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.
  • EDUC 760, Methods and Materials for Teaching Secondary/K-12 Subjects I
  • EDUC 887, Teacher Education Seminar for MAT Supervisors
  • EDUC 672, UNC Teaching Fellows: Community of Learners
  • EDUC 796A, Independent Study Master’s Level
  • EDUC 746, Practica Student Internship
  • EDUC 672
  • EDUC 701
  • EDUC 887
  • American Education Research Association.
  • Assembly on Literature for Adolescents.
  • Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education.
  • Literacy Research Association.
  • National Council for Teachers of English.
  • North Carolina English Teachers’ Association.

Journal Article

Regalla, M., & Damico, N. (2025). Embracing Culturally Relevant Education While Navigating Restrictive Legislation: A Perspective from Florida. Multicultural Perspectives, 27(4), 206–217. https://doi.org/10.1080/15210960.2025.2598459

Campbell, L. O., & Damico, N. (2023). Investigating an Instructional Model for Integrated STEM in Teacher Education. Journal of STEM Teacher Education, 58(1). https://doi.org/10.61403/2158-6594.1512

Gao, S., Damico, N., & Gelfuso, A. (2021). Mapping and reflecting on integration of the components of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching natural selection: A case study of an experienced middle-school science teacher. Teaching and Teacher Education, 107, 103473. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103473

Damico, N., McKinzie Bennett, C., & Fulchini, A. (2018). ‘Show me what it’s supposed to look like’: Exploring mindfulness-based support for early career teachers in an era of neoliberal reform. Policy Futures in Education, 16(6), 828–847. https://doi.org/10.1177/1478210318765322

Damico, N., & Krutka, D. G. (2018). Social media diaries and fasts: Educating for digital mindfulness with pre-service teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 73, 109–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.03.009

Damico, N., & Whitney, A. (2017). Turning off autopilot: Mindful writing for teachers. Voices from the Middle, 25(2), 37–40. https://doi.org/10.58680/vm201729405

Book Chapter

Damico, N. (2025). Let’s Tok About It: Using Digital Video (DV) Creation to Transform Book Talks in a Young Adult Literature Methods Course. In Digital Video Composing: Multimodal Teaching & Assessment (pp. 241–262). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80592-409-820251012

Fink, L., & Damico, N. (2025). Primary Sources in the English Language Arts: Windows to History. In Working with Primary Sources in the English Language Arts Classroom.

Sullivan, S., White, A., & Damico, N. (2024). Walking the In Between: Convening Time and Space for our Entangled Selves. In Pedagogical Propositions: Playful Walking with A/r/tography. International Society for Education Through Art.

Other

Zucker, L., & Damico, N. (2020). Online With Intention. In The Ethics of Digital Literacy (pp. 101–112). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. https://doi.org/10.5040/9798216457060.ch-014

Damico, N., & Krutka, D. G. (2019). Social Networking Skills. In The International Encyclopedia of Media Literacy (pp. 1–7). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118978238.ieml0225

Professional

  • Editorial Review Board Member, The Society for Teaching English through Media. (2015 – 2028).

University

  • Member, TA Process Review Committee. (January 2026 – 2026).
  • Committee Member, BA in Elementary Education Director Search Committee. (December 2025 – March 2026).
  • Committee Member, MAT Scholarship Committee. (January 1, 2025 – December 2025).
  • Committee Member, TA Committee. (January 1, 2025 – December 2025).

Public

  • Board Member, Page 15, Orlando, FL. (2020 – 2028).