Hi, I’m Dana Anderson, a Montessori guide, kids digital content advisor, and nature & animal advocate.
My passion is supporting kids, teens and educators to experience the best in education and tech, and to live balanced, naturally healthy lives.
I hope this blog will serve as a place for me to connect with others who share these same passions (one or more!), and to share what I’ve learned throughout the last 30+ years of deep study and practice.
As I’ve work with schools, teacher training programs, tech companies, and nonprofits to make kids and teens education and lives better through Digital Citizenship, AI Literacy, tech and nature-based learning, I’ve seen how high-quality digital content and collaborative work with kids and teens make for happier, more balanced schools, homes, and workplaces for everyone.
I also hope to eventually house a podcast here. (Stay tuned to the Champions of Childhood® page!) As I travel around the country speaking at conferences to school administrators, parents, students, and fellow teachers, I have met so many people doing incredible work and with innovative ideas on how to improve education and the world for and with kids and teens. My hope is to add their voices and ideas through the podcast here, too.
As a former journalist and author, I authored The Complete Idiots’ Guide to Vegan Eating for Kids (in honor of my three meat-free children), and my writing has appeared in dozens of publications. I’ve also worked as a developmental editor on many books. I speak and advise on issues related to youth digital well-being, Digital Citizenship & AI literacy, and the importance of bringing balance to students’ and educators’ lives through hands-on work, nature, and shared storytelling.
My volunteer work includes serving on the nonprofit boards of The Thinking Project, The McKnight Endowment for Neuroscience, and The McKnight Foundation. I mentor Montessori guides teaching children with special learning needs. I’m an avid tech, nature, and animal enthusiast, an experienced vegan cook and baker, and a fledgling rock climber.
Education
- AMS-certified Primary and Elementary levels
- AMS Adolescent certification (in progress)
- Two-time fellow in the American Montessori Society’s Innovation Fellowship Think Tank
- Fellowship in Media Leadership, The Poynter Institute for Media Studies
- University of Minnesota, BA
- Northwestern University, MS