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Mydhili Bayyapunedi, TIE'11: Designing Experiences

Mydhili BayyapunediMydhili Bayyapunedi wants to work on making education an experience that helps children hone their imaginations, and customize it to the needs, interests, and abilities of children. As a candidate in the Technology, Innovation, and Education (TIE) Program, it’s not surprising that Bayyapunedi sees the technologies we have today as means to help create the learning experience she dreams of available to all children.

“We are delighted to honor Mydhili as a student who has impressed and inspired so many of her classmates. We salute Mydhili for her enthusiastic participation in TIE courses, and for the many extracurricular activities she pursues, including student organization work and other community engagements,” says Senior Lecturer Joe Blatt, director of TIE. “Mydhili has also traveled extensively during her time at HGSE, to pursue formal and informal learning opportunities and to advance her knowledge of educational technology. She is a model for making the most of the HGSE experience.”

Upon learning that she had been honored with the Intellectual Contribution/Faculty Tribute Award for TIE, Bayyapunedi answered some questions about her time at the Ed School.

What was your goal upon entering the Ed School and is it any different now? I was and still in many ways am a newbie to education. Before entering HGSE, I was interested in designing experiences. My goal was to learn how to apply theory and research to the practice of designing learning experiences. While this goal of mine has remained the same, HGSE has diversified my curiosity around the practice of education and introduced me to concepts and subjects that I had not considered prior to my experience here.

What is something that you learned at HGSE that you will take with you throughout your career in education? Respect. Having an open mind towards opinions, experiences, and perspectives, regardless of how far apart they are from your own, is supremely important in the field of education.

I’ve also got really good at decoding acronyms, the Electric Slide, and how not to look befuddled when someone says “unpack that!”

Any special study spots on campus (or off)? Darwin’s Cafe, among others, is one of my favorite places to get a warm cup of chai and read. On campus, it has to be the comfortable Gutman couches!

What advice do you have for next year’s students going through your program? I have a list!

  • Cross-register. MIT and other Harvard schools have some great courses around educational technology and many other interesting topics. One of my favorite classes this year, Business at the Base of the Pyramid, was at the Harvard Business School.
  • Have a study/life balance. There’s a reason Gutman Library closes early on weekends!
  • Most importantly, be open to be challenged, questioned, surprised, and hugged quite often.

Favorite place to get a slice of pizza in the Square? Pinocchio’s makes the best pizza in the square. Their Sicilian pizza can turn a bad day around.

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