Melanie McBride is a graduate researcher at Ryerson University’s Experiential Design and Gaming Environments (EDGE) lab and MA student in York & Ryerson University’s joint program in Communication and Culture, where she is researching sensory and socio-cultural ecologies of learning and play in digitally mediated social and gaming environments. She will be pursuing a PhD in Communications and Culture focused on digitally-mediated, multi-sensory environments for learning and play, with an emphasis neurodiversity (i.e., persons with sensory integration disorders and exceptionalities such as those on the Autistic Spectrum). As a person with sensory exceptionalities, Melanie is especially interested in olfaction (scent, and also taste) as it relates to sensory environments and experiences. Related research interests include: Early childhood learning and play, critical disability studies, experimental and critical psychology, embodiment, phenomenology, autonomy/heteronomy, privacy, critical digital pedagogies, online learning environments, virtual worlds.
Full bio:
Melanie McBride is a researcher at Ryerson University’s Experiential Design and Gaming Environments (EDGE) lab and MA student in York University’s joint program in Communication and Culture, where she is exploring inclusive practices and pedagogies that support autonomous informal learning and play in digitally mediated social and gaming environments. She will be pursuing a PhD in Communications and Culture with a focus on user-initiated multi-sensory integrations and environments for learning and play for the neuro-diverse (i.e., persons with sensory integration disorders and exceptionalities such as those on the Autistic Spectrum). Melanie is especially interested in olfaction (scent and also taste) as a component of emotional and physiological homeostasis (equilibrium and well being), stimulation, focus, engagement.
For over a decade, Melanie wrote award-winning e-learning interactive new and trans-media content for government, national media and educational clients including: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Trapeze Media, Phantom Compass, Learning Agents, Mystus Interactus Exhibits and museum clients in North America, Europe and the Middle East.
As an educator, Melanie taught and designed post-graduate industry courses in interactive writing, social media and online publishing at the post-secondary level. She also developed original Media and Transmedia curriculum as a high school teacher with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and Triangle Program/OASIS Alternative.
Melanie has extensive and broad speaking experience and has presented at: (AERA) The American Educational Research Association, CONGRESS / Canadian Game Studies Association, University of Toronto’s iSchool, Ryerson University’s Faculty of Community Services,TEDxLibrariansTO, Digifest, Gamercamp, Flash in the Can, The National Inner City Educators conference, The Canadian Association of Communicators in Education (CACE), The Toronto Public Library, Trillium Lakelands School Board, Magazines Canada’s Web Weekend series, The Atlantic Magazines Association conference, PrivacycampTO and small faculty events.
Education
Melanie has studied Media Arts at Ryerson University and received a specialist BA in English Literature from University of Toronto and holds an Intermediate/Secondary teaching degree (B.Ed) from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). She has Additional Qualifications in Media Arts from York University and industry certification in online writing and information design. She currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Technology in Practice with York University’s joint graduate program in Communication and Culture (ComCult) and will be starting a PhD in the fall of 2013.
She is a member of : The Autistic Self Advocacy Network, The American Educational Research Association and the Canadian Games Studies Association.
Contact
mcbride dot melanie at gmail dot com
Connect:
Reader comments