bgraff

Personal Information

First Name

Ben

Last Name

Graff

My job at K12 is:

Director of Instructional Design and Innovation

I have worked here for

2004

My family is comprised of:

My parents, my sister, and more uncles than you can count on one hand.

I am passionate about my job:

We put a huge amount of thought and effort into everything we produce, but the fact that it helps children come to know the wonder and complexity and beauty of the world is what makes it worthwhile. Also, some days I get paid to pretend I’m a 7-year-old. Seriously, how awesome is that?

My educational background includes

I had a dual major, double minor undergrad degree (English/Communications, Information Systems/German). Hurray for liberal arts colleges! My grad work is in Interaction Design and Information Architecture. 

My professional background includes

Before coming to K¹², I worked at Maryland Public Television creating educational websites for kids and teachers and as a contractor at the State Department creating language training courses for diplomats. I’ve been at K¹² since 2004. I also once had a summer job as a telemarketer (I had an irrational fear of talking to people on the phone, so I thought this would be a good way to get over it) selling basement waterproofing in the middle of a drought. I made a grand total of zero sales. I’ll stick to education!

On weekends I like to

Run long distances. Okay, “like” might be a little strong…but I have done several marathons! 

Other sites and blogs I follow include

Education Week, Wired, Lifehacker, ESPN, Woot.com, EduWonk, Useit.com. And Google News (and Alerts) several times per day! 

My favorite food is

Peanut M&Ms