This panel was created to connect with five organizations that are giving voice to communities that have traditionally been underrepresented in the coding world:
- Hackergal
- Girls Who Game
- Pinnguaq
- Taking IT Global
- Amazon Future Engineer
Each of the panelist organizations are working with students through code and we will hear their thoughts and insights into the work they are doing and the audience they are reaching! Get ready to be inspired.
Panelists:
Kumiko Imai is a teacher at heart. As Director of Education at Hackergal, a Canadian registered charity with a mission to close the gender gap in tech, she oversees the strategy and delivery of Hackergal’s National Hackathon and Ambassador Program. Kumiko has taught in Ontario as well as abroad for 7 years, living in Macau, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. She has found her purpose and passion in making computer science education more accessible and app
Katina Papulkas is an Education Strategist at Dell Technologies who is committed to serving students across Canada. She is an experienced educator with a background in teaching, online learning, leadership, assessment, and educational technology. In her two-decade tenure in education she has been an instructional leader and administrator, where she designed and implemented system-wide initiatives to amplify learning through technology.
Mary McDonald is the senior lead of community programs delivery and lead of the Pinnguaq travel team. She is an educator, writer and media artist who loves to collaborate. Mary has a B.Ed, specializing in Special Education and Language Literacy and has recently completed her Master’s of Educational Technology degree through UBC. Mary gets really excited about participatory media/digital arts projects and believes in the potential for creative technologies to inspire individuals and connect communities. Her most recent project includes a geolocative sound collage composed of fragments from WWI letters.
Michael Furdyk is the Co-founder of TakingITGlobal (www.tigweb.org), which provides innovative global education programs that empower youth to understand and act on the world’s greatest challenges. TIG was awarded the 2013 Intercultural Innovation Award by BMW and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. In the past, he turned his interest in technology into several successful online companies, including MyDesktop.com, which sold to Internet.com in 1999. In 2008, he was named by Contribute Magazine as one of 10 Tech Revolutionaries Redefining the Power and Face of Philanthropy. Michael has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, presented at TED, and was named one of Teen People’s “Twenty Teens that will Change the World”. Over the last decade, he has keynoted over 100 events across sectors, sharing his social media expertise and insights on youth engagement and educational reform to audiences in over 30 countries. He sits on several non-profit boards, and completed his Master of Design (MDes) in Inclusive Design at OCAD University. He is an Adjunct Professor for the Master of Education Technology program at Long Island University.
Susan Ibach is the Head of Amazon Future Engineer Canada, Amazon. Susan works with non-profits and educational organizations across Canada to provide equitable access to computer science education to underserved and historically underrepresented communities. Susan’s passion for helping others discover the power of coding has been a heavy influence on her career. Prior to joining Amazon, Susan worked in a variety of roles related to coding and computer science education. She has delivered workshops at conferences, created Python video courses that attracted well over a million views, and managed the global Microsoft Student Partner program. In 2016 she was recognized by Women in Communications and Technology with the Technology Innovator of the year award. Susan has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick. She encourages everyone who has found success in their career to be role models and mentors. When she isn’t coding she is usually training for a marathon or trying to learn a new song on her guitar.
Moderator: Stephen Hurley Stephen Hurley has been working in Canada’s education space for 35 years, serving as a classroom teacher, curriculum consultant and teacher educator. … He is the chief catalyst behind voicEd Radio—a 24/7 radio station dedicated to deepening the way we talk about education in Canada.