Barb has been working with technology since "the olden days"-- in high school she learned programming on a computer where code was stored on cassette tapes, and then she progressed to using a “mini” computer with disks larger than a turkey platter. She has 26 years experience in public education, and an earlier career in software sales, testing, and training. Even when she worked for software developers she was more interested in helping people learn to use the technology than she was in creating it.
Barb has been working with technology since "the olden days" - in high school she learned programming on a computer that stored code on cassette tapes, and she progressed to using a “mini” computer with disks larger than turkey platters. She’s thankful that technology has evolved beyond those options. Barb has 26 years experience in public education, and an earlier career in software sales, testing, and training. She took a required programming course in college, but didn’t “feel the love” for coding at the time. Even when she worked for software developers she was more interested in helping people learn to use the technology than she was in creating it. That interest was magnified when a school needed her to take over a computer science class. Barb went back to school to learn more, and was drawn into the problem-solving world of computer programming. She was inspired by student engagement and opportunities, and received grants to encourage more girls to pursue computer science. She continues to learn new things on computers, allowing her to keep her perspective as a “newbie” and to find effective ways to teach computing concepts and problem-solving. Barb has a BA in French and a BS in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania/Wharton School, and an MA in Foreign Language Education from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a certified teacher in gifted education, French, Business, and Computer Science, and is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher in Career and Technical Education. She also serves as a mentor and reviewer for the Wyoming Department of Education’s pilot program for microcredentialing in computer science. In the 22-23 school year, she’s also leading a group of TCSD teachers through the microcredentialing program.