Tuesday Mainstage

Nichole Carter was middle school classroom teacher for 12 years, teaching both honors and regular ELA. She used the flipped classroom model for four years in a row, in a blended learning environment in a 1:1 iPad school. Author or Sketchnoting in the Classroom, published in June 2019 by ISTE is available on iste.org now. No stranger to technology integration, she is now a K-12 Literacy and Digital Curriculum TOSA for the Beaverton School District, a national public speaker, and author.

Richard Culatta, chief executive officer, brings vast experience in education policy, teacher preparation, educational technology and innovation to his role with ISTE. Culatta is a longtime ISTE member and a past recipient of the ISTE Making IT Happen Award. Prior to joining ISTE, Culatta served as the chief innovation officer for the state of Rhode Island. In this role, he focused on developing partnerships to improve opportunities for students, including launching a program to make Rhode Island the first state to offer computer science in every K-12 school and creating a state vision for personalized learning. As the director of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology, Culatta was at the helm of numerous efforts to expand connectivity to schools across the country, promote personalized learning and develop the National Education Technology Plan. He also pioneered new ways for the department to engage with educators and tech developers. Prior to his role with the Department of Education, Culatta served as an education policy adviser to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray. He was also the learning technologies adviser for the David O. McKay School of Education at Brigham Young University where he redesigned the technology component of the teacher prep program. He also served as the director of operations for the Rose Education Foundation, which brought the first internet connections to schools in rural Guatemala. Culatta began his career in the classroom as a high school teacher and, across his career, has coached educators and national leaders around the world on using technology as a tool to reimagine learning. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish teaching and a master's in educational psychology and technology, both from Brigham Young University

Michael Furdyk is the Co-founder of TakingITGlobal (www.tigweb.org), which provides innovative global education programs that empower youth to understand and act on local and global greatest challenges. TIG was awarded the Intercultural Innovation Award by BMW and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the Tech Museum Award for Technology Benefiting Humanity in the Education Category. Michael has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, presented at TED, and was named one of Teen People's "Twenty Teens that will Change the World". He has keynoted over 100 events across sectors, sharing his social media expertise and insights on digital youth engagement to audiences in over 30 countries. He completed his Master of Design (MDes) in Inclusive Design at OCAD University and is Adjunct Instructor for the M.S. in Educational Technology program at Long Island University.

A passionate teacher at The Global School, a bilingual institution at the forefront of the new educational paradigm in Argentina where I lead students' acquisition of 21st century skills and content knowledge through collaborative project based learning in areas such as Physics and Physical Chemistry, as well as entrepreneurial skills through an ad hoc project development course. Additionally, I coordinate students’ participation in international environmental programs (Decarbonize and Unplastify) and the school´s internships program offering students real-life work experiences according to their future career choices. Lifelong learner, committed SDG's advocate, creative problem solver, patient listener and caring counselor.

Nyla is an incoming freshman/first year in High School, who has been with #Decarbonize:#Decolonize for over 3 years. As a youth environmental advocate, she has spoken and worked alongside professionals within the environmental sector (Marine Biologists, NASA Glaciologist, Entomologists, Authors, etc) to further her research and push the larger community to gain knowledge and act. This is all through her personal initiative with both #Decarbonize and as host of her webinar series Dolphins (Always) Know Best.

Megan McMahon is a senior events manager with ISTE, helping shape amazing educator content and events like the Creative Constructor Lab. She also has experience as a teacher resident with IDEO’s The Teachers Guild, spent 10 years as an art educator for San Francisco Unified School District, was a Peace Corps education volunteer in Bolivia, worked as a designer and art director for Anderson & Lembke Advertising, and was a co-founder of Beyond Borders Storytelling. McMahon is also an artist, and is always seeking that elusive San Francisco sun. She believes changes in education will come from inside school communities, from the ground up.

Hey! My name is Ian and I like swimming, reading and going out with my family and friends. I try my best to maintain a high standard work ethic but I’m not afraid to binge my favorite shows on Netflix.