Zumia Opens
Zumia Open Learning Consultants leverage emergent Web 2.0 technologies to support learning and collaborative online interactions. We have unique in-house expertise building and supporting online collaborative activity. We have developed social online collaborative environments for MIT, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and many others. Our partners have included the Smithsonian National Museum of American Heritage, the OpenCourseWare consortium, as well as privately held businesses, international Non-Governmental Organizations, and more. Our approach is based on years of experience and legitimate research regarding how individuals interact in online environments… their motivations, user experiences, how information is exchanged over social networks and more. Our writing and projects have been featured in peer-reviewed publications, at national and international conferences and more.
Our team uses emerging collaborative technologies paired with open source tools to bring you the best, most cost effective results possible. Our developers have built an open-source social networking platform that can be integrated into your site. We can provide the ability for your users to connect with like-minded individuals, build lasting relationships, and even exchange working documents through your site.
Who we are
Shelley Henson Johnson, M.Ed., Principal Learning Consultant
Shelley’s interests include sustainable online self-organizing communities, web 2.0 tool development, instructional design, folksonomies, open content, the hijacking of emergent social networking technology in the service of learning, and manifestation of self and group identity in online environments. Shelley has held the position of Director of Education and New Media for a society of information security professionals. She also held a position as Research and Design Scientist for the Center for Open and Sustainable Learning at Utah State University. There she designed and researched experimental Web2.0 instructional tools. She also consults on intellectual property issues with faculty. She was formerly adjunct faculty, an employee trainer, and online course developer for Weber State University. Prior to that she designed adventure-based corporate leadership programs and taught at a private school for teens with behavioral disorders. She received a B.S. from Brigham Young University and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Weber State University. Her PhD work in Instructional Technology from Utah State University will be completed in the Spring of 2009. Shelley blogs at http://shelleylyn.com, can be found on Facebook, LinkedIn, and any number of other social media sites. Areas of expertise: Web 2.0 design, curriculum and instructional design, intellectual property, social network analysis, qualitative research, community development, group dynamics, organizational development
Marion Jensen, Chief Instructional Technologist
Marion Jensen’s interests and research includes collaborative composition, wikis, open content, instructional games, social systems, and geotagging content. He currently serves as both the director of Utah State University’s OpenCourseWare (OCW), and the Utah OCW Alliance. The latter includes seven universities in Utah that have committed to releasing their online courses in an open format. Marion teaches at Weber State University and Utah State University. Prior to this, Marion worked as an instructional web designer for Weber State University, and served as a corporate trainer for Albertson’s Inc. in Boise, Idaho. He received a B.S. in political science, and a masters degree in instructional technology, both from Utah State University. Areas of expertise: Online learning, web design, collaborative software, online course design, multimedia production, intellectual property, content and learning management systems.
Justin Ball, Chief Technical Officer
Justin Ball has more than a decade of experience in the software industry. His successful Web applications draw users from a variety of demographics, socio-economic categories, and levels of technical ability. With an extensive background in many platforms and languages including Ruby on Rails, C++, Java, C#, ASP.Net, HTML, CSS, Facebook Markup Language, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and others, he is able to successfully deliver software and determine proper technical architecture. Justin holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering with a double-minor in both Japanese and computer science, an M.S. in Instructional Technology. Justin blogs at: JustinBall.com, occasionally checks his Facebook account and can be found pontificating on twitter: twitter.com/jbasdf
