"There is nothing more rewarding to me than seeing students' eyes light up when they use technology to bring a digital canvas to life."
Kristine Kopelke is a project officer at Education Queensland's ICT Learning Innovation Centre in Queensland, Australia. She has devoted her career to assisting educators to make ICT integral to learning and to supporting teachers and students as they develop skills in the design and deconstruction of digital content.
Kopelke is an avid user of a broad range of information and communication technologies and believes that by using such technologies, teachers can create global classrooms where students can learn anywhere, anytime. This belief inspired her to develop the Flash Classroom, a site designed to provide educators and students with the support, resources, and inspiration they need to use Adobe® Flash® software in P-12 learning contexts. This site has grown to become Kopelke's own global classroom, attracting almost one million visitors in the past year and providing mentoring and support to Flash users throughout the world.
Kopelke specializes in developing educational digital content including learning objects, games, websites, and interactive learning environments. She shares the knowledge and skills she has developed in this area by leading professional development at the ICT Learning Innovation Centre. She also leads workshops and presentations on a state and national level. Kopelke uses a broad range of tools to create digital content including Adobe Flash, Photoshop®, Illustrator®, Fireworks®, and Adobe Captivate® software and Scratch.
Kopelke has a Master's in Education, a Bachelor of Arts in Screen Production, and Certificates in Interactive Multimedia and Assessment and Workplace Training. Her awards include a Women in Technology (WIT) Award for her work establishing Gidgits in Queensland and an International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Making IT Happen Award.