History

There were relatively few people in the (elementary) educational technology field when InTELA began in the late 1990s. This is when six friends and colleagues decided to form an ed tech book club:
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  • Adrienne Coffield (@Brawerman Elementary School)
  • Annie Matel (formerly @Laurence2000 School)
  • Christine Eaves (@Village School)
  • Heather Woods (@Yavneh Hebrew Academy)
  • Sarah Durand (formerly @Crossroads Elementary School)
  • Tara Higgins (formerly @Village School)
Circa 1998: After the organization expanded, a number of people, including some veteran tech teachers who came before InTELA's "Early 6," including Nikki Fernandez (The John Thomas Dye School), Judy Eber (Stephen S. Wise Elementary School), Susan Garrard and Doris Berlan (both from Mirman School), Judy Schiff (Abraham Heschel Day School), and Roberta "Bobbie" McCuskey (St. Matthew’s Parish School), among others, voted on a name. Several possibilities were tossed around, including InTECA (Independent Technology Educators of California), before the group voted to name itself InTELA (Independent Technology Educators of Los Angeles). In the 2000s, members moved beyond networking to collaborating in classrooms and showcasing their projects at professional conferences.
January 2003: Tara Higgins coordinated and Adrienne Coffield hosted one of the first regional conferences of CAIS (California Association of Independent Schools) held at a school. Soon after, the CAIS regional conferences needed a larger venue and moved to Campbell Hall.
Spring, 2006: Christine Eaves, Jayme Johnson, and Adrienne Coffield facilitated a workshop, "Making Your Teacher Website Useful and Interesting" at another regional CAIS conference.
Summer 2013: Jayme Johnson and Adrienne Coffield facilitated a workshop and poster session at the CAIS regional conference and ISTE, respectively, "A Tale of Two Schools: A Collaborative Lego Robotics Challenge." ​

Minds Outside the Box

Picture
Logo, Courtesy of Peter Reynolds
Minds Outside the Box was the brainchild of Christine Eaves, and the early InTELA members were part of this group. Christine was very instrumental in making professional connections for M.O.B. at professional conferences.