea for something to include in the newsletter or do you want to be a co-editor / producer of our next newsletter? Please reach out to Jeneva Hall (ECT operations administrator) to learn more.