About Me

My Education

Ph.D. – Technology in Education and Second Language Acquisition Ph.D. Program The University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, Graduated Fall 2022

Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Research- The University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, Completed Spring 2022

Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.)- Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR, Graduated Summer 2018

Oregon Teaching License Multiple Endorsements: English Language Arts (ELA)  English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) – Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR, Summer 2018

Cambridge University Teacher Education CELTA Certification- Centro De Lenguas y Intercambio Cultural, Sevilla, Spain, Completed 2016

120-Hour On-Site TEFL Certification w/Teaching Practicum-  International TEFL Training Institute, Paris, France, Completed 2016

Bachelor of Arts- French Language and Culture with a minor in Spanish, Whittier College, Whittier, CA and Catholic University of Paris, Paris, France, Graduated 2006

Email me for a copy of my C.V.: Kristenfungphd@gmail.com

My Story

I am a creative and driven educator, professional artist, and active researcher from Portland, Oregon, who specializes in technology in education, language acquisition, and teacher training. I speak three languages fluently (English, French, and Spanish) and earned my Oregon teaching license with endorsements in English Language Arts (ELA) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). I hold a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) with a focus on Social Justice from Lewis & Clark College, which I earned after using a CELTA certification to teach English to adults in South America, Europe, China, and online for several years while I built a career as a multimedia artist (view my art website: www.KFungArtistry.com ). This experience has helped me substantially throughout my life as it has given me a strong technical foundation in photography, filmmaking, digital storytelling, and the technology used to produce professional-level digital productions.

After earning my M.A.T. and teaching license, I transitioned into the role of a long-term substitute teacher and maintained a solid following that kept me working full-time at the secondary level in the areas of Art, ELA, ESOL, French, and Spanish. This allowed me to experience how different classrooms use technology and art to achieve their goals. This inspired me to pursue a Ph.D. in a program that focused on new emerging technologies in education as well as in language acquisition. 

For the past several years, as I completed my doctorate at the University of South Florida, I have been a coveted graduate/teaching assistant for online Master’s and Ph.D. courses (synchronous and asynchronous) for pre-service and in-service teachers and administrators. I also continued to substitute teach at the secondary level and became a community leader at the University of South Florida (USF). I was the president of the Second Language Acquisition Organization, the secretary of the Qualitative Research Organization, and an active member in two academic honor societies of education during my time at USF (Fall 2019 – Fall 2022). In these roles, I led online peer mentoring, distance program and curriculum development, tech support groups, and community activity efforts.

Now, as a graduate of the USF’s prestigious Technology in Education and Second Language Acquisition Ph.D. program and Qualitative Research Graduate Certificate program, my experience, my specialized education, and my strong publication record prepare me to excel on projects that build upon my extensive knowledge of new emerging technologies in the classroom, teacher education, and the world of gaming.

I have successfully co-authored research papers, conference presentations, and program development initiatives due to my ability to listen, write, work with people of diverse perspectives, deliver complex information in meaningful ways (digitally and in-person), and promote reflexive, inclusive, democratic, and culturally responsive practices. I am always looking to collaborate with new people! My dissertation produced several publications co-authored with other researchers focusing on pre-service language teachers’ perceptions and integration of Minecraft Education Edition, and I am a budding expert on the current research, theories, models, and pedagogies associated with teacher education, language learning, and virtual worlds in education. I am confident I could be a positive asset to your program through my strong drive to teach, conduct research, collaborate, and publish on topics related to new literacies, virtual reality, virtual worlds, augmented reality, technology acceptance and integration, and technology in teacher education.

Currently, I am the Managing Editor of a peer-reviewed academic journal, Literacy Practice and Research Online, and use my position to support authors, reviewers, and editors in their efforts to develop and grow work that expands the field of literacy. I also frequently write and present on topics such as literacy and transmediation in the digital world and virtual worlds in language teaching and learning.

I love teaching online, I love conducting research, and I love helping others evolve their craft to include meaningful technology usage while facilitating their development to become researchers. There are so many opportunities for growth with a student-centered approach based on Social Constructivism theory and an openness to collaborate on inquiry-based learning activities in high-tech-driven environments!

Aesthic Pursuits

Fung, K. (2022). Rainbow of collaboration [Cover Art]. For Richards, J. C., Skuskaskait, A., & Chenail, R. (Eds.) (2022). Learning-Centered, Socially Constructed, Qualitative Research Pedagogies: Supporting Students as Active Participants in their Own Learning. Brill/Sense Publishers, The Netherlands. View now!

Fung, K. (2021). Literacy city [Cover Art]. Literacy Practice and Research Online Journal, 46(2). View Now!

Fung, K. (2021). Literacy is life [Cover Art]. Literacy Practice and Research Online Journal, 46(1). View now!

Writing

Fung, K., Smith, S., & Gandolfi, E. (2022). Minecraft Education Edition in foreign language education: Pre-service teachers’ reasons for acceptance and integration. Journal of Language Teaching, 2(10), 17-28. Read now!

Fung, K. (2021). Turning to transmediation: Finding myself and my axiological values. In Richards, J. C., Skuskaskait, A., & Chenail, R. (Eds.) (2022). Learning-Centered, Socially Constructed, Qualitative Research Pedagogies: Supporting Students as Active Participants in their Own Learning. Brill/Sense Publishers, The Netherlands. Read now!

Fung, K. (2021). Book Review: The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 9(2), 147-150. Read now!

Recent Speaking Engagements

SOQM Qual Symposium 2023
Transmediation Strategy
Tampa, FL, March 2023

TQR 2023
Transmediation Workshop
Virtual, February 2023