Antares Leask

Background

About Antares Leask

Greetings and salutations! I'm Antares Leask, PhD, NBCT (she/her), and I'm making the world a better place through education and training. I'm an academic in the tech world and have been excited to find ways for these communities to interact successfully! As a speaker and trainer, my current passion is helping educators understand what AI can and cannot do and how it can be leveraged as a tool for equity, inclusion, and accessibility. I currently lead the Training Practice for Smarter Consulting, coordinating partners and trainers to provide technical training at all levels. I am a Certified Microsoft Teams Administrator and have completed the requirements to be a Microsoft Certified Trainer. I provide feedback at MCT Instructional Skills courses and truly enjoy watching technical trainers find their place as effective educators. In addition to technical training, I have also been trained, implemented, and trained others on AI for DEI, curriculum development, transparent instructional design, equitable assessment, trauma-informed teaching, assessment contracts, project-based learning, personalized learning, and differentiation. While walking (and blurring) the line between technology and education, I teach English for Northern Virginia Community College and the Fairfax County Public Schools Online Campus. I also present at several pop culture conferences each year and am the Mid-Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association co-chair for the Disney Studies area. My publications include the chapters “‘Don’t Stand Out When You’re Fittin’ In’: Segregationists, Assimilationists, and Antiracists in Disney’s Zombies 2” in The Undead in the 21st Century: A Companion (2022), edited by Simon Bacon and "'Che Guevara and Debussy to a Disco Beat': Intellectualism and the Pet Shop Boys" in The Pet Shop Boys and the Political: Queerness, Culture, Identity, and Society (2024) edited by Bodie Ashton. My dissertation focused on the impact of white privilege on paranormal reality television, and other research interests include Disney, popular culture, horror, and cryptozoology. I'm always looking for ways to learn and teach!