Amanda Yoshiko Shimizu, Ph.D.

I am a community-engaged researcher focused on the use of digital technologies in elementary education. My work examines how these tools can foster humanizing learning experiences, exploring how elementary students from diverse backgrounds engage and learn with technology. Using multimodal methods, I aim to recognize and value the unique ways students interact with digital tools, centering the voices of community partners—students, teachers, and, when possible, their families. These insights support teachers in integrating digital technologies in inclusive and humanizing ways, ensuring all students have access to meaningful digital literacy opportunities.

Before pursuing my Ph.D., I spent 10 years as a classroom teacher. My teaching journey began internationally with the Peace Corps in Moldova, followed by roles as a first-grade teacher and reading specialist on a U.S. military base in South Korea, and later as a founding literacy teacher in Rhode Island charter schools. During graduate school and my postdoctoral appointment, I have continued teaching through mentorship, professional development workshops, invited talks, and as an instructor of record for undergraduate and graduate courses in literacy and research. These diverse experiences have reinforced my belief in the transformative power of education and the importance of building relationships to support students’ learning and growth.