Sharla Snider

Background

About Sharla Snider

Sharla Snider’s professional activity and work focuses on seeking a better understanding of the use of technological tools in the developing child's life, specifically children 6-years old and younger. Her research explores how children understand, construct, and create meaning related to their technical realities and virtual identities as well as the related perspectives of the adults who care for them. In her current position, Dr. Snider leads courses in early childhood education and child development. Her teaching style includes the use of technology in meaning making and learning opportunities. This extends to the construction of dynamic online learning experiences in her graduate and undergraduate classes at TWU. She has taught a variety of graduate courses at both the Masters and Doctoral level, several focused on early language and literacy. Integrating teaching and scholarship to improve student opportunities for learning while contributing to the larger academic arena has been a hallmark of her work to date. She has presented research related to the impact of technology on a child's growth and development to the American College of Osteopathic Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Her publications include articles in Early Childhood Education Journal, Computers in the Schools, Journal of Research on Technology in Education, and Journal of Educational Computing Research. Additionally, Dr. Snider has earned several grants, including awards from the United States Department of Education, Intel Corporation, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, to examine the integration of the Internet into the curriculum and the effects on the change process as related to pre-service and in-service teacher stages of concern and levels of use.