In 2015, Maggie made the jump from the classroom to Educational Technology. Following her passion for maximizing student engagement and innovation she shifted her focus to Game Based Learning. She currently studies Game-based Learning and works at MindBlown Labs in Oakland, CA. Maggie is serving as the Learning Architect (Education Specialist) on a cross-functional team of engineers, graphic artists, designers and others creating apps that empower students through gaming. Maggie was a Minnesota educator at the time of her award, but relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2010. She returned to the classroom for five years of teaching in Oakland and Berkeley. There, she taught 5th, 7th and 8th grade in an urban setting and served as an Equity Coach in her teaching community. She has taught in the School of Education at the University of San Francisco. She enjoys finding ways to critically and meaningfully engage her colleagues in the interrogation of schooling around issues of Equity and student empowerment. In the classroom, Maggie works to create experiences that bolster a disposition of scholarship, and a healthy and positive sense of self and community. Maggie also has a strong interest and background in Restorative Practices as a way to build a positive school culture in schools and respond to wrongdoing. In 2009 Maggie completed her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction/Literacy Education at the University of Minnesota. Knutson's doctoral work relates to Critical Pedagogies, specifically Critical Literacy. She has presented her research at the National Reading Conference (NRC), the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the International Reading Association (IRA). During that time she taught undergraduate and graduate level courses at the U of M and other local universities. Knutson has conducted professional development relating to literacy education (comprehensive literacy and the Six Traits of Writing) throughout the state of Minnesota including making several presentations on writing instruction at the Minnesota Reading First Summer Institute and the Hamline University Literacy Institute. Maggie was the founding director of Laura Jeffrey Academy, the first "girl-focused" charter school, whose mission was to over-serve the underserved. She worked with the founder to secure funding through state and federal grants. She was responsible for recruiting the first 100 students, overseeing the design of the curriculum, the teaching and learning framework and professional development. She recruited an enthusiastic and talented cadre of teachers and much more. Knutson has consulted with the Minnesota Department of Education in various capacities and has served as a governor-appointed member of the Minnesota Board of Teaching. She has consulted with the Children's Theater Company's "Neighborhood Bridges" program as they continue to find ways to have an even more profound impact in the schools they serve.
2009 PhD
