Mentoring Program
This program aims to connect students and postdoc attendees with scholars and professionals who are successfully engaged in research and practice related to digital media and cognitive development.
We will organize small and informal meetings for mentor-mentee matches to participate in an open discussion about the challenges and opportunities, to share tips and resources, and to engage in professional networking.
Mentor/Mentee Groups
Mentor (Mentees)
Heather Kirkorian (Kelli Long, Kellan Kadooka)
Angeline Lillard (Zachary Stuckelman, Eunkyung Lucy Shin)
Glenda Revelle (Sierra Eisen, Maya Lennon)
Lynn Liben (Mamatha Chary, Erin McKenney)
Gabrielle Strouse (Mengguo Jing, Jessica Resor)
Patricia Ganea (Seung Heon Yoo, Andrew Ribner, Ian Campbell)
Lauren Myers (Ming Chen, Diana Devine)
1. Requirement: One required 30-minute meeting during the lunch break at the pre-conference
- Time: Thursday, October 17, 2019 12:15 PM — 01:00 PM
- Prior to the lunch break, "reserved" signs with the names of mentors will be placed on tall cruiser tables. Mentors and mentees can meet at their tables around 12:15 PM (the beginning of the lunch break).
2. Optional meeting(s): Additional meetings are encouraged but optional. We encourage mentors to
- attend any presentations their mentees give at the pre-conference, if possible.
- utilize the afternoon coffee break (1:30 PM — 2:30 PM) for work-in-progress mentoring, if additional time is needed.
- make an effort to introduce your mentees to other attendees of the conference.
3. Format: Small groups - one mentor and 1-3 mentees (student and postdoc attendees).
4. Questions from Mentees:
- What are different ways of including media/technology in a classroom setting?
- For what ages might media/technology might not be effective?
- How did previous research experiences inform future research?
- How to design a research agenda as an early career scholar
- Advice for entering the job market
- How to apply research findings to the real world
- Bridging academia and industry
- Parent-child/teacher-child interactions that support children’s learning from media
- How can I put the skills I have learned in my PhD program to use in a career in an educational research company (such as Sesame Street, Lego, etc)?
- Where are good places for me to look for jobs in the children’s media field?
- What kinds of things can I be doing now to make myself marketable for a position in an educational research company?
- Finding a mentorship match in PhD programs and beyond, making scientific discoveries accessible for the public.
- How to work with museums to make interactive and sensory-friendly exhibits for children, especially autistic children
- What do you think is the most fascinating part of studying children and learning and cognition in digital context?
- How do you foresee the next move of this field?
- What technologies may your research expand to include in the future?
- Any work being done with how children learn from intelligent/virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri?
- Recommendations for dissertation funding
- Current research trends and future directions
- Planning for short-term and long-term projects
- Career opportunities/tips (job search, job interviews, and job talks)
- Suggestions for the academic career of international students
- How to balance research, teaching, and learning
- How to plan our career in graduate school
- Interested in working at a teaching college/university
5. Questions? Koeun Choi <koeun@vt.edu>