Teacher Leaders
Mission Grammar School
Ali Dutson Ali is currently the Assistant Principal and School Wide Literacy Coordinator at Mission Grammar School in Roxbury. Ali has been a key support in integrating Mission Grammar School’s 1:1 iPad use in grades 1-8. She has led professional development, coached teachers, and supported instruction with iPad integration. Ali is currently a Fellow in the Lynch Leadership Academy at Boston College. Ali earned her M.Ed. in Education with a focus on Technology, Innovation and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Ali completed her B.A. in Elementary Education at Emmanuel College. Ali looks forward to presenting at the Tech Academy this summer with a focus on Faith Formation. |
iPads, SmartBoards, and Mimio's suite of tools. In the last 10 years Anne has also taught middle school reading, English, and religion. Anne earned a bachelor’s degree from Bentley College and later earned her Master’s in Elementary Education at UMass Boston. She has presented at the Summer Tech Academy for the past two years and focused on tools to foster collaboration in today's classrooms and schools.
Saint Bernadette School
Mary Anne Jezierski Mary Anne has been a teacher for 26 years. She has taught at both the high school and middle school level. She is currently a 6-8th grade Social Studies teacher at St. Bernadette School in Northboro, Massachusetts. Mary Anne is a Discovery Education Star Educator and serves on the Leadership Council for the state of Massachusetts. She is skilled at using a variety of technology tools to enhance the curriculum including iPads and Smartboard technology. She has earned a B.S. in both Social Studies and Psychology. Mary Anne looks forward to demonstrating how faith formation and technology can be integrated into every subject area. |
Saint Columbkille Partnership School
Rachel Rumely Rachel is currently a second grade teacher at Saint Columbkille Partnership School in Brighton, MA. She recently embarked on a journey to secure her administrative license at Boston College. Previously, she taught 3rd grade at Saint Patrick’s School in Roxbury and kindergarten at Saint Matthew School in Dorchester. Rachel completed her B.S. in Early Childhood Education at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH. Rachel was a member of the Urban Catholic Teaching Corps and earned her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College in 2007. She presented at the 2012 and 2013 Summer Tech Academy and focused on integrating technology and professional apps for teachers into the elementary classroom. |
Instructional Technology Specialist
Sean Sweeney
Sean is a certified Speech-Language Pathologist (CCC-SLP) with an additional M.Ed. and experience in the field of Instructional Technology. He has over ten years of experience in the public school setting working as an SLP and Instructional Technology Specialist. Sean currently works as a clinician and educational technology consultant to families and schools at The Ely Center in Newton, a specialized clinic focusing on social communication issues primarily through group treatment, and he conducts technology integration training for local and national organizations. He worked in the past year in a consultation role as Instructional Technologist at South Boston Catholic Academy. Sean is also an avid blogger; his blog, SpeechTechie, won the the Best New Blog award from Edublogs in 2010. He is also a regular contributor the national magazine of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, the ASHA Leader.
Sean Sweeney
Sean is a certified Speech-Language Pathologist (CCC-SLP) with an additional M.Ed. and experience in the field of Instructional Technology. He has over ten years of experience in the public school setting working as an SLP and Instructional Technology Specialist. Sean currently works as a clinician and educational technology consultant to families and schools at The Ely Center in Newton, a specialized clinic focusing on social communication issues primarily through group treatment, and he conducts technology integration training for local and national organizations. He worked in the past year in a consultation role as Instructional Technologist at South Boston Catholic Academy. Sean is also an avid blogger; his blog, SpeechTechie, won the the Best New Blog award from Edublogs in 2010. He is also a regular contributor the national magazine of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, the ASHA Leader.
Mount Alvernia Academy
Matthew Darling Matthew is the Director of Technology for Mount Alvernia Academy in Chestnut Hill. He works with students in grades K-6 to integrate technology into their classroom experiences. After earning a bachelor’s degree in communications media from Fitchburg State University, Matthew discovered that his true passion was teaching and transitioned to education. He has since been applying his love of technology to his teaching practice. Matthew is currently working on a Master’s in special education at Lesley University in addition to expanding his classroom technology repertoire. He is a regular technology presenter both in house and at the Summer Tech Academy. He looks forward to revolutionizing education through technology. |
South Boston Catholic Academy
Anne Sullivan
Anne taught second grade at South Boston Catholic Academy in the 20-13-14 school year. Prior to joining the staff at SBCA, Anne taught for three years in the New York City Public School System at P.S 277 and P.S. 304 in the Bronx. Anne earned a Masters degree in Childhood Education from Lehman College. She also has a Masters degree in Arts Administration from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Fairfield University. Before discovering her love of teaching and being in the classroom, Anne worked as a fundraiser and grants administrator for the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Anne Sullivan
Anne taught second grade at South Boston Catholic Academy in the 20-13-14 school year. Prior to joining the staff at SBCA, Anne taught for three years in the New York City Public School System at P.S 277 and P.S. 304 in the Bronx. Anne earned a Masters degree in Childhood Education from Lehman College. She also has a Masters degree in Arts Administration from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Fairfield University. Before discovering her love of teaching and being in the classroom, Anne worked as a fundraiser and grants administrator for the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Newton Public Schools
Erin Broderick Erin is the library teacher and instructional technology specialist at Zervas Elementary School in Newton, Massachusetts. She received her Master’s Degree in Library Science from the Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science in 2007. Erin has presented at the American Association for School Librarians National Conference on technology-based collaboration in schools, Internet safety curriculum, and digital storytelling through book trailers. At the district level, Erin has led |
workshops for staff on digital citizenship, research, blogging, and technology tools. When she is not trying out new technology or listening to audiobooks, you can often find her explaining the subtle differences between 796.332 (Football) and 796.333 (Rugby).
Lauren Dietz
Lauren has been an Instructional Technology Specialist in the Newton Public Schools for the past 10 years. Before moving into this role she was a classroom teacher at the K-2 level for 9 years. Lauren earned her B.A. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and her M.A. in Special Education from Hofstra University. Lauren uses her experiences from the classroom to collaborate with classroom teachers to successfully integrate meaningful technology lessons into the curriculum. She believes that together, teachers and ITS can join together to create innovative, standards based technology projects that provide students with opportunities to communicate, collaborate and create; bringing learning and understanding to higher levels. In her free time she enjoys spending time skiing, swimming, reading and traveling with her husband and two sons.
Robyn Eaton
Robyn has been an Instructional Technology Specialist for the past 12 years at the middle school level in Newton Public Schools. Previously Robyn was the Director of Technology at Woodstock Academy in Woodstock, CT and a middle school Mathematics teacher in Barre, MA. Working with teachers to help them design innovative and creative projects with teachers inspires Robyn year after year. In her free time she spends time with her husband and three children.
Stephanie Golas
Stephanie just finished her first year as an Elementary Instructional Technology Specialist in the Newton Public Schools. Prior to joining the team in Newton, Stephanie worked as a Technology Specialist in the Winchester Public Schools and Brookline Public Schools at both the elementary and middle school levels. She is very interested in STEM education and the use of iPads in the classroom. Stephanie enjoys collaborating with teachers and helping them figure out new and exciting ways to integrate technology into their classrooms and their lessons. Stephanie has presented at the MassCUE conference. In her spare time, Stephanie volunteers as the president of the board of directors for the Harvest Co-op Market, enjoys gardening and is re-learning how to knit.
Trish Kelleher
Trisha has been an Instructional Technology Specialist in Newton Public Schools for the past 14 years. Trisha earned her dual Master’s in Education for Instructional Technology and Library Media in 2000. She enjoys collaborating with teachers and working with students to effectively integrate exciting technology into the curriculum. In her spare time, Trisha enjoys spending time with her three children, reading and knitting.
Cheryl Kosmo
Cheryl has been teaching in Newton for 24 years, the last sixteen as the library teacher at the Williams Elementary School in Auburndale. She earned her Master's in Education at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. In 1998 Cheryl pursued her library teacher certification from Bridgewater State College and earned her Instructional Technology certification in 2010. She now holds two roles in her school as the library teacher and instructional technology specialist. Cheryl has presented professional development workshops on the topics of research, web 2.0 tools, and online safety. She is a member of American Association of School Librarians and has presented at the national conference on the topic of developing an Internet Safety Curriculum. Cheryl is active in curriculum development for the library and technology departments of Newton Public Schools and is part of the curriculum advisory committee working to implement the common core standards in Newton. She is also an Instructor in Newton Public School's summer technology training initiative for teachers. Cheryl is from the Boston area and is a rabid Red Sox fan.
Jamie Lightfoot
Jamie is an elementary school Library Teacher and Instructional Technology Specialist at Peirce School in Newton. She received her Master's in Library and Information Science from Simmons College in Boston, MA in 2008 and her ITS certification from Simmons College in 2014. Jamie has presented several district-wide professional development workshops pertaining to research and technology, and has presented at conferences such as Boston College's New Teacher Academy, the American Association of School Librarians' Conference and the Catholic Schools' Foundation. In addition to teaching, Jamie enjoys running and boxing.
Mary Manning
Mary Manning began her career in the Newton Public Schools as a classroom teacher. She worked with students, teachers and parents at the elementary level. The experience gave Mary the opportunity to explore, create, integrate and differentiate curriculum across the subject areas. It was as a classroom teacher that Mary first realized the positive impact technology integration has on the teaching and learning process. As an Instructional Technology Specialist in the Newton Public Schools for the past thirteen years Mary has collaborated with administrative staff, curriculum coordinators and classroom teachers to identify areas where technology integration has the most impact on student learning. Co-teaching with classroom teachers, she models lessons, provides training and professional development for staff, and integrates technology into the curriculum to differentiate instruction and meet the needs of our 21st Century learners. In her free time, Mary enjoys traveling and gardening with her husband and two children.
Lisa Vancans
Lisa is an Instructional Technology Specialist for the Newton Public Schools. She earned her Bachelor's Degree from Ithaca College and a Masters in Library Science from SUNY Albany. After graduate school, Lisa relocated to the Boston area for a job as an Elementary Library Media Specialist for the Newton Public Schools. Since 2008, she has served as an Instructional Technology Specialist. Both a Fulbright Memorial Fund Scholarship to Japan and two National Endowments for Humanities grants were awarded to Lisa during her teaching career. She applied her knowledge from these experiences in the classroom. Lisa has also presented at many district-wide professional development workshops. She enjoys learning about technology and likes assisting teachers and students with technology integration. When Lisa is not working with technology, she enjoys movies, traveling, gardening and spending time with her family.
Lauren has been an Instructional Technology Specialist in the Newton Public Schools for the past 10 years. Before moving into this role she was a classroom teacher at the K-2 level for 9 years. Lauren earned her B.A. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and her M.A. in Special Education from Hofstra University. Lauren uses her experiences from the classroom to collaborate with classroom teachers to successfully integrate meaningful technology lessons into the curriculum. She believes that together, teachers and ITS can join together to create innovative, standards based technology projects that provide students with opportunities to communicate, collaborate and create; bringing learning and understanding to higher levels. In her free time she enjoys spending time skiing, swimming, reading and traveling with her husband and two sons.
Robyn Eaton
Robyn has been an Instructional Technology Specialist for the past 12 years at the middle school level in Newton Public Schools. Previously Robyn was the Director of Technology at Woodstock Academy in Woodstock, CT and a middle school Mathematics teacher in Barre, MA. Working with teachers to help them design innovative and creative projects with teachers inspires Robyn year after year. In her free time she spends time with her husband and three children.
Stephanie Golas
Stephanie just finished her first year as an Elementary Instructional Technology Specialist in the Newton Public Schools. Prior to joining the team in Newton, Stephanie worked as a Technology Specialist in the Winchester Public Schools and Brookline Public Schools at both the elementary and middle school levels. She is very interested in STEM education and the use of iPads in the classroom. Stephanie enjoys collaborating with teachers and helping them figure out new and exciting ways to integrate technology into their classrooms and their lessons. Stephanie has presented at the MassCUE conference. In her spare time, Stephanie volunteers as the president of the board of directors for the Harvest Co-op Market, enjoys gardening and is re-learning how to knit.
Trish Kelleher
Trisha has been an Instructional Technology Specialist in Newton Public Schools for the past 14 years. Trisha earned her dual Master’s in Education for Instructional Technology and Library Media in 2000. She enjoys collaborating with teachers and working with students to effectively integrate exciting technology into the curriculum. In her spare time, Trisha enjoys spending time with her three children, reading and knitting.
Cheryl Kosmo
Cheryl has been teaching in Newton for 24 years, the last sixteen as the library teacher at the Williams Elementary School in Auburndale. She earned her Master's in Education at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. In 1998 Cheryl pursued her library teacher certification from Bridgewater State College and earned her Instructional Technology certification in 2010. She now holds two roles in her school as the library teacher and instructional technology specialist. Cheryl has presented professional development workshops on the topics of research, web 2.0 tools, and online safety. She is a member of American Association of School Librarians and has presented at the national conference on the topic of developing an Internet Safety Curriculum. Cheryl is active in curriculum development for the library and technology departments of Newton Public Schools and is part of the curriculum advisory committee working to implement the common core standards in Newton. She is also an Instructor in Newton Public School's summer technology training initiative for teachers. Cheryl is from the Boston area and is a rabid Red Sox fan.
Jamie Lightfoot
Jamie is an elementary school Library Teacher and Instructional Technology Specialist at Peirce School in Newton. She received her Master's in Library and Information Science from Simmons College in Boston, MA in 2008 and her ITS certification from Simmons College in 2014. Jamie has presented several district-wide professional development workshops pertaining to research and technology, and has presented at conferences such as Boston College's New Teacher Academy, the American Association of School Librarians' Conference and the Catholic Schools' Foundation. In addition to teaching, Jamie enjoys running and boxing.
Mary Manning
Mary Manning began her career in the Newton Public Schools as a classroom teacher. She worked with students, teachers and parents at the elementary level. The experience gave Mary the opportunity to explore, create, integrate and differentiate curriculum across the subject areas. It was as a classroom teacher that Mary first realized the positive impact technology integration has on the teaching and learning process. As an Instructional Technology Specialist in the Newton Public Schools for the past thirteen years Mary has collaborated with administrative staff, curriculum coordinators and classroom teachers to identify areas where technology integration has the most impact on student learning. Co-teaching with classroom teachers, she models lessons, provides training and professional development for staff, and integrates technology into the curriculum to differentiate instruction and meet the needs of our 21st Century learners. In her free time, Mary enjoys traveling and gardening with her husband and two children.
Lisa Vancans
Lisa is an Instructional Technology Specialist for the Newton Public Schools. She earned her Bachelor's Degree from Ithaca College and a Masters in Library Science from SUNY Albany. After graduate school, Lisa relocated to the Boston area for a job as an Elementary Library Media Specialist for the Newton Public Schools. Since 2008, she has served as an Instructional Technology Specialist. Both a Fulbright Memorial Fund Scholarship to Japan and two National Endowments for Humanities grants were awarded to Lisa during her teaching career. She applied her knowledge from these experiences in the classroom. Lisa has also presented at many district-wide professional development workshops. She enjoys learning about technology and likes assisting teachers and students with technology integration. When Lisa is not working with technology, she enjoys movies, traveling, gardening and spending time with her family.
University of Massachusetts Boston
Christine Power Christine is Director of Teacher Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Her research interests include teacher education policy, technology in education, and teaching for social justice. Her recent publications include “New Directions for Teacher Preparation” (co-authored with Dr. Marilyn Cochran-Smith) in Education Leadership (May 2010) and “Preparing Teachers for Tomorrow’s America” (co-authored with Dr. Marilyn Cochran-Smith) in O.L. Davis & M. Kysilka (Eds.), Schools for Tomorrow’s America, Kappa Delta Pi Foundation. In addition to teaching undergraduate and master’s level pre-service education courses at Boston College, she worked with Dr. Alec Peck, Dr. Amy Ryan, and the teachers at the St. Columbkille Partnership School with the recently completed Digital History Project -- a two-year school-wide professional development initiative aimed at developing dynamic technology-infused social studies curricula. She is also a doctoral candidate at the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. Throughout all aspects of her work, Christine draws upon the knowledge gained from her decade long experience as a Boston area public school teacher. |