Teachnet Authors

Authors:

Linnie Aikens-Avila	School: Peabody Charter School Email address: aikens@peabodycharter.org Linnie Aikens-Avila has been teaching 20 years in Santa Barbara, all grades K-5, specializing in integrated, authentic curriculum design, writing, art, technology and year-long-planning. She is always searching for ways to bring learning alive and help students relate on a deeper level by connecting personally, and thus, more meaningfully. Teaching responsibility and accountability threads throughout all of her units. She founded and teaches Young Masters Art Studio and Young Authors & Illustrators, two after school classes for gifted students in art and writing. In addition to teaching and curriculum writing, she mentors new teachers and assists in staff development.
Kristen L. Burke	School: Ida Redmond Taylor Elementary E-mail address: Kburke@smbsd.k12.ca.us Kristen L. Burke has taught in Santa Barbara County for the Santa Maria-Bonita School District since 1997. Her experience includes teaching first through third grade. She earned National Board Certification in 2003 as an Early Childhood Generalist. She holds a Masters in Reading Language Arts and a Reading Specialist Credential from the University of La Verne, La Verne California. Her family background in agriculture and science lead her to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo where she earned her Bachelor of Science. Upon graduation she worked for the California State Division of Fairs and Expositions and then for Santa Barbara County as an Agricultural Biologist.
Jeff Foote	School: Kermit McKenzie Jr. High, Guadalupe, CA E-mail address: jfoote@sbceo.org Jeff Foote has been teaching for 12 years in Santa Barbara County, all in the rural agricultural district of Guadalupe, California. As a bilingual educator with special emphasis in science, he has found a wide range of uses of technology to be both inspirational to students, and a great way for language learners to produce high quality communication. He has been a project facilitator for several National Science Foundation projects, and worked in district, county, and state mentoring for technology and science. He thinks that projects like TeachNET are a great chance for more teachers to go beyond downloading, and become “uploaders” . Jeff welcomes e-mail comments and questions about any of his TeachNET units.
Christian Garfield	School: Cold Springs Elementary School E-mail address: cgarfield@coldspringschool.net Christian began the tech program at CSS a seven years ago, transferred to Crane Country Day School to develop a tech program there, and is now in his second year back at CSS. With the launch of a 1:1 laptop program in the 3-6 Grade, teaching computers has become more exciting than ever. Students are using laptops on a daily basis and are becomming increasingly more computer literate. With students more comfortable using computers, Mr Garfield is able to be more creative.
Karen J. Hamner	School: La Honda Elementary School E-mail addresses: hamnerk@lompoc.k12.ca.us, kjhamner@netscape.net Karen Hamner teaches a 4/5 combination class at La Honda Elementary in Lompoc, CA, a small agrarian community just outside Vandenberg Air force Base. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a master’s degree in Elementary Education from Chapman University. She is currently completing a GATE certification also from UCSB. Karen also teaches the Yearbook/Photography club and a computer mini-class at her school. She is a trainer for the District’s adopted writing program, Write from the Beginning, and for the Houghton Mifflin Language Arts adoption. In addition she is a School Site Council grade level representative, science task force member, and site computer mentor teacher. She won the La Honda PTA’s Honorary Service Award for the 2002-3 school year. Karen loves her job and helping her students attain new levels of learning through the use of her mini-in-class-computer-lab of fifteen computers. Her objective for technology in the classroom is to have a computer for each of her students to use in the classroom.
Stacey Hansen	Email Address: stacey.hansen@verizon.net Stacey Hansen has been teaching elementary school on the Central California coast for eighteen years. She loves technology and has been a CTAP mentor for the Santa Barbara County for the last year. She enjoys spreading the intrigue of technology with her colleges and provides regular training sessions. She is an artist and enjoys oil painting,digital video editing, taking photographs, and digital imaging. She enjoys integrating the arts into her curriculum.
Susan Hughes	School: Brandon Elementary School Email Address: shughes@sbceo.org Susan Hughes is currently a six grade teacher at Brandon School in Goleta, California. She has been teaching for 8 years and has been involved in educational technology even before she became a classroom teacher. She has two degrees in Computer Science and published "Tools for the Students, A K-6 Computer Curriculum". For the last 5 years she has been involved with the "Computer for Families Program" and has been able to place over 60 computers with internet access with families that did not have access to this important technology. She uses e-mail and electronic class letters to keep in close contact with her students and their families. She is really looking forward to the 2003-2004 school year with Brandon TV, A weekly television show about Brandon School produced by the sixth grade students.
Martha McIntyre	School: Aliso Elementary School Email Address: mmcintyre@cusd.net About the teacher: Martha McIntyre is a fifth grade teacher at Aliso Elementary School in Carpinteria, California. She has taught in the Carpinteria Unified School District for twenty-eight years, eleven as a special education teacher. Martha is a former a Santa Barbara County CTAP Technology Mentor. She has a master’s degree in educational technology.
Kim Miller	School: Goleta Valley Junior High School Email Address: kmiller@sbsdk12.org Kim Miller has taught science and math in the Santa Barbara High School District for the past 16 years. She graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in biology, and earned her single-subject teaching credential in science, math, and English through U.C.S.B. She is grateful for her experiences with research at Hopkins Marine Station and in Yosemite National Park for enriching her lessons on the scientific method. Miller has been piloting astronomy projects with the Las Cumbres Global Telescope Network, and hopes to continue original astronomical research with her students as they use remote, research-grade robotic telescopes.
Vicki Mitchell and Cheryl Spence	School: Benjamin Foxen Elementary Email Addresses: cspence@sbceo.org or vmitchell@sbceo.org Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. Spence are both seasoned teachers who are deeply interested in sharing new ideas with their primary aged students. They both seek to show their students a connection between curriculum and the real world around them. The two teachers enjoy working together, supporting each other, and strive to give their small-town students a wide variety of experiences.
Ann D'Angelo Orton	School: El Camino Junior High School Email Address: Mikenannie@charter.net Ann D'Angelo Orton is a teacher at El Camino Junior High School, in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District, in Santa Maria, California. In her efforts to support beginning teachers, Ann has been a BTSA (California Beginning Teacher Mentor), and a CTAP (California Technology Mentor). Ann and her husband, Michael, authored an integrated technology unit posted with the Telemation Project. The unit, entitled "Eruptions," provides students with opportunities to form email buddies and communicate online with volcanologists. Ann is presently teaching health to seventh grade students in a class called, "Skills for Adolescence." You can reach her at Mikenannie@charter.net .
Michael W. Orton	School: Fesler Junior High School Email: mikenannie@charter.net Mike Orton has been a 7th and 8th grade teacher in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District, on the beautiful central coast of California since 1991. He received his degree in social science at U.C. Irvine, completed his credentials at Cal. Poly. San Luis Obispo, and earned a Masters in Teaching from Grand Canyon University. Having been an actor before a teacher, Mike enjoys bringing his talents as a performer into the classroom. He believes an active and positive classroom climate is the means to curriculum mastery, so play it up and have some fun!
Petti Pfau	Petti Pfau is currently a first grade teacher in the Solvang School District, Solvang, California. She has been teaching thirty-two years. Her experience includes kindergarten through eight grades. She has been an active California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP) Mentor/Liaison and has completed her Level III Technology Proficiencies.
Jessica N. Rivera	School: Ida Redmond Taylor Email: jrivera@gw.smbsd.k12.ca.us Jessica N. Rivera has been teaching in Santa Barbara County for The Santa Maria-Bonita School District since 1989. Her experience includes teaching kindergarten through third grade. She earned her first teaching degree in México where she taught for a year before moving to the US. Later she earned an A.A. degree in Bilingual Cross–Cultural Studies at Ventura college, a B.A. in Art Studio at UCSB, a Bilingual Cross-Cultural Multiple Subject credential with emphasis in Spanish at UCSB, and most recently a master's degree in Educational Technology at Pepperdine University.
Paul Sperry	School: Carpinteria Middle School Email: psperry@cusd.net Paul Sperry has been a 7th and 8th grade science teacher at Carpinteria Middle School for three years, previously having taught 9th grade science at the Zurich International School, Switzerland. He is a graduate of Humboldt State University in Arcata, California with a B.S. in Biology and received his M.Ed. and teaching credentials from the University of California, Santa Barbara. An explorer at heart, Paul’s motivation for outdoor adventure and academic learning is one and the same. His goal in the classroom is to spread this passion in the context of understanding the beautiful complexity that is our world.
Suzanne Squires	School: Los Olivos School Email: squiressue@excite.com Suzanne has taught seventh and eighth grade science, physical education, computer applications, agriculture and art since 1996. She has Level 2 CTAP and CLAD certification and coaches boys and girls volleyball at Los Olivos School. Serving as a facilitator for the UCSB projects Science Partnership for School Innovation and Beyond The Classroom for six years helped her develop several key units using standards and t3echnololgy. She is a Distinguished Educator for the County of Santa Barbara for 2003 and 2004.
Tracy Sturgell	Email: tsturgell@smbsd.k12.ca.us Tracy Sturgell is currently a Teacher On Special Assignment for Technology in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District in Santa Maria, California, as well as a Santa Barbara County CTAP Technology Mentor. She has worked in her district for 19 years as an educator in grades 1-6. Tracy has served as a tech leader in her district since 1984.
Tracee Sudyka	School: Joe Nightingale Elementary Email: tsudyka@orcutt-schools.net Tracee Sudyka currently teaches third grade at Joe Nightingale Elementary School in the Orcutt Union School District. Tracee has been a classroom teacher for seventeen years, and has taught grades three though six. Tracee has a strong interest in using technology as a tool for learning. Using technology, her students create variety of student-centered projects each school year.
Kelly VanAllen	Kelly VanAllen has been teaching fifth/ sixth grade for the past 15 years. She has been involved with technology at her school as the systems operator, helping to maintain the workings of the school's networked computers and as the Internet facilitator, designing the school's homepage with the assistance of students. She is currently one of Santa Barbara County's technology mentors.
Jennifer Wright	Email: jwright@orcutt-schools.net Jennifer Wright has been a fifth grade teacher in the Orcutt Union School District for ten years. She was the first Internet Club Leader and in that capacity, went to every school and worked with students to create each school's first web page. She is currently on leave to care for her two children.