In addition to academic background this page contains an abbreviated selection of publications, teaching and course design, funded projects, and presentations. For detail and additional information including other professional experience, please download my curriculum vitae.

 Academic Background

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY, School of Education, Syracuse, NY
Ph. D., May 1992, Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation. Research focus: interactive learning technologies and children's curiosity and motivation.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY, Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA
Ed.M., Concentration: Children's Television Research and Human Development

EMERSON COLLEGE, Boston, MA
B.S., Concentration: Communications

Research Descriptors: information literacy, digital literacy, information skills, technology skills, digital content creation, digital storytelling, technology-pervasive learning environments,collaborative learning, dispositions for learning, perceived competence in information literacy skills, autonomy support for learning, multiple literacies, school media, curiosity and scholarship, intellectual curiosity, curiosity and creativity, motivation and learning, intrinsic motivation for research, self-determination and learning, interest and engagement in learning, social media and learning, 21st century skills, inquiry skills, web evaluation, instructional design, universal design for learning (UDL), Standards for the 21st Century Learners

Recent Journal Publications

Arnone, M.P., Small, R.V., Chauncey, S.A. and McKenna, H. P. (2011). Curiosity, interest and engagement in technology-pervasive learning environments: A new research agenda. Educational Technology Research & Development, (special issue: “Motivation and New Media”).

Small, R.V. & Arnone, M. P. (2011). Creative Reading: The antidote to readicide. Knowledge Quest, American Library Association.

Arnone, M. P., Small, R. V. & Reynolds, R. (2010). Supporting inquiry by identifying gaps in student confidence: Development of a measure of perceived competence. School Libraries Worldwide, 16(1), 47-60.

Arnone, M. P., Reynolds, R., & Marshall, T. (2009). The effect of early adolescents’ psychological needs satisfaction upon their perceived competence in information skills and intrinsic motivation for research. School Libraries Worldwide, 15 (2), 115-134.

Arnone, M. P., and Reynolds, R. (2009). Empirical support for the integration of “dispositions in action” and multiple literacies into AASL’s Standards for the 21st Century Learner. School Library Media Research, 12.

Selected Funded Projects

Co-Principal Investigator with Tiffany A. Koszalka. “Exploring Curiosity Creek: Building Technology and Entrepreneurial Skills.” Enitiative/Kaufmann Foundation grant (2009 – 2011)

Principal Investigator. “A Demonstration Project to Update Standards for 21st Century Librarians.” National Leadership Grant (NLG) funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) (2008 – 2010)

Principal Investigator. “Self-Determination and Perceived Competence in Information Seeking in Middle School.” 2006 NLG funded by IMLS. (2006-2008).

Principal Investigator. “S.O.S. for Information Literacy: Improving Information Literacy Skills Instruction in Secondary and Higher Education.” 2005 NLG funded by IMLS. (2005-2007)

Principal Investigator. “S.O.S. for Information Literacy.” Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant. Front-end analysis and development of prototype for comprehensive, web-based multimedia teaching performance tool for information literacy skills instruction. (2000-2001)

Co-Principal Investigator with Ruth V. Small. “S.O.S. for Information Literacy: Improving Information Literacy Skills Instruction in School Libraries K-8.” NLG funded by IMLS. Continued formative evaluation and development of the teaching tool described above.  (2002-2005)

Teaching, Course Development, and Recognition

-Digital Content Creation for Communities

-Storytelling: From the Oral Tradition to the Information Age

-Motivation and Information Literacy (course title changed in     summer 2011 to Motivating 21st Century Learning)

-Literacy Through School Libraries

-Youth Services

-Information Technologies in Educational Organizations (Fall 2011)

-Special Topics in School Media

-Information Reporting and Presentation

I received two awards from the Imagining America Foundation in 2009 and 2010 to design, develop and implement a course that represents scholarship in action, a university-wide initiative of Syracuse University. The course entitled “Digital Content Creation for Communities” has already been offered twice. My students work with organizations who serve community needs.

Students in my course were recognized for their achievements for the community and received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Public Engagement and Scholarship. A photo of the first cohort of students is below. My next students were also excellent and were included in the Chancellor's Award, as well.

Selected Professional Books

Small, R. V., Arnone, M. P., Stripling, B. K. & Berger, P. (2011, in press). Teaching for inquiry: Engaging the learner within. New York: Neal Schuman Publishers.

Arnone, M. P., Small, R. V. & Stripling, B. K.  (Eds.). (2010). From the creative minds of 21st-century librarians. Syracuse, NY: Center for Digital Literacy.

Arnone, M. P. (2005). Motivational design: The secret to producing effective children’s media. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, a division of the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group.

Small, R. V. & Arnone, M. P. (2000). Turning kids on to research: The power of motivation, Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

Authored or co-authored 7 professional books total.

Children's Books

Arnone, M. P. (2008). Curious kids: Why dolphins visit Curiosity Creek (A storybook approach to introducing research skills), Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, a member of the Greenwood Publishing Group. (Included an Educator's Guide co-authored with Sharon Coatney)

Arnone, M. P. (2006). Curious kids: Digging for answers (A storybook approach to introducing research skills),Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, a member of the Greenwood Publishing Group. (Included an Educator's Guide co-authored with Sharon Coatney)

Arnone, M. P. (2005). Curious kids and the squiggly question (A storybook approach to introducing research skills), Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, a member of the Greenwood Publishing Group. (Included an Educator's Guide co-authored with Sharon Coatney)

Arnone, M. P. (2003). The strangest dinosaur that never was (book and teacher’s guide about evaluation as an information literacy skill), Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, a member of the Greenwood Publishing Group.

Book Chapters

Arnone, M. P. (2010). Preface, in Arnone M. P., Small R. V. & Stripling, B. K. (Eds.), From the creative minds of 21st century librarians. Syracuse, NY: Center for Digital Literacy Publication.

Arnone, M.P., Small, R.V. and Hardy, T. (2007). From front-end analysis to evaluation: Developing an information literacy resource for educators. In M. Orey, V.J. McClendon, & R.M. Branch (Eds.), Educational Media and Technology Yearbook, Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing, 128-139.

Small, R.V. and Arnone, M.P. (2000). Evaluating the effectiveness of web sites. In S. Clarke and B. Lehaney,(Eds.), Human Centered Methods in Information Systems: Current Research and Practice, Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing.

Authorship: Selected Digital Media 

Creator/Designer, Curiosity Creek, a children’s web site and educator’s resource for promoting inquiry in the context of science and the environment. http://curiositycreek.org.

Creator/Producer, On the Beat with Teacher-Librarians, series of edited interviews designed for pre-service librarians designed to tap into the experience of seasoned practicing librarians.

Author/Producer//Designer, TEN BEST REASONS to become a library media specialist in a high needs school, 25 minute video designed to recruit school library media specialists into the field, a Center for Digital Literacy project funded by the John Ben Snow Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, 2005.

KWL Video Series, published on Curiosity Creek and designed to encourage K – 3 children’s inquiry and information skills in informal learning environments.

Since this is a scholarship page, I would like to recognize several scholars who have contributed to my own development either as advisors, mentors, or by providing critical feedback on scholarly projects. Thank You!

Dr. Barbara Grabowski
Dr. Ruth V. Small
Dr. Donald Ely
Dr. Peter Mosenthal
Dr. David Krathwohl
Dr. Gerald Lesser
Dr. John Keller

Dr. Edward Deci