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Marianne Malmstrom, an internationally recognized leader in the innovative use of digital media, games, virtual worlds and mixed reality in the classroom, believes in the importance of including student voice in curriculum design. With a deep respect for the capacity of students as self-directed learners, she follows shifts in how they use technology in their everyday lives. By adopting their tools and mirroring the way they learn in their own space, Marianne is challenging the status quo by creating space for student-driven learning.

Marianne’s thirty-five years of teaching and administrative experience spans from early childhood to intermediate school. In 2003, she became a technology teacher and integrator. In that capacity, she pioneered the use of multiplayer online games to support the social-emotional growth of young students and foster civil and safe practices in online communities. Based on her original curriculum, Marianne was invited to advise on the launch of the Born This Way Foundation.

In 2016, Marianne moved to New Zealand to continue her work exploring innovative learning practices, as they relate to New Zealand’s unique National Curriculum. Current projects include redesigning student assessment based on New Zealand’s Key Competencies and developing the HackMini, a hackathon model she created for intermediate students. Additionally, Marianne created and oversees The MiniDevs, a unique program developed in collaboration with Jim Taylor, Emerging Technologies Architect from Theta Innovation Lab. The MiniDevs are students who work with Theta developers to inform and refine the design of Mixiply, a digital platform for creating mixed reality content.