Welcome!
Hi, I am Ludmila Smirnova, a world educator and now a world groover! I cumulatively spent 40 years as a college professor and dean. When I retired, I realized I was not done teaching. Rather than preparing teachers for their future careers, I would now prepare people to live their lives. I would teach people to become fit and happy through the medium of groove dancing. Get ready for class!
Groove Dance Calendar:
During my 25-year career at Volgograd State Pedagogical University, Russia, I served as Dean of the School of Foreign Languages and supervised PhDs in the field of comparative studies and Informational Technologies After moving to the U.S., I taught at Ramapo College of N.J. before beginning a 22-year career as Professor of Education at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, N.Y. Although I retired in 2022, I haven’t stopped teaching. I only changed the modality from teaching how to teach creatively to focusing my “energies” on creative expression and health-affirming activity through groove dancing.
Teaching in the Age of Emerging Technologies
I loved teaching and had a lot of fun engaging future teachers in learning to be unique and creative in their classrooms. For me, teaching was personal. I introduced a tradition to celebrate students’ learning at the end of the semester by inviting them to my home and introducing them to my culture.
“My way: “
As a Professor, particularly after I came to the U.S., I became recognized for leadership in applying emerging technologies to instruction. My research interests then were emerging technologies and their impact on learning and teaching. I led conferences, professional development workshops, and boot camps on applying Smart Technologies and Emerging Technology tools in college and primary/secondary classrooms. In particular, with my partner Nellie Deutsch, I led online instructional programs for teachers from all across the globe. It was an important way to boost education everywhere at a time of rapid technological change.
Gallery
Recent Work
My experience in projects
I mastered and became a certified educator in Smart Board Technologies in early 2000, and then for ThingLink, VoiceThread, Nearpod, and many others. I created numerous projects and experiences for myself and my learners – teachers-in-training.
I also engaged my students in research projects that led to their giving presentations at national and international conferences.
Innovative teaching for me is about creating the optimal conditions for learners to express their uniqueness and creativity. Mastering technology tools allowed me to achieve this goal. I created assignments and projects for teacher candidates to develop their creativity and equipped them with diverse tools to complete them in ways that were at the frontiers of the profession.
My Sigma Tau chapter of KDP:
I have also earned respect and recognition as a counselor of the Sigma Tau chapter of KDP, the International Honor Society in Education. I was the chapter counselor for almost 20 years.
At the same time, I served as a member of the KDP Web Committee and the International KDP Committee and was elected an International Ambassador for KDP. I even ran for president. The Sigma Tau chapter under my leadership received the distinguished Achieving Chapter Excellence Award every year from 2011 until I retired in 2022.
I was the chapter counselor for almost 20 years.
At the same time, I served as a member of the KDP Web Committee and the International KDP Committee and was elected an International Ambassador for KDP. I even ran for president. The Sigma Tau chapter under my leadership received the distinguished Achieving Chapter Excellence Award every year from 2011 until I retired in 2022.