Jon Spike started his career as an English Teacher and later as a Technology Integrator. He now serves as Coordinator of Instructional Technology Integration Services at UW-Whitewater's College of Education. Jon has presented all over the United States to districts, organizations, and conferences, including the International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference, the Future of Educational Technology Conference (FETC), and the Midwest Google Summit. Jon has a Master’s in Educational Technology from Marian University and is working on his Ph.D. dissertation on virtual re ..read more

Today’s guest is Jim Samartino, lead Game designer for Secrets of the Lost Station, co-creator of Secrets of the Lost Tomb, conceptual writer for the Big Trouble in Little China “Legacy of Lo Pan” expansion game, and most recently the author of the interactive children’s book Crow the Courageous. He is a father of two, has a degree in psychology, and is a creative spirit who enjoys entrepreneurial endeavors. He is the owner of Samartino Stories, his newest and third privately owned company. He has participated in publishing over 125 short stories for board games. He loves Movies ..read more

Special episode with more professional updates for me! It will undoubtedly benefit this Engagers community, so listen to this short, 10-minute episode and get up to speed ..read more

Christen is, and always has been, a storyteller. She started with singing and musical theatre at the age of five and went on to earn two music degrees. Fictional books (mostly fantasy, some sci-fi) were her best friends growing up and continue to be a huge part of her life. The earliest books she remembers reading are the Jewel Kingdom books and the Jedi Apprentice Star Wars books. By day she teaches singing to both advanced and beginners (including people who think they can't sing). By night she's either hanging out with her family or happily chronicling the events of her first fantasy novels ..read more

Charlotte Cheng is the Senior Education Manager at CodeCombat. With over 20 years of curriculum design experience, she has developed curriculum content for CodeCombat, Wonder Workshop, the Walt Disney Company, LeapFrog, and several EdTech startups. Her expertise is creating effective and engaging content for kids at the intersection of education, media, and technology As part of her work at CodeCombat, Charlotte hosts and produces the EdTech Adventures podcast, which explores the role of technology, STEM, and creative play in education with expert guests. Charlotte has also taught in a variety ..read more

Chris Hood is a digital strategist and technology entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in online entertainment and marketing for TV, Film, Music, and Video Games. As the Head of Business Innovation and Strategy for Google, Chris engages with some of the top companies in the world to develop digital transformation strategies that grow business value. At Google, He also hosts the weekly business podcast That Digital Show. Previously, Chris Hood worked as a Director for Fox Broadcasting where he developed storytelling technologies and innovated new mechanisms for viewers to engage with t ..read more

Tricia Underwood is a joy-centered Executive Functioning Specialist who helps students and adults with ADHD and ADHD-like symptoms learn systems, habits, and strategies to create greater success on their unique terms. After graduating from college with a B.A. in Literature and a couple of years trying to work in an office, Tricia pursued a master’s in teaching secondary Language Arts from Tufts University. The more she taught, the more her reputation grew for supporting students who did not fit the traditional school mold. Throughout her career as an inclusion teacher-leader and lear ..read more

Andrew is the Co-Founder and CEO of G13R, the developers of GenMove, BALLN and MyKicks. GenMove, the company's flagship product uses AI to create a gamified exercise experience for Gen Alpha / Z using motion tracking to create augmented reality motion games. GenMove was launched into the market in November 2022, in collaboration with the World Health organization with the aim of getting more children to be more active ..read more

Devoted video gamer with 30+ years experience and started playing on ZX Spectrum. Worked 10 years as a telecommunication and software engineer before making a pivot to game development and education. Worked at CheckiO and created a ton of coding mini-games and puzzles for programmers. For the last 7 years, we have been working at CodeCombat in different roles from level designer to game developer and lead game designer back ..read more

What started off as playing games with some coworkers to pass the lunch hour has spun into so much more. Adam started playing The Settlers of Catan with about 4 or 5 coworkers from his division. Word got out that games were being played and within a few months, the group had grown to about 10 people. More games were introduced to the group, and more members joined. These new players came from other divisions in the company. After three years, the group had grown to over 20 people, played over two dozen games, and even spread to other buildings on campus. This led Adam and Tim to start creating ..read more