Tina Photakis

Work Place: Cowandilla Primary School
Specialisms:  Social Media, Global education & Online learning, ThinkQuest Educator: projects, coach, trainer, Professional Learner provider
Specialist subjects – Languages (Modern Greek), The Arts: Drama/Music, ICT across the curriculum, Geography
About me: Having a passion for technologies and using this extensively in my teaching, was one of the reasons I joined CEGSA, to connect with other like-minded educators. This led to an opportunity to be on the organising committee for ACEC2004, the national technology conference that CEGSA hosted at the Adelaide Convention Centre, for the Australian Council for Computers in Education (ACCE). At the conference, it was interesting to find out more about the international ThinkQuest website competition and the Oracle Education Foundation (OEF) based in the USA.  Passionate about global education, online learning and collaboration, I was invited to become a judge for the ThinkQuest website competition.  Impressed by the high standard and creativity of student designed and created websites, that in 2005, I was a ThinkQuest coach and my team of 6 students from 3 different countries, came second in the competition.  We won a trip to San Francisco where we met face to face for the first time after working together totally online for 8 months. Having coached 4 more teams in ThinkQuest international, in 2009, I coached 2 more teams in the inaugural ThinkQuest Australia competition. My teams from Cowandilla Primary school were successful and won a trip to ACEC2010 in Melbourne. As a PL facilitator for the Oracle Education Foundation in project-based learning online, I have provided Professional Learning locally, nationally and globally, including in Singapore, Romania and the USA.
Follow: https://twitter.com/tina_p
Time served on the Committee: Joined 2002, member since 1999

Gary Pascoe

Paul Clapton-Caputo

Sue Gaardboe

Work Place: Assistant Principal, Brighton Primary School
About me: Sue has been working in the public education system in Primary Schools in Adelaide since she arrived there from the UK in 2005. With a first degree in Applied Science, and a career which has seen her teaching in Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Institutions, her latest passion is for discovering meaningful ways to implement the use of digital technologies across the curriculum. The combination of Science and Technologies leads inevitably to an interest in STEM teaching, and the focus of Sue's current job (Innovative Pedagogies and Technologies) is the perfect avenue for her to dabble.
Interests: Sue's other interests include travel, her dogs, chickens (the result of some science lessons), frogs (more science lessons) and her garden.
Time served on the Committee: 3 years

Chris Robinson

Work Place: Aberfoyle Park High School
About me: I am currently a Digital Technologies and Mathematics teacher at Aberfoyle Park High School. I hold a Bachelor of Information Technology along with a Master of Teaching from Flinders University of South Australia. I enjoy developing apps using Swift or Python as well as educating and inspiring the next generation of developers. Through my leadership in the areas of computer science and app development, my students have been able to create and publish their apps on the App Store. I was also the recipient of an Apple WWDC16 Educator Scholarship.
Follow: https://twitter.com/ChrisVRobinson
Time served on the Committee: Joined 2016

Anne Ballard

About me: I was appointed the first primary computing advisory teacher in SA in 1983 after as primary maths advisor I had supported a small group primary teachers each using a computer in their classrooms. What I knew about computers and computing was minimal and I spent a term at Angle Park Computing Centre learning, using, as I recall, Apple II and BBC computers. My appointment was made at the same time as Apple released its Apple II computer to schools at a discounted price, as I recall somewhere round $1000, and many primary were excited to take up the offer so they had a computer in their school. In late 1984 I went to Annesley College as the first Computing Coordinator and worked R-12. The college was one of 3 SA schools involved in the IBM Computers in Education Project which ran for 3 years pioneering the use of “office” software ie spreadsheets (flat file) database and word processing software in educational settings. It was an Australia wide project that ran for 3 years.
At this time there was a group called the Computing Studies Teachers’ Association whose members were mainly secondary teachers, interested in programming of Apple II and BBC computers, and encouraging students also to write programs using cards they would mark and send off to Angle Park Computing Centre where the program would be run and printouts mailed back to the school.
CEGSA (now EdTechSA) was founded in 1984/5 by a group coordinated by Gerry White, at the time principal of Mitcham Primary School, who became its first president. This group aimed to support teachers who wanted to learn how to use computers as an educational tool in the classroom. You need to remember that this was well before there was a computer in almost every home, and I certainly knew no one who had a mobile phone. I was a member of this group, and on the original committee. I have remained continuously on the committee except for a year off around 1990. I was CEGSA president from 1993-6. In 1998 I was appointed to the SSABSA (now SACE Board) as Technology curriculum and assessment officer and Information Technology was one of “my” subjects. Since my retirement in 2006 I have been able to extend my role on the now EdTechSA committee to support especially senior secondary teachers, but only because of the help, knowledge and expertise of current and enthusiastic teachers of the subject who are prepared to share with their colleagues. I was ACCE Leader of the Year in 2008.
I hope to continue to support teachers of Digital Technologies, with its emphasis on coding, but with much more sophisticated tools than those Computing Studies teachers had.
Time served on the Committee: 33 years

Paul Connelly

Work Place: Portside Christian College
About me: With over a decade of teaching in independent K-12 schools across Melbourne and Adelaide, Paul is currently the Head of eLearning at Portside Christian College, Port Adelaide. He has implemented many school-wide projects including Google’s G Suite for Education, ClickView, iPad, laptop and BYOD programs, along with infrastructure server and networking upgrades. Though a keen Hawks supporter, he identifies as an #eduhacker who uses his skills in HTML5, CSS, Javascript, PHP and MySQL to reutilise common tools for boutique educational purposes. A passionate educator, Paul has presented at many conferences including ELH Schooltech, IWBNet, EduTech and EdTechSA, exploring the intersection between digital technologies and educational performance.
Follow: https://twitter.com/pconnellyelearn
Time served on the Committee: Joined 2016

Monique Green

Work Place: Digital Technologies Teacher, St Peter’s Girls School
About me: I am an early career teacher with a passion for engaging girls in authentic technology experiences. I teach Digital Technologies, Design Technologies and Business in Enterprise. I work hard to build and maintain industry connections to expose my students to female role models in technology. I am a member of “Her Tech Path”, a community of Women in IT who see the importance of increasing diversity in technology related roles. We engage with schools through running information sessions and panel discussions with women working in the industry. My most recent project has been working with a Business Intelligence Agency (exposé) to build a unit of work based on how businesses use and communicate data to help inform business decisions. This resource will become available to schools in due time. I have entered my students in the Search for the Next Tech Girl Superhero Challenge which has led to the launch of “Girls in Tech”. A one day immersive technology experience for girls in years 6 and 7 from my school and other local primary schools. Through partnerships with DECD, EdTechSA and Industry partners we were able to ignite the spark in the imagination of young girls about careers in technology. I have faced challenges from how to encourage senior girls to continue studying technology which has forced me to become innovate in how the skills required to be successful today are taught. My “tech-ninja” skills have inspired students not engaged with digital technologies to consider further study in data analytics. This was achieve through fostering industry relationships and working with like-minded people. I feel privledge to be a recipient of the EdTechSA Leading Light Award.
Time served on the Committee: Since 2018

Jose Zayas-Buil

Work Place: Contract teacher. Teaching within the areas of Tech studies, digital technology, science and stem.
About me: I come from a trade background within the Engineering industry and have a good hands on ability to implement practical day to day solution into the classroom learning. I have taught in a number of country schools and look for ways to develop the local needs and issue of the area within the technical / digital studies of the school.
Follow: https://twitter.com/jtech19_jose
Time served on the Committee: Joined 2017

Kelly Rivett

Work Place: Year 5 Teacher, Vale Park Primary School
About me: I grew up tinkering and playing around on computers and digital technologies in rural South Australia before moving to Adelaide where I studied Computer and Information Science and Media Arts at the University of South Australia. I was the UniSA Inaugural Ada Scholarship for Gifted Women in IT. From university I went on to work professionally in the film and television industry on television shows and movies like McLeod’s Daughters, Home and Away, Babadook and ANZAC Girls. After returning to Adelaide from working in the United States I entered the “family business” as a teacher where I have been working in primary schools around Adelaide as a TRT and Contract Teacher for the past 7 years. I believe that digital technologies provides numerous opportunities for teachers and learners to develop their critical and creative thinking, collaboration and communication skills for future lifelong learning and success. I integrate a collaborative learning approach in my classroom where students are encouraged to teach each other and myself what they know and mistakes are celebrated as learning opportunities.
Follow: https://twitter.com/KellyRivett
Time served on the Committee: Member since 2015, Committee member from 2017

Marianne Norman

Work Place: Project Officer, Digital Resources Cultural Institutions, Department for Education
About me: I manage the development of digital resources for teachers and students R-12, in collaboration with South Australian cultural organisations, drawing upon their collections and expertise. Originally a secondary art teacher, I’ve been working in the museums and galleries sector in curatorial, education and management roles for around 25 years (that’s scary!)
I’ve seen a huge shift in this sector, to a point now where education in these institutions has become more student centred and participatory and the challenges and opportunities provided by digital technologies are embraced rather than ignored or shunned. Whilst my day job is largely about crafting content, I am committed to Edtech SA’s mission, which is to support educators in using and teaching digital technologies.
Time served on the Committee: Since April 2017