"Hands that can grasp, eyes that can dilate, hair that can rise if it must, these things are important not because a high-sounding interpretation can be put upon them but because they are useful." Marianne Moore, Poetry   Our family, October 2002. Me (40 in this picture, now 44) with my wife Julie (a certain age) and our daughters Meagan (13 in this picture, now deceased) and Emma (10 in this picture, now 15). This picture was taken by Theo Parker of Photography by Theo. For more pictures see our portrait page. To our sorrow, our daughter Meagan died in June of 2004 of an inoperable malignant brain tumor. She is deeply loved and achingly missed. For more information, see Meagan's Corner.

About my work

In my professional life, I work in educational technology, specializing in teacher preparation and development. I also have interests in curriculum and instruction and writing instruction, as well as in developing qualitative methods of research on teaching and learning. For detailed information about my education and experiences, see my Curricum Vitae on line. 

In May, 2001 I completed my Ph.D. in educational technology from the University of ichigan.  My dissertation received the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) Outstanding Dissertation Award for 2002. In connection with that award, a 25 page condensed version of the dissertation appeared in The Journal of Teacher Education. I am honored that my work has been recognized in this way, and gratefully acknowledge the assistance of my advisor, Ronald W. Marx, as well Barry Fishman, Frederick L. Goodman, Bradford Orr, and Virginia Richardson, my committee. In addition to the Journal of Teacher Education piece, one of the results chapters appears as an article in the Journal of Educational Computing Research, a peer-reviewed print journal. I have also collaborated on work which appeared in The Journal of Staff Development and on several book chapters.

Currently, the bulk of my professional work is done at Eastern Michigan University, where I am in my seventh year as a tenured associate professor.  One course I teach is EDMT 330, an undergraduate teacher education course on educational technology. The link above will take you to the syllabus and some on-line resources for that course.

During my grad student years at the University of Michigan, the project with which I was most closely associated was the Master's and Certification (MAC) program, where I worked with the MAC B cohort. The group consisted of teacher education students in language arts, science, social studies, math, and foreign languages. As a member of the staff, I taught coursework in educational technology, supervised student teachers, and most importantly was part of an integrated faculty which addressed a broad range of teacher education topics.

If you would like specific information on projects I'm currently working on, e-mail me with the subject line "info-request". An automated response system will send you a report on what I'm up to.

What I do for fun

Actually, I don't have much time for entertainment, but when I do relax, I like to play the saxophone, juggle , and stay in shape .

Reading is always good, too. One of my friends calls me 'the king of little sayings.' Could be. A set of favorite quotes contains a few interesting ideas from a variety of people, can be found here.

Of course, the best is spending time with my wife and daughter.

Contact information

Mailing Address

Eastern Michigan University College of Education
Attention: Jon Margerum-Leys, Department of Teacher Education
315 M Porter Building
Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Telephone

(734) 487-7120, extension 2640

e-Mail

jon.margerum-leys@emich.edu
jmargeru@umich.edu

Photograph Copyright 2002, Theo Parker. All other materials Copyright 2006 Jon Margerum-Leys or public domain, unless otherwise noted.