Founding Facilitators

Sherry Jones - Track 1 Facilitator - Game Studies

I am a Philosophy, Rhetoric, and Game Studies instructor in higher education, a Game Design and Psychology subject matter expert, and the creator of the gMOOC Theory and Rhetoric and Composition: The Persuasive Power of Video Games as Paratexts.

In addition to teaching, I serve as the Software & Information Industry 2015 CODiE Awards Judge for the "Best Game-Based Curriculum Solution" category, and co-authored the article, "Composition on a New Scale: Play UX Design Thinking in Online Writing Instruction (OWI)."

I have been featured on: Psychology Of Games as one of 50+ Gaming Academics on Twitter; Good Games Writing for my work in game studies; eCampus News for my views on game-based learning, diversity in gaming and gamergate; eLearning Industry as one of top 23 Gamification Professionals; Electric Literature for my work in Interactive Fiction (IF); Edwin McRae for my research in narratology. See my portfolio to access my research publications.

V.G. "Blue" - Track 2 Facilitator - Multiplayer Classroom

I am an Instructional Designer and Technologist on the East Coast. Facilitator for VWGET, ARG Academy and Machinima MOOC as well as positions in VEN, GSN, VSTE and ISTE. Working, reading and playing, I certainly keep myself busy with plenty of projects. I am an Education Technology enthusiast understanding and adapting new ways to incorporate technology into education, training and professional learning communities (PLCs).

Check out my Machinimas.

Kristina Thoennes - Gaming Librarian

I am a School Library Media Coordinator* at a school for students in grades 4-6 in North Carolina. I have learned about games in education through NCSLMA & NCTIES conferences, the 2012-2013 Level Up Book Club, the Inevitable Betrayal Guild in World of Warcraft, 3D GameLab camps, and the GamesMOOC. I occasionally blog at Electrons and Ink.

*a.k.a. "Library Teacher"

Chris Luchs - Track 2 Facilitator - Quantified Self

I am the Associate Dean for Career and Technical Education at Colorado Community Colleges Online. My areas of instruction are Accounting, Business, and Multimedia Graphic Design. I am also an officer for the ISTEGames and Simulations Network and a Guild Master for a World of Warcraft Educators Guild. In addition to formal college instruction, I have a passion for investigating new technologies and collaborating with other educators on evaluating and exploring virtual economies and games based educational applications for business. My current happy places are analytics, data visualization tools, and World of Warcraft.

Kae Novak - Track 2 Facilitator - Multiplayer Classroom

I am an educator, instructional designer and educational technologist who is passionate about learning. I am lucky enough to learn and play with an exceptional group of fellow educators in ISTE Games & Sims Network, Virtual Environments Network and the educators’ gaming guildInevitable Betrayal. I spent 2012 – 2014 working on several immersive and game based learning grants for the Colorado Community College System to include five iterations of the Games MOOC.

Trish Cloud - Social Media Maven and Master of the Twitterverse - Curator of all the Meta goodness we uncover.

I am a Technology Instructor at Grand Oak Elementary in Huntersville, NC. I have a passion for technology and gaming and I seek to blend those into my classes. I presently am expanding the use of Minecraft in the classroom and at afterschool clubs both at my school and my district. I play and learn with an inspiring group of educators in the ISTE Games & Simulations Network and in Inevitable Betrayal in World Of Warcraft (and yes, that is a Firefly reference). I am also a member of NCTIES.