Teon Edwards

Director of R&D Strategy and Collaboration

Teon Edwards

Program/Areas of Interest

Uses of technology and multimedia for education
Ethical, responsible, and inclusive AI in education
Impact through implementation of education research
Curriculum and other educational materials development
Free-choice and wait-time learning
Gaming environments for learning
Educational television
Virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality
Co-design and participatory design research
Designing for neurodiversity
Universal design, differentiated and adaptive learning

Biography

Teon Edwards has spent over 25 years at TERC developing, designing, and researching numerous STEM curricula, experiences, exhibits, tech tools, and games for both formal and informal education settings. She has a background in astrophysics, mathematics, and education and a Master’s Degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), focusing on the use of technology and multimedia in teaching and learning. Throughout her work, she has often served as the conduit between education and technology development partners, often serving as bridge between them.

Teon is the TERC’s Director of Research and Development (R&D) Strategy and Collaboration. In this role, she serves as a key liaison between TERC’s teams and the President, facilitating collaboration, ensuring strategic efforts and impact, and overseeing systems and processes. Teon also co-leads the Development and Implementation (D&I) Practice community at TERC, providing strategic leadership to advance the design, development, and large-scale implementation of TERC’s innovative, research-based STEM education products and practices, expanding access to high-quality, engaging STEM learning for all. And Teon is Director and a co-founder of the Educational Gaming Environments Group (EdGE) at TERC. She oversees and helps guide the group, which focuses on designing and studying educational games, technologies, and other resources and seeks inclusivity through co-design and work by, with, and for neurodivergent learners. With a strong commitment to equity, innovation, staff engagement, and impact, Teon works to build supportive, inclusive, and effective environments for both EdGE and the CSTL work unit, enabling the individuals, teams, and projects to achieve their goals.

Her current project work focuses on the uses of AR, VR, and AI for STEM learning, development for SafeInsights (a large-scale education research hub that will safely connect digital learning platforms and educational institutions to learn about learning), and extending the impact of the game Zoombinis. The STEM-based virtual reality game, Europa Prime, co-designed, developed, and researched through Teon’s NSF project, UniVRsal Access: Broadening Participation in Informal STEM Learning for Autistic Learners and Others through Virtual Reality, is currently available for purchase. It’s designed to engage a broad audience, including players with sensory, attention, and/or social differences, in informal STEM learning. And Teon continues to research the potential for technology, especially VR and AI, to positively impact all learners.

Education

B.A. in Astrophysics and Mathematics, Williams College
M.Ed. with a focus on Technology and the Use of Multimedia in Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education