November 2008 Volunetter Profile
 Caren Levine, aka Claird Loon in SL
Lead Second Life Docent
As an educational consultant, Caren Levine specializes in e-learning, the use of online resources and social media for personal and professional learning, and issues of identity in a digital world. She is also involved with the development and stewardship of communities of practice and spends most of her time working with educational organizations that provide professional development for educators. In addition to her consulting practice, she is the director of a learning network for a non-profit organization that assists educators and non-profit community organizations in integrating new technologies into their work.
Caren states that "one of the most exciting opportunities I see in the field of education is the way in which teachers and students are experimenting with new media to deepen their learning. There are so many ways for individuals to engage with these resources, discover their voices and develop meaningful learning experiences. The creativity is astounding!"
Caren volunteers her time as ISTE’s lead docent in Second Life, a virtual multi-user environment. In her role she manages and trains the docents which serve shifts on ISTE Island to answer questions about ISTE and the Second Life environment. Her involvement with ISTE as a volunteer leader provides a way for her to give back to an organization that "has played an important role in my ongoing professional growth." She has been affiliated with ISTE since the early 1990's and in that time, her career has taken many paths, and throughout these changes, she has relied on ISTE to provide her with opportunities for continued learning and community.
Her experiences as a volunteer have been tremendously rewarding. Through ISTE's presence in Second Life, she has met wonderful, creative educators from around the world–including the ISTE staff-as well as a number of new friends who live nearby.
In addition to work and volunteering for ISTE, Caren enjoys writing, reading, volunteering as a "reading buddy" with third graders at a local public school, and hanging out at small airports.
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