ICE Member Spotlight

The Illinois Computing Educators organization is made up of over 3,000 educators from all parts of the state representing K-12 public and private schools, pre-school programs, and colleges and universities. These teachers, Media Specialists, tech coordinators, and administrators have been involved in many innovative and effective classroom activities and initiatives, and this member spotlight has been created to focus on the people who contribute in many ways to our organization.

This list will continue to grow as ICE members from all chapters are added to this spotlight page, so please check back often to read about the work that our members are doing. If you know of ICE members who you feel are deserving of recognition here, please contact the ICE Office (info@iceberg.org) to share the names and descriptions of those people.

Ed Caster (ICE CAP)
Ed Caster has taught in the Chicago Public Schools for almost 40 years. He has continued to reinvent himself during his career. He began working with computer technology in the early 1990’s when he had his school’s first Apple IIe lab. He moved into a Mac lab a few years  after that. After a stint as a literacy coach and a math/science coach, Ed returned to technology in the role of a Technology Lead Teacher, training and supporting teachers as they began the process of integrating technology into the everyday classroom setting. He received his second master’s degree from NLU with a focus on Technology in Education. Ed also works for the Admissions office of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, in two different PROMISE programs and will soon begin working for IMSA’s FUSION office. For five seasons, Ed was an instructor on the CPS/WCIU television program, The Homework Show. He was named an Exxon/Mobil Outstanding Science Instructor in 2007.

Carolyn Skibba (ICE CAP)
Carolyn Skibba has worked in the field of education for 15 years. Since 1999, she has served as the technology coordinator at Burley School, a public elementary school in Chicago’s Lakeview community. At Burley, she has taught technology classes for grades 1-8, developed technology curricula and integration strategies, led professional development for the school and district, and implemented a 1:1 laptop program. She currently supports the school’s iPad initiative in grades 1 and 2. Before joining Burley, she was a third grade teacher, an Upward Bound instructor, and received her master’s degree in Technology in Education from Harvard University. In 2009, she was named an Apple Distinguished Educator.
Cheri Toledo (IllinICE)
Cheri Toledo, an educator for over 25 years, has taught and coached on the K-12 and university levels, and been a junior high and high school academic counselor and academic dean. Specializing in Educational Technology, she is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Illinois State University.  All of her courses emphasize process and focus on students developing critical thinking and technology skills that they can transfer to other educational settings. Cheri’s research and publications revolve around strategic uses of current and emerging technologies to increase effective teaching and learning, and issues and practices of web-enhanced, blended, and online teaching and learning environments. You can follow Cheri on Twitter (cheritoledo) and subscribe to her blog, Ed Tech Spin at http://drctedd.wordpress.com.  
 

Julie Cox (RICE)
Julie Cox started as the Rock Island Regional Office of Education Professional Development Coordinator in 2000.  She joined RICE in the summer of 2000 and has played such important roles as newsletter editor, 2004 and webmaster.  Julie credits RICE with helping her effectively set up computer labs for teachers drive student art shows through digital photography and develops her own understanding of various applications that she can share with the Rock Island County area. She also was one of the primary drivers of the “Buster” project, working with the elementary grades using a robotic bus to teach children about the importance of bus safety.  Being a part of the RICE Board these over the past years has helped develop some great friendships as well as seeing the 1st & 2nd Annual RICE Conference get started.  Julie looks forward to helping continue to push RICE and area educators through the coming changes and years.
Berni Carmack (RICE)
Berni Carmack is a kindergarten teacher at Longfellow School in Rock Island, the current president of Black Hawk Reading Council, and the Secretary/Treasurer of RICE. She is a charter member of RICE, served as treasurer first, and then assumed the combined position she now holds. Berni has served on school and district technology committees for many years and has been the building technology coach. Since transferring to the kindergarten level, she has had to make adjustments in the use of technology and is adding new projects and uses every year. Berni's school has a partnership with the math education program at Augustana College--one benefit of this is that she can tell the professors her student's math needs and specific skills being taught, and they and their students create a software games to reinforce that particular skill. She has collected an extensive list of Literacy websites and refer to this list often to find kindergarten-level activities and lessons.

 

User login

If you are a member, or attended our conference use the email address and password you created during registration.