Keynote Speaker & Lead Learner: Amy Mayer
Amy Mayer, CEO of friEdTechnology, is a nationally known speaker and trainer and a veteran public school educator who is a sworn enemy of standardization. Amy first worked in education as a college professor after earning a master’s degree in English then later entered the “real world” as a teacher of 6th grade, later working in 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade and you guessed it, 12th grade in the subjects of French and English.
Most of her work as a teacher was with students from poverty who were not motivated by grades or her approval. This led to a moment she says every teacher eventually has which leads to the seminal "teacher story." This story explains the moment we find our passion for teaching.
Briefly, Amy left the education realm to work in the technology department of a large school district where she did crazy things like manage servers before finding her passion for Instructional Technology. She also served as a language arts consultant for Region 4 and a curriculum & instruction consultant for Region 6. For three years she served Huntsville ISD as Director for Staff Development and District Initiatives, then later, she returned to her first love, Instructional Technology, serving as a director for the largest private school in Houston.
Nowadays, Amy works full time running her companies friEdTechnology, now a Google Professional Development Partner, and BigEdHouse.com and providing professional development and inspiration for educators across the land. Her greatest hope is that friEdTechnology sessions are ones you won’t want to leave. When you learn with Amy and her team, you’ll understand why “friEdTechnology,” because everything is better fried.
Most of her work as a teacher was with students from poverty who were not motivated by grades or her approval. This led to a moment she says every teacher eventually has which leads to the seminal "teacher story." This story explains the moment we find our passion for teaching.
Briefly, Amy left the education realm to work in the technology department of a large school district where she did crazy things like manage servers before finding her passion for Instructional Technology. She also served as a language arts consultant for Region 4 and a curriculum & instruction consultant for Region 6. For three years she served Huntsville ISD as Director for Staff Development and District Initiatives, then later, she returned to her first love, Instructional Technology, serving as a director for the largest private school in Houston.
Nowadays, Amy works full time running her companies friEdTechnology, now a Google Professional Development Partner, and BigEdHouse.com and providing professional development and inspiration for educators across the land. Her greatest hope is that friEdTechnology sessions are ones you won’t want to leave. When you learn with Amy and her team, you’ll understand why “friEdTechnology,” because everything is better fried.
Google Regional Manager - Kevin Hodges
Kevin Hodges is Google’s Regional Manager for K-12 schools in Texas. He is a product of the Texas Public Schools system and takes pride in working with district leadership throughout the state, spreading Google’s presence in Education, growing user interest and striving to drive Educational technology in creative and unique ways. Kevin is a member of the Google for Education Team and collaborates frequently with many Google teams, including: Google Apps Teams, YouTube Teams, Google Classroom Teams, Google Expeditions Teams and Google Chromebooks Teams. Has has spent the last four years at Google (after ten years with Apple’s Education Team) and helped build the Google for Education Team that it is today.
Lead Learners
Jessica Powell
Jessica is an Instructional Technology Specialist for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD in Houston, TX, a Google Certified Teacher, Google Certified Trainer and a staunch public education advocate with state & national teachers organizations. Jessica holds a position on the National Education Association Board of Directors. She feels a true calling to make the world a better place and chooses to harness that calling to promote positive change in public education. As a former middle school English teacher to low-SES students, Jessica believes technology is a great equalizer that not only evens the playing field but also inspires creativity in hard to reach or reluctant students. Check out her website: www.simplyedtech.com Find Jessica on LinkedIn and Google+ or follow her on Twitter: @SimplyEdTech
Brooke Lowery
Brooke is an experienced classroom teacher and facilitator of digital learning atmospheres. After being introduced to G-Suite for Education, she became an avid adult learner of instructional technology. As a teacher, she worked with reluctant students who pushed her to find new ways to reach each of them. She then reshaped her classroom in Huntsville ISD into a mixed media learning environment. Brooke is a Google Certified Teacher and Trainer and has a master's degree in Educational Instructional Technology and Leadership. As a current professional friEdTechnology trainer, she has the opportunity to inspire teachers to create a technology-rich classroom based on student inquiry. She is devoted to helping teachers broaden the spectrum of their comfort box by integrating technology to enhance learning. Brooke also has an eye for design and enjoys creating social media graphics, logos, and anything that needs a touch of her sassy flair. Follow her on Twitter: @B_OutoftheBox
Ann Debolt
Ann is an Instructional Technology Specialist for Round Rock ISD. An early adopter (she started using the Internet before the World Wide Web or Google existed!), she continues to be amazed by technology - especially Google - and its potential in education. She has a Masters Degree in Educational Technology and is a Google Education Trainer. Ann believes that technology is a powerful tool that makes learning and life fun for all. Connect with Ann on twitter: @EdTxAnn or G+: +AnnDeBolt