Ben Johnson has fifteen years of teaching experience at the secondary and post-secondary level.  He has taught technology in Poudre School District, the University of Northern Colorado, and Colorado State University.  Ben is a certified Google educator and was honored as a Microsoft Innovative Educator.  He holds a PhD. in educational technology and a doctoral minor in applied statistics and research methods.  Ben loves to help teachers integrate technology because it makes learning exciting, relevant, and engaging.  Ben believes the power of technology lies in its ability to provide students with a vehicle for collaboration, problem solving, and critical thinking.  Specific areas of interest include:  Google Apps, Blackboard, Game Programming, and Web 2.0 technology.

Carol Peterson has been teaching in the public schools for 22 years.  She was the Teacher Librarian at Rocky Mountain High School and took their Media Center to Power Library status, granted through the Colorado Department of Education.  She has taught K-12 Mathematics.  Carol holds a BS in Mathematics from CSU and a MA in Educational Technology from UNC.  Her favorite thing to do is to get people excited about new technologies and to help them gain the confidence they need to get their classes fully engaged in learning. Her favorite areas are Interactive White Boards, Emerging Technologies and Information Literacy. Contact Carol at cpeterso@psdschools.org          

Dan Shinneman has been teaching for 13 years integrating technology in a variety of subject areas and grade levels. As the Media and Technology Specialist for Dunn Elementary, he has worked side by side with teachers to assist them in integrating technology into their lessons and units. Dan was also a trainer and coach for the Poudre School District Digital Educator Project and Ensuring Access. These programs supported 4^th and 5^th grade teachers with the integration of emerging technologies including: SMART boards, document cameras, student response systems clickers, netbooks and laptops. He was an art teacher for 9 years and enjoys enhancing lessons with creativity and technology. Dan is excited for the opportunity to support the elementary teachers with integrating technology across their curriculum. He is knowledgeable of emerging technologies and loves to work with both teachers and students. Contact Dan at dshinnem@psdschools.orgor at 970.692.4731.

Juliet Sisnroy has had the pleasure of working in Poudre School District elementary schools for the past ten years. She has been a classroom teacher, a literacy teacher, a Title I teacher, an instructional coach and a literacy coach. As a coach, Juliet has worked extensively with adult learners to positively affect classroom instruction with the ultimate goal of raising the level of student achievement. She has witnessed the power of working alongside teachers in their own classrooms as they interact with their unique students. As a technology trainer for the district, Juliet is excited for the opportunity to help teachers incorporate a variety of new technologies, including Smartboards, laptops, document cameras, netbooks, and a wealth of fun new software into their daily instruction. In her own classroom, Juliet has always had a passion for integrating a variety of technology tools into her instruction to enhance student learning and engagement. She looks forward to guiding other teachers as they do the same. Contact Juliet at jsisnroy@psdschools.org

Anna Otto has been teaching for over 10 years, including 4 years as a technology teacher in the Brighton and Boulder school districts. She has also worked with CU to help reinvent computer science in public schools, teach computational thinking skills, and increase female and minority interest in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math). In 2010 she was nominated for CSIA’s Apex Award for Top Tech Teacher. She enjoys helping others learn the power of technology and believes instruction should be hands-on, practical, and relevant.Contact Anna at aotto@psdschools.org or 970-692-4834

Suzanne Biedscheid has been an elementary classroom teacher for 27 years with experience in all grades, K-6, where technology has always been a part of everyday teaching.  She is a 2010 Smart Exemplary Educator with 4 years teaching experience with a Smartboard in the classroom.   She believes, with proper training, teaching with a Smartboard is like having another teacher in the classroom.  Technology in the classroom does not end with a Smartboard for Suzanne. She can help your classroom come alive to meet the needs of our 21^st century learners by modeling the latest, research-based technology integration techniques.Contact Suzanne at sbiedsch@psdshools.orgor 692-4748.

Brad Avery comes from Rocky Mountain High School, where he spent the last nine years teaching mathematics.  He has a passion for teaching & technology, and is very enthusiastic about his new role as a technology trainer.  Brad is looking forward to working with teachers to engage students in learning via new technologies and transforming instruction through utilization of emerging technologies.  Contact Brad at bavery@psdschools.orgor at 970.692.4889.

Mike Foster comes from Blevins Middle School as a math, science, and geography teacher and taught elementary school early in his career. He enjoys working with teachers and helping them discover how emerging technologies enhance delivery of their own curricular areas. He believes teachers must gain a practical, “golden-nugget” from each session, so expect time to try out each new skill. Contact Mike at mfoster@psdschools.org or (970) 692-4803.

Wayne Thornes comes to us from Tucson, Arizona, where he worked as a Curriculum and Technology Integration Trainer focusing on elementary students and their teachers. A National Board Certified teacher, he has eighteen years of classroom experience working with students from Kindergarten to 8^th grade. In his own classroom, he utilized a wide range of technological tools to help students be more engaged in learning, and worked to use technology to make his own work more efficient and effective. Recently he has worked with teachers on Smart Board lesson development, the seamless integration of clickers in daily instruction, using blogs and wikis to increase student engagement, the creation and publication of digital stories, on-line safety, using web 2.0 tools to facilitate on and off-line research and note-taking, and on developing lessons that utilize the collaborative power of Google Apps for Education. A strong believer in the power of just-in-time training, he is most excited about opportunities to work with individuals or small teams on planning and implementing 21^st century learning opportunities for students, though he happy as well when a teacher is trying something to be in the classroom “just in case.” You can reach him via email at wthornes@psdschools.org, or give him a call at 692-4904.

Julie McWilson has been a Career & Technical Education and STEM teacher for the past 9 years.  She has taught both middle and high school students, as well as, at the community college level and is an Adobe Certified Associate Educator.  Julie’s passion lies with using technology to enhance engagement and learning. She is looking forward to working with teachers to help them introduce new technologies into their classroom.  Please contact Julie at jmcwilso@psdschools.org or 970-692-4906.