Children's Technology Workshop Staff Bios

Here are the superheroes who make the magic happen at the Children's Technology Workshop classes, parties, and, of course, icamp.

Name: Allyson "Up Up Ali"
Bio: Allyson has been guiding icamp adventures, teaching classes, and coordinating programs with CTWorkshop since March 2007. In this work she has directly helped hundreds of kids channel their creativity into successful projects, and indirectly contributed to all of our sucessful programs by making sure everything runs smoothly. Her training is in multimedia design, but she has also coached gymnastics for over a decade. Allyson has two very lucky children who are now expert at ALL icamp adventures.
Favorite icamp adventure: "Hands down Architecture. Architect Castles, Tree Houses, Space Stations, Underwater houses!I love this adventure because it allows for endless creative possibilities. Drafting a design is as simple as moving a few shapes then you are transported to a 3D world where creativity is unleashed."

Name: "TNT Tara"
Bio: Tara has been with CTWorkshop since May 2008. She is passionate about education and learning, and in fact made her work at CTWorkshop the subject of her dissertation as she was pursuing a graduate degree in Critical and Creative Thnking. She has guided many campers toward successful projects in a variety of adventures, has taught after-school classes and has led unforgettable birthday parties! Tara is trained in CPR and First Aid.
Favorite icamp adventure: "While all the icamp adventures are pretty cool, my favorite is Animation Alive because you can let you imagination go in any direction. If you've had a story idea or character bouncing around in your brain, here's you chance to let it loose!. I also love the creativity campers can explore through this adventure: story-telling, character development, background and prop design, camera angles, filming techniques and editing- it's an art!"

Name: "Eddy Spaghetti"
Bio: Ed has been teaching with CTWorkshop since October 2008. He is an electrical engineer with training in music technology and media production. Eddy is excellent at making the complicated sound simple, which comes in especially handy in explaining music theory and programming.
Favorite icamp adventure: "Gamemaker because i love having the opportunity to see the different kinds of code the kids develop for their games or their excitement when they figure out something new. i also appreciate how well the kids in this adventure work together testing out other games and helping each other with programming. However, I also love Music Mogul because i am a die hard musician and i love seeing kids express themselves through music. it's especially wonderful to see kids who have never formally studied music sit down with the mixing software and realize that they can create their own compositions with relative ease. some of the stuff they come up with is truly amazing."

Name: "Electric Eric"
Bio: Eric is an accomplished artist and musician with a panoply of credentials in both areas, and a strong desire to share his skills and creativity with children and tweens. He is also a black belt in martial arts, a LARPer, and a mentor to many tweens. When not directing camp, he can be found working with middle schoolers at the Arlington Enrichment Collaborative after-school program. He has masterfully directed icamp since 2007, nurturing campers' individuality, creativity and sense of accomplishment, while at the same time keeping a balance in structure, safety, responsibility, and collaboration among the campers, Counselors in Training, and staff.
Favorite icamp adventure: Fashion Design. The reinvention of oneself is the threshold to our own creative genius, cosmetology or cosmetics for the egyptians was the art of aligning one self with the heavens. To decorate the self in order to become our greatest potential.

Name: "Boisterous Bonnie"

Bio: Bonnie has been boisterously teaching academic and after-school classes, and occasionally helping out in icamp since October 2006. Prior to discovering CTWorkshop, she was teaching elementary grades and coaching figure skating. Her classes at CTWorkshop always earn top ratings, and she is loved by children, parents, and colleagues alike.

Favorite icamp adventure: Still thinking...

Name: "Cryogenic Chris"
Bio: Chris has been coming to work in icamp since 2008. He is a musician, studying music education. He has written, directed, and acted in several movies created with friends at his high school, and is a huge advocate for creativity and improvisation in music education for children. He has tutored music to children and adults.

Favorite icamp adventure: Mission to Mars because the creative possibilities are endless. The kids can use any of the available technologies, and also combine them, for their film. It's amazing to watch a kid write a script, draw an animation, film Lego characters with backgrounds, add voice-overs, and put it all together!