Biography
Dr. Idit Harel is a pioneer in using new-media technology for cultivating creative learning, innovation, and globalization through constructionist learning theory. An Israeli-American entrepreneur, she founded the World Wide Workshop in 2004 to leverage her award-winning research, business acumen, and education leadership in spreading innovative digital learning projects for benefiting youth and communities around the world. Most recently, the Workshop spun-out Globaloria as an independent company to scale its impact globally, through providing STEM, computing and game-making courses to schools worldwide and preparing youth for the global knowledge economy. Globaloria is the first-of-its-kind K12 learning platform with courses for teaching computer science, game design and coding. Globaloria has served over 17,500 students and educators, and is presently serving 8,000 students in fourteen states. Research has shown that Globaloria is scalable and effective, and educates students in technical and computational skills and content knowledge that results in improved academic performance and increased content and digital learning abilities. Dr. Idit Harel is also a published author and speaker worldwide, and has been serving on Advisory Boards and Committees at the MIT Media Lab, Harvard Graduate School of Education, CUNY Macaulay Honors College, Colorado University's ATLAS Institute, PBSKids Next Generation Media, MEET in Israel, TIG in Canada, and Saybot in Shanghai. Dr. Idit Harel holds degrees from Tel Aviv University (BA, 1982), Harvard University (HGSE EdM; CAS 1985), and MIT Media Lab (Phd, 1988).