Presenter Biographies:

Joanna Bell
Joanna has worked in the education field for over 30 years as a Primary Teacher in Australia and New Zealand, a teacher in Adult Education and as an Education Sales Consultant. She has a Diploma of Teaching in Primary Education and Teaching and Certificate 1V in  Assessment and Workplace Training.
As an Education Consultant, Joanna has conducted professional staff development workshops for teachers and students in the use of LEGO Education Robotics. She has also designed a specific range of Robotics workshops that cater for the needs of the particular audience she works with. Joanna has conducted and specifically been involved in curriculum days, workshops, information sessions, conferences, network meetings and professional development specialising in robotics for teachers and students.
She is also an active member of the NSW Robocup Junior and will be assisting the National Robocup Junior Australia  Committee in 2009 on behalf of MTA.

James Dwyer
James Dwyer is the newest addition to the MTA Education Division. With a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Education (Postgrad) he has worked at Pittwater House and Cranbrook and developed highly successful Robotics programs. Some of the teams he has mentored have had great success at both the NSW and National level in the RoboCup Jnr competitions using Robot C, NXT-G and Robolab languages.

Damien Kee - Domabotics
Damien Kee holds a PhD in Robotics and Bachelor of Electrical Engineering both from the University of Queensland. Damien has been running robotics workshops in the Brisbane area for students and teachers since 2002. During this time he has conducted workshops throughout Queensland including Rockhampton, Cairns, Weipa, Townsville, Kingaroy, Gladstone and St George.

Damien has been heavily involved with the RoboCup Junior competition since 2001, initially as a judge but more recently as one of the QLD State competition technical organisers. In 2007, Damien was the Chair of the Organising Committee for the 2007 RoboCup Junior Australian Open. Damien is on the RoboCup Junior Australian Committee and is the Australian representative to the RoboCup Junior International Committee.

Damien holds a current 'Blue Card' issued by the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardians.

Celeste Musgrave & Santina DiMauro
Jolly Discoveries

Celeste and Santina are experienced teachers who have taught in both State and private Catholic schools. They are well known in the education field through their advocacy of Synthetic Phonics and the success they have achieved with the reading and writing levels of children in Kindergarten. They have in-serviced teachers and parents throughout Australia, Asia, Lebanon and England on the benefits of Jolly Phonics and Jolly Grammar. They are official Jolly Phonics trainers.