Technology and Our Brains: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown

Betsy Hill is an experienced educator and President of BrainWare Learning Company. She has studied the application of neuroscience to teaching and learning with Dr. Patricia Wolfe and other experts and works with educators, clinicians and corporate trainers on using neuroscience research to address some of the most perplexing problems in education, including closing the gap for historically underperforming students. She addressed issues of college and career preparedness as a trustee and board chair at Chicago State University. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and an MBA from Northwestern University, and teaches strategy at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and the University of Illinois Chicago.

I like to describe myself as a "recovering" educator, but the truth is that I am more excited than ever about what neuroscience is uncovering about the brain and how we can use that information to enable each individual to reach his or her cognitive potential. I'm here to share what I've been learning over the last ten years and to continue learning from others in this amazing and fast developing field.

Sara M. Sawtelle, Ph.D. is the Director of Scientific Affairs for The BrainWare Company. She has served many roles in education prior to her current work—from instructional technology coordinator & chemistry teacher to training director to college chemistry professor at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, IN and the University of Memphis. Dr. Sawtelle received her Ph.D. from Boston College. Her career is focused on helping people learn, which includes the value of neuroscience-based tools in education at all levels, and helping people understand the value of field research.

I like to call myself a consummate learner on how we can better utilize the learning from the world around us to make informed decisions about better ways to learn, focusing on making the information shared something that will be more appealing and engaging. I currently serve as a part-time substitute teacher in two area school districts, which gives me even more perspective on learning.