Lauren McClanahan

Lauren McClanahan is Professor of Secondary Education at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA USA. Prior to joining WWU in 2001, Lauren taught 8th grade Language Arts/Social Studies in rural North Carolina. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Lauren received her Ph.D. in English Education from The Ohio State University, where she studied how the “new” technology of email could connect teachers and students from around the world. As the Director of the Bellingham Youth Media Project, Lauren still engages in global projects, as well as working locally with K-12 teachers and students, encouraging youth to tell their stories using a variety of digital media. Lauren also teaches literacy courses, including media literacy, to undergraduates and graduate students, as well as general pedagogy methods courses. Additionally, Lauren helped to co-found the WWU Media and Digital Literacy Certificate, where practicing K-12 teachers can become certified to specialize in digital pedagogies. Lauren also teaches the “Filmmaking for Social Change” course at WWU, and is also the author of a long-term photography project on her campus that highlights first generation college students. Please visit Lauren’s photography website and video website to find out all of the ways media and digital literacy inform her career and her life.