UEN Professional Development Staff Information

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Administration    Instructors

Administration


Justin BrooksbyJustin Brooksby
Associate Director

801-581-5366
justin [at] uen [dot] org (Email Justin )

Justin manages the professional development department at UEN. His expertise lies in instructional design, technology integration, learning strategies and process improvement. He began his career as a network designer for Cisco Systems in 2000 and joined the University of Utah in 2005 in Business and Auxiliary Services before joining the Utah Education Network in 2013. Throughout his career, Justin has implemented several training programs designed to increase learning comprehension and improve customer service strategies. At UEN, he is responsible for the Utah Education Technology Endorsement Program, Leadership in Personalized and Digital Learning for school principals, professional development opportunities and Canvas LMS. Justin strives to create positive working relationships with school districts, libraries, Utah State Office of Education, Utah System of Higher Education and educational partners to improve student education in Utah. Justin has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a Master of Education degree in Instructional Design and Educational Technology from the University of Utah.

Ask Nicole:

Nicole JohnsonNicole Johnson
Content Specialist

801-585-9038
njohnson [at] uen [dot] org (Email Nicole)

Nicole is an educational technology specialist who equips school counselors with the tools they need to implement comprehensive school counseling programs and increase equitable student outcomes through technology. She also provides academic planning and advising for teachers looking to complete the Educational Technology Endorsement. She has previously worked as an Academic Advisor, School Counselor and College/Career Advisor in all K-12 settings. She holds a Master's in Educational Psychology / School Counseling from the University of Utah.


Instructors


Classes:

  • Adobe Educator Level 1
  • Adobe Educator Level 2
  • Create Online Educational Media
  • Game-Based Learning and Gamification
  • Lucid for Education
  • The Multimedia Classroom
Rob BentleyRob Bentley
Senior Technology Trainer
Product Manager for Adobe

801-585-6828
rob [at] uen [dot] org (Email Rob )
Twitter

Rob is a multimedia education expert who provides teachers with the skills and knowledge to integrate video, images and other forms of media effectively into their classrooms. He guides teachers in fostering student creativity through media production and teaches courses that help educators learn the basics of computer usage. Previously, Rob taught Spanish and language arts in Granite School District. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Spanish education with an English minor and a Master's in Instructional Design and Educational Technology from the University of Utah.


Classes:

  • Apple Teacher iPad Badge
  • Apple Teacher Mac Badge
  • Filmmaking in the Classroom
  • eMedia: Explore, Create, & Collaborate
  • Mixed Reality for Education
  • Mobile Photography in the Classroom
  • Teaching in VR with Google Virtual Tours
Katie BluntKatie Blunt
Senior Technology Trainer
Product Manager for eMedia

801-585-7905
kblunt [at] uen [dot] org (Email Katie )

Katie Blunt is the UEN product manager over eMedia and hosts UEN's PDTV series. Previously, Katie worked as an Educational Technology Specialist for the Canyons School District and taught sixth grade in the Jordan School District. She served as the Utah Coalition for Educational Technology president from 2015-2016. She has a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy and a master’s in Instructional Design and Educational Technology from the University of Utah. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Brigham Young University. Katie has K-12 administrative licensure and teaching endorsements in ESL, Ed Tech, Instructional Coaching, Keyboarding and Multimedia. She is an ISTE, Apple, Nearpod and Google certified educator.



Classes:

  • Adobe Creative Tools
  • Apple Teacher iPad Badge
  • Apple Teacher Mac Badge
  • Digital Empowerment
  • Education and Digital Storytelling
  • Getting Started with Canvas
  • Google Certified Educator Level 1
  • Google Certified Educator Level 2
  • Nearpod Certified Educator
Val AndersonVal O'Bryan
Senior Technology Trainer
Product Manager for Canvas

801-213-8794
val [at] uen [dot] org (Email Val )

Val is skilled in the area of instructional design. She is dedicated to helping educators create engaging and effective online courses. She earned a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Kansas State University and a Master's of English in Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Media Studies from Northern Arizona University. She most recently worked as an English teacher and concurrent enrollment instructor in Washington County School District.


Classes:

  • Education and Digital Storytelling
  • Developing Digital Detectives
  • Learning on the Go: Mobile Learning
  • Teaching Digital Citizenship

Dani SloanDani Sloan
Senior Technology Trainer
Product Manager for Utah's Online Library

801-581-5382
dani [at] uen [dot] org (Email Dani )
Twitter

Dani is the UEN product manager overseeing Utah’s Online School Library and Leadership training. She is enthusiastic about supporting educators in developing their leadership capacity, advancing their research skills and integrating digital citizenship into their everyday teaching. Prior to joining UEN, Dani was a School Technology Specialist and Elementary Teacher for the Granite School District. She currently serves on Utah's Digital Wellness, Citizenship and Safe Technology Commission and was previously the president of the Utah Coalition for Education Technology. She has a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy, a Master's in Instructional Design and Educational Psychology and a Bachelor's in Elementary Education from the University of Utah, where she is currently an Adjunct Instructor for the IDET Program. Dani has a K-12 administrative license and an EdTech Endorsement. She is an ISTE Certified Educator and a Certified Educational Technology Leader (CETL).


Classes:

  • Creating Critical Thinkers through Coding
  • Computer Science in your Classroom
  • Escape Boredom with Digital Breakouts
  • Immersive Learning with Breakout EDU
  • Nearpod Certified Educator
  • Nearpod Certified Educator: Advanced
  • Teaching the 4 Cs Using iPads

Dani SloanBraxton Thornley
Senior Technology Trainer

801-646-8031
braxton [at] uen [dot] org (Email Braxton)

Braxton specializes in using technology to personalize learning by leveraging tools within Canvas LMS, artificial intelligence and Google Workspace suite. He enjoys working with teachers one-on-one to help them create safe, organized and engaging classrooms. Before joining UEN's professional development team, Braxton worked as a high school language arts teacher and a digital teaching and learning coach in Jordan School District. Braxton has been recognized as a "Most Valuable Educator" by Instructure and the Utah Jazz. He was also named a “Top Imaginative Teacher” by Disney and selected as one of the Jordan Education Foundation's twelve "Outstanding Educators of the Year" for 2022. Braxton has a Bachelor's degree in English, with an emphasis in secondary education from Utah Tech University.


Classes:

  • Blended Learning Methods
  • Mixed Reality for Education
  • Personalized Learning in the Classroom
  • Online Library Secondary
  • Research Ready: UOL for PreK-5
  • Sparking Curiosity and Creativity Using Genius Hour
  • Utah's Online Library: Research & Resources

Dani SloanKayla Towner
Senior Technology Trainer
Product Manager for Utah's Online Library

801-587-2248
kayla [at] uen [dot] org (Email Kayla )
Twitter

Kayla is dedicated to promoting student agency through innovative learning methods that offer more choices and diverse ways to demonstrate competency. Kayla enjoys using technology to ignite students' curiosity and encourage critical and creative thinking. She is also experienced in working with Canvas LMS and integrating Microsoft Office tools. Prior to her current role, Kayla was an elementary school teacher in both Utah and South Korea. Kayla is ISTE Certified and has a Master's in the Arts of Teaching from Westminster University.


Classes:

  • Classroom Integration of Educational Technology
  • Creative Google Skills
  • Foundations of Instructional Design for Educators
  • Google Certified Educator Level 1
  • Google Certified Educator Level 2
  • Leadership in Educational Technology and Instructional Design
  • Research Ready with Scrible

Dani SloanMatthew Winters
Senior Technology Trainer
Product Manager for Google

801-585-5667
mwinters [at] uen [dot] org (Email Matthew)

Matthew is passionate about integrating student choice, personalized learning and competency-based learning through technology across all levels of education. His enthusiasm is focused on fostering students' technology literacy alongside the curriculum through digital media production, digital art, podcasting and AR/VR projects. He has presented as a teacher worldwide, including in many US states, Ireland, Turkey and Japan. He most recently worked as an instructional technology coach, English language arts teacher, yearbook advisor and creative writing teacher in Weber School District. He holds a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction and a Master's in English Language and Literature.