Dr. Sarah Prestridge

Associate Professor Sarah Prestridge was named the top scholarly researcher in Teaching in Teacher Education in Australia in 2020 and 2021. Her passion for transforming learning harnessing digital technologies has directed her career path from classroom teacher to university researcher. Her PhD examined models of teacher ICT professional development that empower multiliterate classroom practices at the time when The New London Group shifted our thinking towards digital literacies. Ongoing industry grants, participation on a second large-scale ARC and commercial research projects over the past 10 years have all contributed to her research, teaching and service roles focused on development of digital technologies in educational settings (tertiary, work place, classroom). She has developed strong theoretical frameworks which conceptualise ‘best practice’ with digital learning and teaching; and theorised key principles of transformative PD and identified a new ‘self-generating’ model of professional learning through social media. Her leadership in digital literacies has provided her with a unique opportunity to innovate with tertiary level teaching staff in the largest program offered in Education at Griffith University. With over 10 years of consecutive leadership as Program Director of this degree, she has been able to design and support the implementation of an innovative approach to curriculum development.