• Catharyn teaching a small group of university students.

      Catharyn C. Shelton, PhD

      Assistant Professor of Educational Technology | Former K-12 Teacher

    • About

      Catharyn Shelton, PhD

      Biography

      Catharyn Shelton is an assistant professor of educational technology at Northern Arizona University's College of Education. Catharyn teaches undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in educational technology while researching how teachers learn and lead online. Catharyn brings a background as a P-12 classroom teacher (high school Spanish, special education, and bilingual elementary). As a fourth-generation Arizona teacher, she is passionate about supporting teachers as leaders to realize equity and justice outcomes in education.

       

      In her research, Catharyn has most recently focused on how teachers share and enact (or learn to, try to, or fail to share and enact) justice-oriented education approaches on platforms such as TeachersPayTeachers or Instagram. Her work has critiqued the role that for-profit online platforms play in dictating what teachers see, produce, and engage within such spaces. Catharyn's published research appears in Teachers College Record, Learning Media and Technology, Journal of Research on Technology in Education, as well as in popular presses including Slate, Kappan, and Edutopia. Catharyn is a mom to three little firecrackers and is based in Flagstaff, Arizona.

      Education and Experience

      • B.A. in Psychology and Spanish Literature from the University of Arizona
      • M.S. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Washington (focus: Cognitive Developmental Psychology)
      • M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Arizona State University
      • Ph.D. in Learning, Literacies, and Technologies from Arizona State University

      Prior to joining the faculty at NAU, Catharyn served as an Assistant Professor of educational technology at California State University, Stanislaus from 2018-20. Her passions for cognitive psychology, critical digital pedagogies, and social justice drive her academic pursuits in the field of educational technology.

      Expertise

      • teacher education centering equity and justice
      • critical perspectives on educational technology
      • online teaching and learning
      • social media in education
      • sustainability education
      • mixed methods 

      Awards

      2020, Recipient, National Technology Leadership Initiative (NTLI) Fellowship Award for "exemplary research related to technology in social studies education," College and University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies

    • Resources for Teachers

      Print-and-go guidance for P-12 teachers, inspired by our research.

    • Research

      Catharyn Shelton, PhD

      Books and computer keyboard.

      Teachers Learning and Leading Online

      Teachers turn to online sources for classroom inspiration and support, ranging from teachers' blogs, social media, and virtual marketplaces. Online teacherpreneurs are current and former P -12 teachers who share their ideas and resources in the teacher-to-teacher marketplace of ideas - spaces including TeachersPayTeachers.com, Instagram, and Pinterest, often for financial gain (Shelton & Archambault, 2018). This practice may empower teachers as leaders in their profession, rather than corporate curriculum distributors. It also presents challenges around the quality of teacher-created content, who gets to have a voice in the creation of curricula, and the platformization of teachers' work. In response, Catharyn and colleagues have called for supporting teachers' development of critical digital literacies centered on justice-oriented approaches in teacher education coursework, while also advocating that for-profit platforms operating in the education sphere be held accountable.

      Catharyn lecturing to a university class.

      Humanizing Online Learning

      How can online teacher education courses be (re)designed with a humanized and democratic approach? Recently, we applied critical, humanizing approaches to design and support online learning experiences for teachers that are humanized and culturally responsive (Shelton, Aguilera, Gleason, & Mehta, 2020). An example of my humanized approach to online learning is showcased on Feminist Pedagogies Online's Annotated Assignments, where my annotated assignment, Dissecting Current Events Through Collaborative Virtual Mind Mapping with Google Draw is shared.

      Catharyn working one-on-one with a university student.

      Preparing Teachers to Integrate Emerging Technologies for Sustainability Literacy

      How can we change teacher education courses to infuse innovative online technologies that not only connect with today's teachers but support them in using tech to explore wicked problems of sustainability with their future students? In a series of studies, we have examined preservice teachers' experiences learning from and creating digital storytelling videos in the context of an undergrad class on sustainability education (see Sustainability Science for Educators; Archambault et al., 2018; Hale et al., 2017; Shelton et al., 2017, 2016).

    • Teaching

      Catharyn Shelton, PhD

      Catharyn teaching a small group of university students.

      University Teaching

       

      Northern Arizona University

      2020-present

      • ETC 447: Technology in the Classroom (in-person)
      • ETC 547: Instructional Theory and Strategies in Technology Integration (online)

      California State University Stanislaus

      2018-20

      • EDMA 5210: Advanced Technology Integration Strategies (hybrid)
      • EDMA 5220: Multimedia in Education (hybrid)
      • EDMA 5230: The Tech Coordinator (online)
      • EDGS 5510: Introduction to Educational Research (in-person; hybrid)
      • EDGS 5620: Action Research and Mixed-Methods (in-person)
      • LIBS 4170: Technology for Teachers (hybrid)
      • EDIT 4170: Educational Technology Foundations (online; hybrid)
      Catharyn teaching a young student.

      K - 12 Teaching

      Arizona State Secondary Certification in Spanish, English, and Psychology

      Most of Catharyn's K-12 classroom teaching was spent in the high school Spanish classroom, working with linguistically and culturally diverse students at a large urban public school. During that time, she was named the Arizona Language Association's Early Career Educator of the Year and was awarded a $10,000 Century Link grant for classroom iPads for her project-based learning proposal. She also brings K-12 experience as a bilingual elementary teacher, professional development coordinator, mentor of student teachers, and special education paraprofessional.

    • Publications

      Catharyn Shelton, PhD

      If you need access to any of the publications below, please email me and I'd be happy to share: catharyn.shelton@nau.edu.

      Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

       

      Carpenter, J., Shelton, C., & Schroeder, S. (2022). The educational influencer: A new player in the educator professional landscape. Journal of Research on Technology in Education. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2022.2030267

       

      Harris, L., Archambault, L., & Shelton, C. (2021). Issues of quality on Teachers Pay Teachers: An exploration of best-selling U.S. history resources. Journal of Research on Technology in Education. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2021.2014373

       

      Harris, L., Archambault, L., & Shelton, C. (2021). Getting serious about sourcing information: Considerations for teachers and teacherpreneurs. Social Education, 85(5), 260-266.

       

      Shelton, C., Geiger, T., & Archambault, L. (2021). Becoming a better teacher through online teacherpreneurship? Factors influencing online teacherpreneurs’ perceived gains in teaching practice. Elementary School Journal (Invited Special Issue). Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1086/715521

       

      Shelton, C., Koehler, M., Greenhalgh, S., & Carpenter, J. (2021). Lifting the veil on TeachersPayTeachers.com: An investigation of educational marketplace offerings and downloads. Learning, Media and Technology. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2021.1961148

       

      Dalal, M., Archambault, L., & Shelton, C. (2021). Developing international teachers’ TPACK through a semester-long technology literacy course. Australaisian Journal of Educational Technology, 37(1), 43-56. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.5964

       

      Koehler, M., Shelton, C., Carpenter, J., & Greenhalgh, S. (2020). Where does all the money go? Free and paid transactions on TeachersPayTeachers.com. Teachers College Record.

       

      Shelton, C., Schroeder, S., & Curcio, S. (2020). Instagramming their hearts out: What do edu-influencers share on Instagram? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 20(3).

       

      Shelton, C.C., & Archambault, L. M. (2020). Learning from and about elite online teacherpreneurs: A qualitative examination of key characteristics, school environments, practices, and impacts. Teachers College Record, 122(7), 107-132.

       

      Shelton, C.C., & Archambault, L.M. (2019). Who are online teacherpreneurs and what do they do? A survey of content creators on TeachersPayTeachers.com. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 51(4), 398-414. doi: 10.1080/15391523.2019.1666757

       

      Geiger, T., & Shelton, C. (2019). Learn to calculate Cronbach’s alpha in SPSS with data from a school dropout prevention program (DPP) study (2017). SAGE Publications. doi: 10.4135/9781526469601

       

      Shelton, C.C., & Archambault, L. M. (2018). Discovering how teachers build virtual relationships and develop as professionals through online teacherpreneurship. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 29(4), 579-602.

       

      Archambault, L., Hale, A. E., & Shelton, C.C. (2018). Using digital stories to address sustainability literacy: Designing a university hybrid course to inspire and engage millennial learners. Journal of Applied Instructional Design, 7(1), 17-25.

       

      Hale, A. E., Shelton, C.C., Richter, J., Archambault, L. M. (2017). Integrating geoscience and sustainability: Examining socio-techno-ecological relationships within content designed to prepare teachers. Geoscience Education, 65(2), 101-112.

       

      Dalal, M., Archambault, L., & Shelton, C. (2017). Professional development for international teachers: Examining TPACK and technology integration decision-making. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 50(3), 1-17.

       

      Shelton, C.C., Archambault, L.M., & Hale, A.E. (2017). Bringing digital storytelling to the elementary classroom: Video production for preservice teachers. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 33(2), 58-68. doi: 10.1080/21532974.2016.1276871

       

      Archambault, L., Kennedy, K., Shelton, C., Dalal, M., McAllister, L., & Huyett, S. (2016). Incremental progress: Re-examining field experiences in K-12 online learning contexts in the United States. Journal of Online Learning Research, 2(3), 303-326.

       

      Shelton, C.C., Archambault, L.M., & Warren, A.E. (2016). Exploring the use of interactive digital storytelling video: Promoting student engagement and learning in a university hybrid course. Tech Trends, 60(5), 465-474.

       

      Peer Reviewed Chapters

       

      Shelton, C., Schroeder, S., Curcio, R. (forthcoming). The Teacher-to-Teacher Online Marketplace of Ideas (TOMI): A Future of Curriculum? In R. Hartshorne, Handbook of Social Media in Education, Consumer Behavior, and Politics.

       

      Harati, H., Shelton, C., Sujo-Montes, L., Tu, C., & Armfield, S. (forthcoming). Illuminating the marginalization of international students in the United States and the ways forward: A collaborative autoethnography.

       

      Shelton, C.C., Aguilera, E., Gleason, B., & Mehta, R. (2020). Resisting dehumanizing assessments: Enacting critical humanizing pedagogies in online teacher education. In Ferdig, R.E., Baumgartner, E., Hartshorne, R., Kaplan-Rakowski, R. & Mouza, C. (2020). Teaching, Technology, and Teacher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Stories from the Field. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). https://www.learntechlib.org/p/216903/, pp 125-129.

      Editorially Reviewed Articles

       

      Archambault, L., Shelton, C., & Harris, L, (2021, May). Teachers beware and vet with care: Online Educational Marketplaces. Kappan.

       

      Shelton, C. (2020, October 9). How to design a culturally responsive Bitmoji classroom. Edutopia.

       

      Shelton, C. & Archambault, L., Harris, L. (2020, August 7). Lesson plan platforms for teachers have a racist problem. Slate.

       

      Shelton, C. & Archambault, L. (2019, November 14). Teachers paying teachers? Four guidelines for school leaders. International Society for Technology in Education Blog.

      Conference Proceedings and Presentations

       

      Lanterman, C., Joseph, D., DeGroat, J., Sandigo, A., Lemley, C., Ingram, J., & Shelton, C. (2022). Where Are We From?: Drawing on “Peoplehood” to Humanize Higher Education Anti-Racist Work. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, USA.

       

      *Schroeder, S., Shelton, C., & Curcio, R. (2022). Curriculum in the Digital Age: Intensifying the Work of Teachers, the Remix. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, USA.

      * Best paper award nominee, 2022 Technology as an Agent of Change in Teaching and Learning (TACTL) Special Interest Group

       

      Shelton, C., Schroeder, S., & Curcio, R. (2022). Confronting Neoliberalism within the Teacher-to-Teacher Online Marketplace of Ideas. In Educating techno-skeptics: Critical approaches to educational technology in a dystopian world [Symposium]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, USA.

       

      *Shelton, C. & Carpenter, J. (2022). Educators’ perceptions of an online educational marketplace: Low quality, platform flaws, and neoliberal forces on TeachersPayTeachers.com. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, USA.

      * Best paper award nominee, 2022 Technology as an Agent of Change in Teaching and Learning (TACTL) Special Interest Group

       

      Carpenter, J., & Shelton, C. (2022). Why do educators use TeachersPayTeachers.com? American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, USA.

       

      Shelton, C., Archambault, L., & Harris, L. (2022, April). Curating and Creating with Care: Research-based Practices for Navigating Online Educational Marketplaces. In of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. xx-xx). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

       

      Carpenter, J., & Shelton, C. (2022, April). Educators’ Perceptions of the Challenges of Using Online Educational Marketplaces. In of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. xx-xx). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

       

      Carpenter, J., & Shelton, C. (2021). “Like buying time”: Educators' Use of Online Education Marketplaces during the COVID-19 Pandemic. In xx (Ed.), Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovative Learning Conference (pp. xx). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

       

      Joseph, D., DeGroat, J., Sandigo, A., Lemley, C., Ingram, J., Lanterman, C., & Shelton, C. (2021, June 26). Peoplehood: Drawing on language, sacred history, place or territory, and ceremonial cycle to heal, regenerate, and create anti-racist policies and practices. Northern Arizona University American Indian / Indigenous Teacher Education Conference, Virtual Conference.

       

      *Shelton, C., Curcio, R., Carpenter, J., & Schroeder, S. (2021, April 12). Pandemics, Social Justice, and Social Media: Anti-bias, Anti-racist Edu-Influencers’ Instagram Messaging During COVID-19. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference.

      * Best paper award nominee, 2021 Technology as an Agent of Change in Teaching and Learning (TACTL) Special Interest Group

       

      Schroeder, S., Curcio, R., & Shelton, C. (2021, April 11). Activism and capitalism on edu-Instagram. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference.

       

      Shelton, C., Harris, L., & Archambault, L., (2021, April 11). Let the Teacher-buyer Beware: What Metrics Predict Expert-evaluated Quality in TeachersPayTeachers.com Resources. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference.

       

      Shelton, C., Geiger, T., & Archambault, L., (2021, April 11). Becoming a better teacher through online teacherpreneurship? Factors influencing online teacherpreneurs’ perceived gains in teaching practice. In Educators Meet the Fifth Estate: Social Media in Education [Symposium]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference.

       

      Carpenter, J., Shelton, C., Curcio, R., & Schroeder, S. (2021). The Education Influencer: New Possibilities and Challenges for Teachers in the Social Media World. In D. Schmidt-Crawford (Ed.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. xx-xx). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

       

      Carpenter, J. & Shelton, C. (2021). How and why teachers use TeachersPayTeachers.com. In D. Schmidt-Crawford (Ed.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. xx-xx). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

       

      *Harris, L., Archambault, L., & Shelton, C. (2021, March 31). Examining issues of quality on Teachers Pay Teachers: An exploration of best-selling U.S. history resources. Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference, Virtual Conference.

      *Winner of the National Technology Leadership Initiative Fellowship

       

      Harris, L., Shelton, C., Archambault, L. (2020, December 5). Striving for social justice in online educational marketplaces: Recommendations for teacher buyers and sellers. Invited presentation at the annual meeting of the National Council for the Social Studies, Virtual Conference.

       

      *Harris, L., Archambault, L., & Shelton, C. (2020, December 2). Examining issues of quality on Teachers Pay Teachers: An exploration of best-selling U.S. history resources [Paper presentation]. National Council for the Social Studies College and University Faculty Assembly Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference.

      *Winner of the National Technology Leadership Initiative Fellowship

       

      Shelton, C. C., Geiger, T. & Archambault, L. M. (2020, Apr 17 - 21) Becoming a Teacher Influencer: Factors Influencing Online Teacherpreneurs' Perceptions of Themselves as Leaders [Symposium]. AERA Annual Meeting San Francisco, CA http://tinyurl.com/sx9whma (Conference Canceled)

       

      Shelton, C. C., Geiger, T. & Archambault, L. M. (2020, Apr 17 - 21) Online Teacherpreneurship and Reskilling: Factors Influencing Online Teacherpreneurs' Perceived Gains in Teaching Practice [Paper Session]. AERA Annual Meeting San Francisco, CA http://tinyurl.com/s7euja2 (Conference Canceled)

       

      Mehta, R., Aguilera, E. & Shelton, C. C. (2020, Apr 17 - 21) Decolonizing Teacher Education: Humanizing Pedagogies as a Way Forward [Roundtable Session]. AERA Annual Meeting San Francisco, CA http://tinyurl.com/rxbto5m (Conference Canceled)
       

      Shelton, C., Koehler, M., Carpenter, J. & Greenhalgh, S. (2020). Taking Stock of TeachersPayTeachers.com: Analyzing Four Million Classroom Resources. In D. Schmidt-Crawford (Ed.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 1477-1482). Online: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/215916/

       

      Shelton, C., Curcio, R. & Schroeder, S. (2020). Instagramming their Hearts Out: Teacher Influencers on Instagram. In D. Schmidt-Crawford (Ed.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 1470-1476). Online: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/215915/

       

      Archambault, L., Shelton, C. & Harris, L. (2020). Design Quality and Technology Use in the Top 100 U.S. History Activities on Teachers Pay Teachers. In D. Schmidt-Crawford (Ed.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 1442-1447). Online: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/215911/

       

      Aguilera, E., Shelton, C.C., Mehta, R., & de Roock, R. (2019, May). Against the cult of efficiency: Humanizing pedagogies as acts of decolonizing teacher education. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Alliance and Collaboratory, Vancouver, Canada.

       

      Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. (2019, April). Exploring the Teacher Side Hustle: A Mixed Methods Investigation of Online Teacherpreneurship. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, Canada. http://tinyurl.com/yau9ckmq

       

      Shelton, C., & Archambault, L. (2019). Teachers Paying Teachers? A Guide for Teacher Educators Seeking to Understand Online Teacherpreneurship. In K. Graziano (Ed.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 855-860). Las Vegas, NV, United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). https://www.learntechlib.org/p/208371/

       

      Archambault, L., Hale, A., Shelton, C. & Puga, S. (2019). Inspiration by way of Pinterest: Tracking educators’ use of social media to locate and share classroom resources. In K. Graziano (Ed.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 736-740). Las Vegas, NV, United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/208369/

    • Connect

      Catharyn Shelton, PhD

      Catharyn.Shelton@nau.edu

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