John David Baumgarten

Hi, I’m John David, and I'm a student living in Louisville, KY. I'm currently pursuing my Ed.D in Instructional Systems Design, where I want to focus on developing video content for middle and high school math students. I am a fan of off-the-beaten-path destinations, Bjork, honest writing, civic humanism and innovation in education. I’m also really passionate about singing the blues and writing science fiction.

As an instructional designer, I want to make videos that use narrative and humor as a vessel for technical information. While teaching math, I often found myself frustrated by the lack of humanity in my curriculum, despite the fact that math was created to help people deal with everyday situations. Thus, I want to focus not on how to do math, but when and why we use math in the real world. I also want to introduce students to actual mathematicians to show them that math PhDs, engineers, nurses and lab scientists can skateboard, crochet or rap just like the students in my classes, who had a very difficult time picturing themselves using math in their higher education and careers because it was "boring" and "nerdy."

I used to make videos with the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health & Wellness, where I worked as a Health Inspector, so I attached one of my favorites we submitted for our annual department Holiday Party. I hope it highlights my belief that video can be subtly informative while still engaging an audience. You can watch my health department video with a click on the button above!