Willy Kjellstrom

Willy Kjellstrom

Learning Experience Designer

A lifelong learner and committed educator, Willy has spent the past 25 years serving students and families in K-12 and higher education. For Clarity, Willy now uses his experience to help clients develop digital pedagogy, create

He is passionate about elementary education and instructional technology, and was able to combine both interests in his most recent job as a professional development specialist and coach for the Albemarle County Department of Technology in Charlottesville, Virginia. While in this position, he supported innovative, student-led projects such as launching a high-altitude balloon to study the atmosphere, using micro-controllers to monitor river health, and developing video games for PE that combined Scratch and an XBox Kinect.

Willy has also been a fifth and sixth grade teacher, technology coordinator, video production manager, and webmaster at both public and private schools. His love for learning and helping others extended into higher education where he was an Instructor at the University of Virginia and an Assistant Professor at Black Hills State University. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses for preservice teachers on technology integration, project based learning, and research methodologies.

Willy has presented at numerous regional and national conferences, co-authored a number of peer reviewed articles, and been a key contributor for numerous NSF, MacArthur, and IES grant-funded education technology projects.

Education and/or certifications held

Willy holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Instructional Technology from the University of Virginia, a Masters in Education in Technology from Harvard University, a Masters in Education in Elementary Education from Vanderbilt University, and a Bachelors in Psychology from Wake Forest University.

  • Doctorate of Philosophy in Instructional Technology, University of Virginia
  • Masters in Education in Technology, Harvard University
  • Masters in Education in Elementary Education, Vanderbilt University
  • Bachelors in Psychology, Wake Forest University

Select presentations

  • Easy tools for integrating physical computing from K-12. VSTE (2019)
  • Coding without computers: Using unplugged activities to teach computer science to elementary students (grades 3-5). Making Connections (2019)
  • The (im)possibility of counting honeybees. STEM Learning Summit: Artificial Intelligence (2019)
  • Developing design thinking through playing cards. VMI STEM Education Conference (2018)
  • Analyzing local waterways: An exploration of math and science with microcontrollers. Virginia Children’s Engineering Conference (2018)
  • Designing, coding, and building scientific instruments for field-based inquiry. VSTE (2017)
  • Show me the money! Unleashing student passion, projects, and partnerships to secure grants and funding for your classroom work. VASCD (2017)
  • Testing the health of rivers using a microcontroller and large datasets. World Maker Faire, New York (2017)
  • Immersive learning and the emerging world of Minecraft. VSTE (2015)

Featured publications

  • Kjellstrom, W., Berry, R. Q., & White, P. (2015). Elementary Math. In Hofer, M., Bell, L. & Bull, G. (Eds.), Practitioner’s Guide to Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge (TPACK): Rich Media Cases of Teacher Knowledge (pp. 1-14). Waynesville, North Carolina: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education.
  • Alexander, C. & Kjellstrom, W. (2014). The influence of a technology-based internship on first-year teachers’ instructional decision- making. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 22(3), 265-285. Chesapeake, VA: Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education.
  • Tillman, D.A., An, S.A., Cohen, J.D., Kjellstrom, W. & Boren, R.L. (2014). Exploring wind power: Improving mathematical thinking through digital fabrication. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 23(4), 401-421. Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).
  • Bull, G., Kjellstrom, W., & Patel, Y. (2013). Mixed-reality demonstrations involving gravity. Learning and Leading with Technology, 41(1).
  • Bull, G. & Kjellstrom, W. (2013). Refresh your flipped classroom with interactive video. Learning and Leading with Technology, 40(7).
  • Chiu, J. L., Bull, G. Berry, R. Q. & Kjellstrom, W. (2013). Teaching engineering design with digital fabrication: Imagining, creating, and refining ideas. In N. Levine & C. Mouza (Eds.), Emerging Technologies for the Classroom: A Learning Sciences Perspective (pp. 47-62). New York, NY: Springer.
  • Bull, G., Ferster, B., & Kjellstrom, W. (2012). Inventing the flipped classroom. Learning and Leading with Technology, 40(1).