Education

  • Ph.D. 2014 – Pennsylvania State University, Curriculum & Instruction
  • M.Ed. 2006 – Pennsylvania State University, Curriculum & Instruction
  • B.A. 2005 – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, English and Journalism

Areas of Expertise

  • Teacher Education and Supervision
  • Literacy Teacher Education
  • 21st Century Literacies
  • Mindfulness and Educational Technology
  • Critical Media Literacy

Background

Nicole Damico’s career in education has been deeply rooted in the belief that teaching is a transformative profession, influencing not only individuals but entire communities. As an educator, she has taught in both middle/high school (English Language Arts) and college classrooms, embracing a teaching philosophy that “respects and cares for the souls of our students” (hooks, 1994). As a teacher educator, she believes in the power of viewing teacher candidates as legitimate participants in the profession, supporting them as they cultivate their evolving teacherly identities, and inviting them to engage in authentic teacher inquiry and action research.

Believing that the digital world profoundly affects our daily lives, Damico is also interested in supporting educational opportunities that prepare PK-16 students for the constantly evolving digital landscape and their roles as consumers, producers, disseminators, and inventors of a wide range of media. As a natural extension of this work, she is invested in teacher education that models intelligent, humane, and mindful uses of educational technologies.

Research

As a teacher-researcher, Damico has centered much of her scholarship on identifying gaps in educator preparation and exploring digital technologies that support all learners in becoming critical and globally engaged citizens. This work includes: the analysis of multimodal tools for reading, writing, and assessment; the development of ethical citizenship through digital mindfulness, and the incorporation of critical social media literacies.