Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
I am an Educational Media Specialist, Learning Designer, and German Language Educator with a background in social sciences, geography, cultural communication, and media-supported learning. My work focuses on designing learning experiences and educational media that help people understand language, culture, and the systems that shape how we communicate, learn, and participate in society. Before relocating to the United States in 2015, I worked for many years in German public education, teaching German, social sciences, geography, history, and English in schools in Berlin, Krefeld, and the Cologne region. Alongside classroom teaching, I developed digital learning materials, media projects, online learning environments, and technology-supported instructional formats. After moving to the United States, I founded Learn German America (formerly JacobiTeacher), where I have worked with children, teenagers, university students, professionals, heritage speakers, and adult learners from a wide range of backgrounds. Through this work, I have developed German language programs, AP German preparation materials, dialogue-based learning resources, curriculum frameworks, cultural communication projects, and digital learning content for American learners. A central theme throughout my career has been the relationship between learning, communication, media, and structure. I am particularly interested in how stories, roles, environments, rules, and social systems influence participation, motivation, and understanding. This interest has led me to develop dialogue-driven learning materials, simulation-based learning concepts, interactive educational projects, and structured storytelling formats that connect learning with meaningful real-world situations. My professional interests include educational media, learning experience design, curriculum development, interactive learning environments, simulation and game-based learning, cultural communication, visitor and experience design, and AI-supported educational workflows. Today, I continue to design, develop, evaluate and use educational media, language-learning systems, curriculum resources, and interactive learning concepts that combine language, culture, storytelling, visual thinking, and real-world communication. I am especially interested in opportunities where education, media, technology, communication, culture, and structured human experiences intersect.
Founder | German Language Education, Educational Media & Learning Experience Design Founded JacobiTeacher in 2015 as an independent German language education practice for learners in the United States. Since 2025, I have been developing Learn German America as the next public-facing brand and educational media platform for this work. The practice grew from long-term private and in-person German instruction in New York City and New Jersey into online, hybrid, and media-supported learning environments for adults, families, bilingual learners, and AP German students. My work combines human-led German instruction, cultural communication, grammar in context, dialogue- and story-based learning, scenario-based practice, visual learning materials, gamified learning formats, and structured learner support. Digital tools, games, media, and practical AI workflows support the learning process, but real-time guidance, correction, cultural context, and human teaching remain central. Current development areas include AP German preparation systems, dialogue-driven learning worlds, German Through Scenes as an emerging scene-based learning format, interactive Kahoot-based practice, visual course assets, and AI-supported workflows for curriculum design, lesson planning, dialogue development, visual asset planning, documentation, and long-term project organization. This role connects German language education, educational media production, curriculum design, cultural communication, structured learning support, and learning experience design into one evolving practice space.
Worked as a teacher and class teacher in a fully digital German school environment, teaching students in grades 5–10 across German, English, Geography, History, and Politics. Served as class teacher over multiple school years, supporting students through online classroom organization, parent communication, grading and assessment processes, lesson planning, learner guidance, and structured digital school routines. Joined the school during its early development phase and contributed to the practical implementation and day-to-day organization of fully digital school structures within an emerging online learning environment. Worked extensively with Microsoft Teams, OneNote, Microsoft 365 tools, digital course materials, interactive learning platforms, and media-supported instructional formats. Teaching included MSA preparation, literature-based instruction using Tschick and Der Vorleser, collaborative learning formats, project work, and learner support for students across different countries and time zones, many from German-speaking families abroad. Contributed to Brainix-supported English learning formats in collaboration with colleagues and external project partners, and integrated practical AI-supported workflows such as ChatGPT into teaching and preparation contexts. Developed and led workshops and educational activities in geography, history, German language education, career orientation, cultural communication, and experiential learning during online project weeks and special school programs. Organized Boys’ Day and Girls’ Day participation, online school events, student-led class sessions, and live virtual educational tours in New York City and Las Vegas, including learning formats connected to Brainix. Built and led the WVH Schulpost online student newspaper together with students using Wix, training students in digital publishing, leading weekly editorial meetings, and guiding the project as the responsible teacher.
German language instruction for middle and high school students in an international school environment, with a focus on communication, language structure, and exam preparation. Prepared students for the DSD 1, Deutsches Sprachdiplom, and the AATG National German Exam. Also worked as an examining teacher for the DSD 1 examination. Teaching emphasized student centered methods, real world communication scenarios, cultural understanding, and the development of linguistic competence and intercultural confidence.
Worked as a teacher and class teacher at a socially and culturally diverse Berlin secondary school, teaching German, English, Geography, History, Civic Education, ITG, Multimedia, and introductory digital media formats. Responsibilities included classroom teaching, lesson planning, grading and assessment, learner support, parent communication, class supervision, and structured classroom routines. Connected subject teaching with hands-on media production and project-based learning. Developed and supported student projects in stop-motion, introductory 3D printing, animation, film, visual media, presentation formats, and collaborative classroom productions. Led and supported interdisciplinary project days, museum visits, educational excursions, prevention-related school projects, and multi-day class trips, including activities connected to the Computerspielemuseum, Be Smart Don’t Start, contemporary German youth cinema, and public learning environments in Berlin. This role combined classroom teaching, class leadership, assessment, multimedia education, urban school practice, and production-based student learning.
Worked as a teacher and class teacher at the Kurt-Tucholsky-Gesamtschule in Krefeld, with a strong focus on Economics, Geography, German support classes, PC literacy, media education, and student-centered project learning. Responsibilities included classroom teaching, lesson planning, grading and assessment, learner support, parent communication, class leadership, and structured classroom routines in a diverse secondary school environment. As part of the Economics / Work Studies department, I contributed to subject conference work and curriculum-related coordination. Combined subject teaching with media education, project-based learning, and digital classroom activities. Led a long-running media club and open computer room activities, supporting students in practical media production, digital literacy, and collaborative project work. Student projects included webshow production, interactive PowerPoint-based storytelling projects, Greenscreen work, animation with tools such as CrazyTalk Animator, video editing, presentation formats, and audio/video learning activities. Supported digital classroom practice through interactive whiteboards, digital learning platforms, open computer room activities, and practical support for colleagues using digital tools and media-supported instruction. Completed additional training in media education, parent communication, and youth media protection, with a focus on digital media use, social networks, media literacy, cyberbullying prevention, youth media protection, and media-related parent guidance. Developed and facilitated simulation-based learning formats and economics-related projects, connecting economic decision-making, role-based learning, media literacy, and collaborative classroom work. This role connected classroom teaching, class leadership, economics education, media production, digital literacy, parent-related media education, teacher support, and simulation-based learning in a comprehensive school setting.