The Speakers

Jeff has been educating with innovative digital instructional modalities since 1996. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Arts degree in teaching from Minnesota State University, Mankato. He taught in Minnesota, Berlin, Beijing, and Singapore before joining the Minnesota Department of Education in 2016. Jeff enjoys fishing, camping, foraging and other outdoor pursuits.

Sarah Benson

"Increasing Inclusivity Through Effective Student Engagement Strategies"

9:45- Link

Sarah Benson has worked as a school counselor and case manager since 2012. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2010 and her master’s degree in school counseling from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2012. In 2006-2007, Sarah served in Iraq with the Minnesota Army National Guard and it was through that experience that she decided to pursue working in the human services profession. She was a co-founder and is a current board member of a non-profit in her local community that celebrates and supports the LGBTQ+ community. In her free time, she enjoys family bike rides, reading historical fiction, cheering on the Vikings and writing adventure stories for her children.

Michael Diedrich

"Graduation From Many Lenses"

9:45- Link

MDE

Jon Fila

"Redirecting AI for Equity and Inclusion"

11:15- Link

Teacher, Northern Star Online

Jon Fila is an award-winning educator and curriculum coordinator who promotes equitable access to high-quality educational materials and experiences for all learners. Jon has led digital accessibility initiatives, developed curriculum, and facilitated the adoption and update of Open Educational Resources (OER). Jon also serves as an educational consultant, offering expertise in online learning, instructional design, accessibility, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). He has written three books on the use of AI in education.

Ryan Kasl

"Special Education and Supplemental Online Learning"

9:45- Link

Assistant Principal, Northern Star Online

Amy Steele

"Innovating Online Credit Recovery Curriculum"

10:30- Link

Amy Steele is the Saint Paul Public Schools 9-12 assistant director for alternative learning. She has a rich history of leading innovative systems change.

Sierra Burris

"Innovating Online Credit Recovery Curriculum"

10:30- Link

Sierra Burris is an ELA Credit Recovery TOSA at Saint Paul Public Schools with 13 years of teaching experience, including grades 9-12 English, accelerated courses, and co-taught MLL and SPED English. Currently, she is focused on creating a student-paced curriculum that integrates choice, honors prior knowledge, and aligns with reading, writing, and discourse standards. Sierra is dedicated to developing an engaging and inclusive learning experience.

Kara Cisco

"Innovating Online Credit Recovery Curriculum"

10:30- Link

Dr. Kara Cisco, the 2020 Minnesota Social Studies Teacher of the Year, is an educator and curriculum writer for Saint Paul Public School’s Department of Alternative Education. She is National Board Certified and recently completed her Doctorate in Education at the University of Missouri at St. Louis. Kara specializes in culturally responsive pedagogy, project-based learning, and the impact of white criticality in Social Studies and Ethnic Studies classes.

Renee Swanson

"Innovating Online Credit Recovery Curriculum"

10:30- Link

Renee Swanson is a 9-12 Science Credit Recovery TOSA for Saint Paul Public Schools. With 15 years of dedicated teaching experience in the St. Paul community, Renee specializes in credit recovery for Sciences. Focused on student-centered curriculum design, she actively incorporates student feedback and engages in co-design with students as well as district teachers to enhance the credit recovery experience.

Chris Reynolds

"Digital Accessibility: Then and Now"

11:15- Link

Chris is the Nontraditional Education Programs Specialist in the Division of Special Education. Primary responsibilities are to provide technical assistance, professional development and other support to our state's Charter, Online and Nonpublic Schools.

Andrea Wilson Vazquez

"Navigating the Rapids: Exploring AI in K-12 Education"

10:30- Link

Andrea Wilson Vazquez is the Computer Science Specialist at the Minnesota Department of Education. She leads collaborative statewide initiatives that strengthen the capacity of Minnesota schools to provide high quality Computer Science education so that students are prepared with knowledge and skills for postsecondary and career success. She is a Computer Science Teaching Association Equity Fellow alum, a partner on the NSF Coaching for Equity project, and course facilitator on the Strategies for Effective and Inclusive CS Pedagogy Course with UT Austin. Andrea was formerly Deputy Director of the Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance. She founded and led the MNCodes educator training programs at Code Savvy for 8 years, and also has experience as an innovative instructional coach, makerEd and computer science educator, and a teacher of English learners.

Hannah Kranz

"Helping ESL Students Succeed Online"

10:30- Link

ESL Teacher, Cyber Village Academy

Tom Cozzolino

"Teaching Computer Science in an Online Classroom"

10:30- Link

Computer Science Teacher, Bloomington Public Schools

Natalie Strauss

"Digital Science Notebooks"

11:15- Link

Natalie Strauss has been teaching secondary science, primarily Chemistry and 8th Grade Science, since 2014 first in St Paul and currently in Osseo. Transitioning to digital learning in 2021 with the creation of 279Online, a synchronous k12 public school through Osseo Area Schools, was a natural extension to the digital work she had previously implemented into her physical classroom. With 4 years of full-time online teaching under her belt Strauss has learned many digital skills to help make digital notebooks easy and manageable for educators and students alike while streamlining grading practices and cutting back on 'lost' student work.

Tracy Quarnstrom

"Looking Back on Twenty Plus Years of Virtual Learning"

9:45-Link

Director, Minnesota Online High School

Tracy L. Quarnstrom has served as the director of Wolf Creek Online High school since 2003. Wolf Creek is Minnesota’s only hybrid online high school which offers students an online experience while still offering the advantages of face to face interactions several days per week. Starting on July 1 st of this year, she took on the role of Executive Director at the MN Online High School. Quarnstrom has been very involved in the creation of online learning legislation in the state of Minnesota as well as in organizations that promote quality online choices for students and families. She served on the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools board of directors from 2009-2011 as well as on the government affairs committee. She was a founding member of the MNOLA (Minnesota Organization for K12 Online learning Alliance) group and served as a member of legislative committee for several years. She is currently the secretary for MNOLA. She has taught in an adjunct capacity for Hamline University teaching classes on the topic of leadership in organizations. She is known as a leader in both virtual school and public charter school circles, even earning the distinction of winning the Charter School Leader of the Year Award in 2018.

Meagan Rathbun

"Closing Session"

12:00-Link

Assistant Principal, Online728

Dr. Meagan Rathbun is the current administrator for Online728 K-12 school, a comprehensive online program offered through ISD 728. She brings a wealth of knowledge to the field of online education through 7 years of online teaching experience prior to stepping into administration. Meagan obtained her Master's Degree in Teaching from Bethel University with a thesis focus on formative assessment in an online K-12 environment. Meagan also obtained her Ed. D. from Bethel University with a research focus on student engagement in K-12 online education.