Ready Playground One: Game-Based Learning, Gamification and Esports

Sean Arnold is the director of school pathways for the New York City Department of Education where he works with the Student Pathways team to guide computer science, college/career readiness and career technical education. He previously worked as a special educator, music educator and STEM/CS coach in NYC’s District 75, citywide special education. Both roles have given him the opportunity to work with a diverse range of students and educators, and he remains committed to accessibly and equitably reaching ALL students through innovative technology and practices. Arnold is also an ongoing advocate for the power gamification and hands-on learning challenges to empower student achievement. He has received the ISTE Outstanding Teacher Honorable Mention, ISTE Inclusive Learning Network Outstanding Educator Award, NYCDOE Excellence in School Technology Award and the EDxEDNYC Excellence in Technology Award. He’s an Apple Distinguished Educator and Learning Coach; an Adobe Creative Educator Leader; a Google Certified Innovator, Coach and Trainer; and a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert and Certified Trainer. He’s certified by Promethean, SMART, Nearpod, Pear Deck, BrainPOP, Discovery Education, Flocabulary, GoGuardian, Seesaw, Buncee, Newsela, Book Creator, Epic!, Lucid, Kami, Soundtrap, Microsoft Flip, Minecraft, Wakelet, EdPuzzle, Classcraft, Quizizz, Kahoot, Gimkit, Breakout, Sphero, Osmo, Bloxels, Code.org, Codesters, Tynker, Screencastify and more. He enjoys sharing his expertise and connecting with like-minded educators at conferences to empower educational change agents to impact the overwrought education system. He shares his expertise at making learning personally meaningful, intrinsically motivating and made for everyone at BraveInTheAttempt.com.

Adam is a dedicated educational technologist, father of two young boys, and CEO and Co-Founder of Breakout EDU, the immersive gaming platform that enables teachers and students to transform classrooms into places of discovery and inquiry-based learning. Previously, he served as a Presidential Innovation Fellow for the Obama White House, created several Edtech learning platforms including eduTecher and eduClipper. Adam has written numerous books about educational technology and speaks internationally on the subject of education and technology.

Martha Bongiorno is a student voice activist and is currently serving as a school librarian in Metro Atlanta. She supports students and educators by pushing boundaries of traditional education to empower learners as thinkers and creators to make positive change in their communities. With her unique perspective from the heart of the school, she explores how the tapestry of learning is interwoven with literacy, technology, creativity, and student voice. Martha serves others as an ISTE Ambassador, Immediate Past-President of Georgia Library Media Association, a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert and Master Trainer, a Flipgrid Student Voice Ambassador since 2016, and an Adobe Creative Leader.

Cathy Cheo-Isaacs (@iwearthecrowns) is the Education Specialist at Epic Games. Former roles include Game Design & Development Teacher, Educational Technology, Professional Learning, Esports, and Game-Based Learning Consultant, Event Production & Community Content Specialist, Lower School EdTech Specialist, Innovation and Technology Integration Specialist. Wife of @mr_isaacs, mom of @amazingrace1214 and @leilaboo215, and professionally trained pastry chef. She hearts theatre, tech, food, ‘Cuse, and little red cars. Cathy tries to live aloha each day and likes to yell.

Patrick is the Co-Founder of CreateAccess, a nonprofit that boosts socioeconomic mobility by increasing access to high-growth fields through exposure education on 3D creation. A 3D graphics geek and entrepreneur, Patrick is also the CEO of Cesium, the leading 3D geospatial visualization software company. He has authored, edited, or contributed to ten books on computer graphics or games. Patrick taught computer science in the University of Pennsylvania’s graduate program, where he also earned a Master's degree. Patrick received the 2019 Khronos "Khronie" award and the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award at The Polys - WebXR Awards for outstanding contributions to open standards.

Hi I'm Trish Croaker! I'm an Educational Technology Integration Specialist and former 8th grade STEM teacher from Tucson, Arizona. Outside of helping teachers meaningfully integrate technology in the classroom, I have a passion for sports and coaching. I can often be found coaching middle school running sports and participating in triathlon events myself. When I'm not on the field or in the classroom, I love to bake and experiment with new recipes in the kitchen.

Elizabeth Dailey is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of CreateAccess, a new Pennsylvania nonprofit that aims to boost socioeconomic mobility and increase access to high-growth fields through 3D creation exposure education for beginners. Liz spent most of her career as a social worker, nonprofit administrator, and educator. A beginner 3D creator herself, Liz believes that 3D creation is for everyone, and hopes to help others build confidence to explore its possibilities. When not working with CreateAccess and experimenting with 3D tools, Liz loves trying new recipes, concerts, boxing, running, and spending time with her partner and beloved dogs.

With a lifelong passion for technology and education, Brian has combined them both to create a company that is innovating technology education. His business career has journeyed through multiple successful startups, bringing innovative software and services to market. His experience as an educator ranges from cutting edge video training to the creation of technology camps for kids in addition to teaching in the high school classroom. Today, his company is both a video game publisher and creator of some of the most successful educational content for popular video game platforms including Minecraft, Fortnite and Unreal Engine.

Dominic Hill is an international educator who specializes in K-12 math and technology. An ISTE Certified Educator and Community Leader, Dominic currently works as an Engineering and Technology teacher at the Laurus International School of Science in Tokyo, Japan. His passions include gamification to support retrieval practice and cognitive thinking, and embedding computational thinking into all areas of the curriculum. He has also developed engaging maths enrichment programmes that inspire learning beyond the curriculum. Originally from the UK, Dominic has taught in schools across the UK, Hong Kong and Japan

Steve Isaacs is the Education Program Manager at Epic Games. His mission in this role is to support educators and students in exploring career opportunities that leverage interactive 3d skills. Prior to his role at Epic, Steve was a public school teacher for 28 years, teaching game design and development as well as other courses related to creative uses of technology. Steve enjoys spending time with family and friends. His hobbies include video games, biking, snorkeling, hiking and live music.

Colleen is the Innovation Coordinator at Dwight-Englewood School in Englewood NJ. Her passion is empowering students to construct their own knowledge through student-chosen independent research projects, design challenges, and open maker space time. Colleen works to ensure that research and innovation are woven throughout the k12 curriculum for all students and highlighted in special programming and assemblies for the whole school community, in addition to providing resources for those students who wish to delve deeper and pursue independent work regardless of their age or ability.

Jullia is a designer and researcher in education technology. The long-term goal of her research is to understand the technological and contextual factors that contribute to social-emotional learning in immersive and non-immersive virtual environments. Her recent works include an augmented reality (AR) simulation game for social skills. Currently, she's pursuing her PhD in Cognitive Science in Education at Columbia University.

Michelle was a classroom teacher for over 25 years and is currently a Instructional Technology Integration Specialist in Smithtown, LI, NY. Michelle is the 2022, 2021 & 2017 BOCES Model Schools Technology Award Winner, a Google Certified Coach, Google Certified Trainer, & Kami Hero. She was a presenter at ISTE Live 22 & Kami Connect '22. She is also book Creator, Edpuzzle, Screencastify, Kahoot , BrainPop, Formative, Quizizz & Merge Certified.

Katie McKinley is the Technology Coordinator for St Mary Magdalen School in Wilmington, DE. She is passionate about technology in education and has over 19 years teaching experience in public and private schools. She has her M.Ed. in Applied Technology in Education from Wilmington University, is Online Teaching certified in the state of Maryland, and is Google Educator Level 2 certified. Her life outside of school is spent with her family, including her husband and 2 children.

Kim is an a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, Microsoft Innovative Educator Fellow, a Minecraft Education Ambassador, and a Microsoft Flip Student Voice Ambassador. Kim is on the Minecraft Education Advisory Board and is a consultant for Insight to Execution (i2e). Kim has taught for 24 years and currently teaches K-5 Gifted students, focusing on STEM, project based learning, game based learning, and social/emotional skills development.

In her position, Tracey Rowley promotes virtual fieldtrips and helps educators engage with all types of students through innovative use of educational technology tools. She has collaborated with content providers to establish protocols for virtual fieldtrips. She served on the Arizona Department of Education Technology Standards Committee and helped to develop an alternate English language proficiency assessment for learners with cognitive disabilities. Tracey has been recognized as a Microsoft Innovative Education Expert, Promethean and Clever Certified teacher, and Wakelet Ambassador. She has presented at ISTE and CUE conferences, promoting effective ed tech use to support student learning and engagement.

Design thinker, improviser, and educator, Dan Ryder is a design learning facilitator at CRCS Overman in rural Skowhegan, Maine. Public charter school CRCS Overman provides a customized, project -based learning experience for learners of all abilities and backgrounds, grades 7-12. Dan also consults with the Office of English Language Programs at the US Department of State, creating content such as Panels and Perspectives: Creating Comics in the EFL Classroom and co-facilitating experiences such as the global PD, AE Comics VX. He's also co-author of Intention: Critical Creativity in the Classroom w Amy Burvall.

Eric Scattaretico is a Special Education Teacher in the NYC Department of Education. He is currently working at PS 100 Isaac Clason as their K-5 Computer Science Teacher/IT Admin/Digital Media Specialist. He is passionate about culturally responsive teaching, coding, science, mathematics, graphic design, podcasting, and mindfulness. Eric works with students of varied ethnic backgrounds and supports them in developing solid foundations for in-demand skills to promote diversity in tech fields. He is certified as a SoundTrap Educator, Flocabulary Educator, Adobe Creative Educator, Harvard MQI Coach, Apple Educator, EdPuzzle Coach, Google Level 1 Educator, Minecraft Educator, and Promethean Teacher.

Abi is thrilled to be a first time ISTE attendee and presenter. Into her first full school year EdTech Integration Specialist with Tucson Unified School District, she has enjoyed bringing her knowledge of Google for Education to the schools in TUSD. Abi's role in education is to help teachers and their students effectively use technology in their learning. Abi is a firm believe that technology can enhance student engagement, promote creativity, and provide opportunities for students to develop essential 21st-century skills.

Leon Tynes teaches robotics and computer science at Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix, Arizona. Leon has secured a number of STEM grants to support his recent efforts such as Infymakers, McCarthey Dressman, and Verizon Innovative Learning. He was also an AP CSP reader for the past four years.

Tricia has over eight years of teacher coaching and curriculum development experience, and 15 years of experience in education as a teacher and administrator. As an educator, Tricia focuses on building the whole child, one who understands compassion and kindness and is academically proficient. Her areas of expertise include coaching teachers on best practices in enhancing the classroom experience, as well as professional development, technology integration and STEM. Tricia is also a competitive gymnastics coach and dance teacher.