Creativity Playground

Kristen Brooks is a technology specialist & keynote speaker across the United States. She has nearly three decades of experience as an instructional technology specialist and technology coach, training teachers & district leaders on technology integration, and providing support and resources for students and educators. Ms. Brooks was recently honored as an ISTE 20 to Watch Award Winner! To connect with Kristen or learn more about her #forEDU mission follow @KristenBrooks77 on social media. For a full bio or to invite her to speak or coach in your school, district, or organization go to http://www.kristenbrooks.net/

Morgan Cave is a K - 12 Director of Instructional Technology in North Texas. She has 19 years of experience in the world of public education, including 12 years in the elementary classroom, and 5 years of K-12 central-level support. She is passionate about creativity and leveraging technology to design learning that is accessible for all learners. Morgan is an ISTE Certified Educator as well as an Apple Distinguished Educator.

Dr. Camille Dempsey is an Associate Professor and the Coordinator for the M.Ed. in Educational Technology and Online Teaching at PennWest University. She teaches educational technology, online teaching, and STEM education courses. Her research focuses on virtuality culture theory and the ways that contemporary technology mediates human presence. Camille also currently serves as an ISTE AI Fellow, and has been fortunate to have guided teachers as a faculty coach in the ISTE AI Explorations program.

Tania is an enthusiastic explorer of Edu-Tech platforms, igniting her students' drive to overcome boundaries in their community and thrive as valuable contributors to society. She takes delight in sharing her captivating classroom experiences through Social Media, engaging in collaborations with other classrooms, and drawing inspiration from educators worldwide. Her students love to win challenges and share their love of creativity with their peers. Tania is an absolute aficionado of creativity and loves sharing that unbounded enthusiasm with her Ed-Tech Community! Join her in this thrilling odyssey of imagination and innovation!Tania, a dynamic Edu-Tech enthusiast, empowers students to transcend boundaries and become societal contributors. Through captivating social media posts, she shares classroom triumphs and collaborates globally, drawing inspiration from educators worldwide. Her students excel in challenges, spreading their creativity. With Adobe Express for Education #AdobeEduCreative, Tania ignites creativity, showcased at US EdTech Conferences. She collaborates with Adobe Creative Education Team, inspiring minds at prestigious Creative Institutes. Join her in this thrilling odyssey of imagination and innovation! 🚀

Michael is an award-winning teacher and international speaker whose work focuses on digital and civic literacy, storytelling, project-based learning, and social justice. His book about authentic learning, “Storytelling With Purpose,” rethinks how we teach and learn by embracing student curiosity as a way to bring purpose and joy back to learning. His newsletter, podcast, and published articles help educators and policy makers embrace innovation in education. He is an Apple Distinguished Educator, and National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. Follow him on X/Twitter: @cinehead and Instagram: @changing.the.narrative www.michael-hernandez.net

Manuel is an international speaker, an accomplished illustrator, and a veteran educator. He specializes in sketchnoting, visual thinking, and design thinking. Over the past 22 years, Manuel has keynoted and led workshops across the globe at conferences such as SXSWEdu, ISTE, TCEA, MassCUE, FETC & The International Sketchnote Camp. Manuel has illustrated books, publications, and graphics for a variety of organizations, publishers, and schools. In 2018 Manuel became a Google Innovator at LAX18. Currently, Manuel is a Canva Learning Consultant and a Learning and Development Specialist for Washington University in St. Louis. Follow Manuel on Twitter & Instagram at @manuelherrera33.

Jane Ji is an award-winning game designer and producer. In tandem with her team, she created the award-winning educational mobile game series iBiome. As a co-founder of Springbay Studio, Jane created the iBiome series to educate children and create a generation that cares about nature and climate change. Jane believes that environmental education should be more empowering, playful and action-based. Currently Jane is leading her team on the League for Green Leaders program, one-of-its-kind online climate action platform for children around the world to compete and reduce their carbon footprint.

Sean teaches and writes about art and computer science education for teachers. His community action project, Families Learning Together (#flt_smtx), sponsors creative computing and engineering playshops at public libraries and community centers in Central Texas. His research focuses on computing in teacher education and his artworks (photographs, videos and computer animations) have been exhibited both nationally and internationally. He wrote "Learning to Teach in the Digital Age: New Materialities and Maker Paradigms in Schools", published by Peter Lang, in 2016. Recent publications include research journal articles about CS education, and book chapters about expressive STEM in PK-12 schools.

Sherri Kushner has taught visual and media arts for the past 23 years. She currently teaches media arts in Evanston, IL where she is also the Art Department chair. She is most passionate about empowering student voices and creating meaningful dialogue through issue-based photography. She teaches students to effectively communicate about issues that affect them in their school and community, and to become advocates for social justice and equity. Besides photography, Sherri also specializes in narrative media and digital fabrication. She is an Adobe Education Leader, ACE Innovator, and an Illinois 2023 Golden Apple Finalist.

Tim Needles is an artist, educator and author of STEAM Power. He’s a TEDx Talk speaker, technology integration specialist, and teaches art and emerging media at Smithtown Schools and Five Towns College. His work has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, Columbus Museum of Art, and the Norman Rockwell Museum. He’s the recipient of ISTE’s Technology in Action and Creativity Award, NAEA’s Eastern Region Art Educator Award & ArtEdTech Outstanding Teaching Award, and The Rauschenberg Power of Art Award. He’s also a board member of NYSCATE and NYSATA, a NASA Solar System Ambassador, an ISTE Community leader and NAEA ArtMediaTech chair.

Educational Technology facilitator with a passion for student engagement through digital tools. Integrating creativity, communication, collaboration, and more into every co-taught experience drives my learning. Networking is a joy in order to bring in every thought, culture, and identity into everything I do.

Emily is a Technology Integrator and Trainer for Northeast Metro Intermediate School District 916, a former middle school German Teacher, and a Google Certified Trainer & Coach and ISTE Certified Educator. Throughout her time at 916, she has worked with staff and students to grow their instructional technology skills and meets everyone where they are at. Emily has presented at a variety of local, regional, national, and international conferences, both in-person and virtually. She uses her professional experiences, passion for technology, and drive to innovate student learning to inform and plan her training sessions.

Alana Winnick is an award-winning leader who holds positions as the Educational Technology Director and Data Protection Officer for Pocantico Hills Central School District in Sleepy Hollow in New York, and the Hudson Valley Director for NYSCATE. She has established herself as a leading expert on AI in schools and is both the author and host of The Generative Age, a book and podcast that explores the rapidly evolving world of generative artificial intelligence and its impact on education.