About Jen

Jen Gilbert is a teacher living and working in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. Since starting in education over 20 years ago she has worked with every grade level from Kindergarten through adult learners in some capacity. Want all the details? Contact me for a very detailed CV!

Standard Bio:

Jen is both a Learning and Behavior Specialist and a STEM Specialist. In addition to an undergraduate degree in Learning Disabilities/Social Emotional Disorders, she holds certifications from Tufts University in Early Childhood Technology and Engineering Education, and a Master of Science in Science Education from DePaul University.

Jen is an ardent proponent of inclusive science education, and throughout her career, has pursued opportunities to enhance her ability to provide meaningful, engaging instruction to students of all ages and abilities. In addition to creating and implementing innovative activities with other outstanding educators, Jen enjoys presenting on education technology topics and sharing via this website and social media platforms. Jen can probably convince you that you need a robot in your life and can justify incorporating maker education lessons into any classroom. Jen is also as passionate about dogs (particularly disc dogs) as she is about STEM education. She looks for every opportunity to bring personal passions and playful learning into all settings. If you ask her about her research on The Science of Flying Dogs™, she will teach you that dogs can fly and physics is a part of your everyday life.

Design Work

Much of my work with digital design and maker projects centers around dogs and STEM. I have experience with 3D modeling and printing, laser etching/cutting, and vinyl cutting. I use my own photos for silhouettes and design original items whenever possible. For design work I use a variety of tools from Google Drawings to Adobe Illustrator depending on the output. Please note that any design work shared is © Jen Gilbert and may not be reproduced or distributed without my consent. Please do share original posts through social media buttons on the website and link back to me as the content creator. Public projects that can be used with attribution are also made available on Thingiverse.

Why “msgilbertrocks”?

The origin of the “msgilbertrocks” branding for all things related to education and design started with one of my first favorite students back in the Chicago Public Schools system. This student would say “Ms. Gilbert, you rock!” or “You rock, Gilbert” and it stuck with me. For almost 20 years I have tried to live up to the name. It is used for my website and social media (Twitter and Instagram). Perhaps in the future it will become a lifestyle brand ;)

Nailed it

As time allows I will include more posts about activities or projects on the site. These will be under the EdTech category. While I try my best to make unique creations, please remember that I am more of a “Nailed It” than “Pinterest Perfect” person. Whenever possible I will share the experience of creating, and I hope that you can take what I do to build on it and remix it into your own version. Even if I do not always make time to reflect on the process, rest assured that I am making messes and failing forward pretty much on a daily basis. Thanks for your support and encouragement. I look forward to seeing what you do in your own learning spaces and hope to do more updates that include your remixed versions of projects. Please email me so I can share on the site and social media!

While I often work with companies and programs like those listed below and I am employed by schools for various positions, the views represented on this website or any social media channels are my own and not that of any company or school/employer. Tweets do not equal endorsements.

This website is a work in progress. Design (look and feel) may change. Currently an index page is used for the homepage. It is essentially a view of the entire site all on one page. You may use the navigation at the top or bottom of any page to directly access content. The index page may go away, but I welcome any feedback you have as you explore the site. Thanks for stopping by!