Ms. Maureen O'Leary Burness, Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services, Folsom Cordova Unified School District, CA (M203)
Prior to this position, Maureen O'Leary Burness has served as the Assistant Superintendent for Placer County SELPA, Placer Nevada SELPA, and Yolo County SELPA. Maureen's top priority throughout her 29 years in the education field has always been the children. Her career path has included the role of: teacher, school psychologist, Workability Coordinator, Program Specialist, Principal, Director of Special Education, Director of Student Services, and Alternative Education Administrator. Ms. O'Leary Burness has received many honors and recognition for her work for students with disabilities, including Special Education Administrator of the Year from the Association of California Administrators and from the Council for Exceptional Children, as well as the Outstanding Community Service Support award from Alta California Regional Center, several awards from the California Department of Education, and others. Her passions include the Maureen O'Leary Burness Foundation for Special Needs Children and finding the best solutions to challenges in a collaborative partnership with families and other partners.
Mr. Brent Olson, Assistant Vice President, AT&T (M309B)
Mr. Olson's responsibilities at AT&T include helping to develop and coordinate at the federal and state levels SBC's regulatory policies covering emerging technologies, such as broadband, IP-based services, and video technology services. Mr. Olson has more than 13 years of telecommunications experience, most recently having served at the FCC as the Deputy Chief, Competition Policy Division of the Wireline Competition Bureau, serving as one of the senior managers in the Division, where he recently worked on the UNE Triennial Review proceeding and various broadband-related matters. Prior to joining the FCC, Mr. Olson was responsible for overseeing US regulatory issues for Cable & Wireless, Inc., a global internet and telecommunications company, developing and advocating the company's policy positions in front of the FCC and state regulatory bodies. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and holds a JD from UCLA School of Law.
Ms. Sandy O'Neil, Education Technology Specialist, New Jersey Department of Education (T304)
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Ms. Marianne Pack, Director, California Technology Assistance Project, Delta Sierra Region 6 (CTAP 6), Stanislaus County Office of Education, CA (M205)
Marianne Pack is experienced in coordination and implementation of professional development programs in curriculum and technology at the state, regional and county level. She has a strong foundation implementing state and federal programs designed for improvement in education. She has served as the Director of the California Technology Assistance Project, Delta Sierra Region 6, a five-county consortia, for the past four years. She is currently the State Chairperson of the Program Management Committee for the California Technology Assistance Project. She is also a Board Member of national Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) organization. Ms. Pack was a past classroom teacher for twenty-five years and a District Technology Coordinator of Instructional Technology in a rural district. She holds a State of California, Life Credential in Elementary Education and an Administrative Services Credential. She also holds a State of California Certificate of Competency with a Target Language and Culture-Spanish emphasis. Ms. Pack has presented at numerous conferences and continues to do so in the coming year to assist schools in implementation of educational technology programs.
Mr. Jeff Patterson, President, Gaggle.Net, Inc. (M207)
Gaggle.Net was conceived and co-founded by Jeff Patterson. Previous to his work on the Gaggle.Net service, he has founded two companies, and he has developed and marketed several educational software programs. Since 1997, Mr. Patterson has been developing and publishing educational software programs under the name of Patterson Publishing. These programs include Sound Companion for HyperStudio, Lesson Plan Helper, the Multimedia Project Resource Kit, Music Loops for Multimedia and Sound Effects for Multimedia. The products developed under the Patterson Publishing name are currently marketed by the FTC Publishing Group. While not responsible for the day to day marketing efforts for these products, Mr. Patterson has taken an active role in their promotion. He has promoted the products at the major educational technology conferences and has developed a grass roots method for sales promotion. Over the last two years Mr. Patterson has been working closely with a group of over 800 influential educators. These individuals train other educators in the use of technology and present at technology conferences and workshops. These "key influencers" discuss the programs with other educators and hand out product materials. Such grass roots activities have had a major impact on the sales of the products listed above. On the technical side Mr. Patterson is a knowledgeable programmer for languages used in web development. He also has connections to key engineers at several high profile internet companies. These close associates serve as an informal group of advisors on the technical aspects of the Gaggle.Net service.
Dr. Sandra Paxton, Educational Technology Consultant, The eTech Ohio Commission (M108)
In her role as an Educational Technology Consultant for the eTech Ohio Commission, Sandra Paxton has worked with educators across the state to help them effectively utilize technology to improve teaching and learning. She has worked on projects and online courses covering a variety of topics including action research, technology coaching, technology planning, open source tools and professional development. Ms. Paxton received her PhD in Instructional Design and Technology from the Ohio State University.
Ms. Vanessa Pittard, Director of E-Strategy, British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) (T307)
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Mr. Lee Prevost, President and Founder, SchoolDude.com (T503)
Lee Prevost is the co-founder of SchoolDude.com. He has worked in various positions, all with a common denominator: serving educational operations. Most recently, he worked for Applied Computer Technologies (ACT), which was founded by Kent Hudson, SchoolDude.com's CEO. ACT dominated the market for serving educational organizations with maintenance management solutions, such as the ACT1000 product, from the mid 1980's until the late 1990's. Prior to ACT, he worked for Honeywell Home and Building Controls during the early 90's. At Honeywell, he served as a control systems sales engineer, as well as a sales manager, providing energy and control solutions for educational clients. Mr. Prevost, along with Kent Hudson, saw the opportunity to revolutionize educational operations management by using the power of the Internet. Together, he and Mr. Hudson founded SchoolDude.com in 1999 and started the journey of providing educational facility, IT and business administrators with a powerful and innovative solution for streamlining their operations. Mr. Prevost graduated from North Carolina State University with degrees in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Business Administration. He continues his educational journey every day by visiting different parts of the country, hearing from SchoolDude's diverse client base, and continuing professional development programs.
Mr. Mark Radcliffe, Instructional Technology Specialist, Troy Area School District, PA (Pre-Conference Workshop)
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Ms. Rebecca Randall, Director of Outreach, Common Sense Media (M202)
Rebecca Randall has over a decade of experience working in the nonprofit sector on behalf of children and families. She holds a BA in Social Work from the University of New Hampshire and an MA from the University of Chicago. Her particular expertise is in planning and implementing community initiatives, leveraging funds, managing diverse stakeholders, and developing partnerships with both the public and private sector. Most recently, she served as Associate Vice President/Program Officer for the United Way of the Bay Area. Her primary responsibilities included strategic program direction and fund development for the education portfolio. She also led multiple volunteer committees and a number of early childhood, food/gift distribution and after-school initiatives. At Common Sense Media, she is responsible for leading a national outreach strategy to educate parents, teachers, and young people about the impact of media, and providing them with tips and resources to become media savvy. As part of her role, Ms. Randell develops program and curriculum, and routinely presents at conferences and meetings with educators and parent groups.
Mr. Ken Rice, Coordinator Instructional Systems, Information Technology, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA (M305)
Kenneth D. Rice is the Coordinator, Instruction Systems, Department of Information Technology, Fairfax County Public School. Mr. Rice has a M.S. in computer science with an emphasis in learning systems. Mr. Rice has worked in small, medium, and large districts in Montana, Arizona, Minnesota and Virginia. For eight years he taught middle school students math and computer literacy. For seventeen years Mr. Rice has helped districts plan, implement, and support instructional technology. As Instructional Systems Coordinator, Mr. Rice leads a team whose primary role is to develop online applications that support classroom instruction. While his team has developed numerous in-house applications, their current focus is the FCPS Curriculum Repository.
Mr. Derek Roh, Director of Information Technology Services, Baldwin County Public Schools, AL (M404)
Derek Roh joined the Baldwin County (AL) Public School System in 2004 as the Director of IT Services. Previously, Mr. Roh worked in corporate consulting, designing and implementing process improvements as well as software solutions for high-tech manufacturing operations. Mr. Roh brought his process-centered consulting approach to the school district and focused on enhancing the services and capabilities provided to all constituents by the district’s technology team. Baldwin County emerged from being labeled as “technology deficient” in 2002 to gaining national recognition and awards for technology-related achievements and programs. In 2007, Baldwin County received an honorable mention Magna Award from the American School Board Journal, while he was named CoSN’s “David T. Kearns Public School CIO of the Year" (recognizes the nation's top public school CIO for contributions to classroom achievement and administrative process), and one of the National School Board Association’s (NSBA) “20 to Watch” technology leaders in education.
Mr. Tom Rolfes, Education Information Technology Manager, Office of the Chief Information Officer and Nebraska Information Technology Commission (M301)
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Mr. Brad Rudisail, Network Systems Manager, Rockdale County Schools, GA (M407)
Brad Rudisail is the Network Systems Manager for Rockdale County Schools in Conyers, Georgia. He is also a member of the Putnam County School Board in Eatonton, Georgia. Through this combination of technology leader and BOE member, Mr. Rudisail simultaneously looks through both lenses at technology needs and solutions. Prior to his current position, Mr. Rudisail served as Chief Network Engineer for a K12 technology organization which offered IT solutions to school systems throughout the Southeast. Mr. Rudisail's experience in the education field began as an instructor at Mercer University in Georgia, where he taught network engineering and web development. Mr. Rudisail also served as a network engineer for a company that serviced the financial banking sector. Mr. Rudisail has also written and developed a number of technology courses for Ashworth University in Atlanta and has a newspaper column that is carried in multiple papers across the state of Georgia.
Mr. Robert Runcie, Chief Information Officer, The Office of Technology Services, Chicago Public Schools, IL (M308A)
Robert Runcie is the chief information officer for the Board of Education of the City of Chicago. Prior to joining the Chicago Public Schools' Office of Technology Services in May, 2003, he served for seven years as the president of Advanced Data Concepts, a Chicago-based management consulting and technology services company. He has also worked with companies such as Computer Sciences Corporation and Andersen (now Accenture). Mr. Runcie, who graduated from Harvard University and Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, brings to CPS two decades of experience helping organizations improve their organizational effectiveness through redesigning business processes and strategically deploying information technology. He resides in the Hyde Park, South Shore area of Chicago with his wife and their three daughters, who attend the Chicago Public Schools.
Dr. Michael Russell, Director, Technology and Assessment Study Collaborative, Boston College (M204)
Michael Russell, has a PhD in Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation, with specific expertise in computer-based assessment, psychometrics, and research methodology. He has 15 years experience conducting and directing research on educational assessment and educational technology. He has been Principal Investigator on several large studies and has published two books and 35 articles on issues related to testing and assessment, many of which present findings from mode of administration effect studies.
Mr. William Rust, Research Director, Gartner, Inc. (Post Conference Workshop: CTO 2012)
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Dr. Betty Sanders, Director of Instructional Technology, Bryan Independent School District, TX (M201)
With 30 years of education experience, Betty Sanders is the Director of Instructional Technology for Bryan Independent School District. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Teaching (Elementary Education) from Sam Houston State University, a Master of Education (Curriculum and Instruction) from Texas A&M University, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Educational Administration) from Texas A&M University. In addition to her current responsibilities, Dr. Sanders also has experience as a classroom teacher, a professional development specialist, a technology specialist, and a project director. She has been involved in a 1:1 laptop initiative in Bryan ISD for the past four years, as both a grant writer and director. She is a member of the Texas Computer Education Association, the Consortium for School Networking, the National Staff Development Council, and the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Mr. Greg Schmidt, Product Marketing Manager, HP Thin Clients, Hewlett-Packard (M409A)
Greg Schmidt is a manager in HP's Personal Systems Group with 7 years of experience in the IT industry. Mr. Schmidt has an extensive background in emerging technologies, marketing, sales, product development, and global value chain development. He has hands-on business development experience in global markets and has been instrumental in the 850% growth of HP’s thin client business since 2003. Before joining HP's thin client solution businesses, he held a variety of product development, business planning, and sales positions with HP, Compaq, and Morgan Stanley. Mr. Schmidt also has extensive experience as an educator for several institutions, including the US Navy Nuclear Power Training Command, the University of Colorado, and St. Johns School in Houston, TX. Mr. Schmidt holds a B.S. Degree in Physics, an M.S. in Physics, and other industry and academic certifications.
Ms. Cheryl Scott Williams, Vice President, Teachscape (M404)
Cheryl Williams is a nationally recognized leader and executive in education reform. She is currently Vice President, Marketing at Teachscape, a San Francisco based company. Teachscape works with local schools and districts to design and deliver professional development services and resources. Before coming to San Francisco with Teachscape, she served as Vice President, Education at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in Washington, DC. And prior to that, as Director of Education Technology Programs at the National School Boards Association (NSBA) in Alexandria, Virginia. Ms. Williams is a past president of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and past board chair for the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN). She currently sits on the national advisory board for Outreach at Penn State University. A Washington, DC native, Ms. Williams earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English and Secondary Education at the University of Maryland, College Park. She began her career teaching secondary English in public schools in Maryland and Virginia.
Mr. Glen Secor, Director, Publications and Business Development, TERC (T203)
Glen M. Secor, Esq., has practiced and taught copyright law for most of the past two decades. His experience includes private practice and in-house work for for-profit and nonprofit organizations. He spent eighteen years in the library bookselling and bibliographic services industry and most recently has worked at TERC, a nonprofit education think tank located in Cambridge, MA, and in his own law and consulting practice. Attorney Secor has written extensively on copyright matters for a number of professional publications, including numerous articles on digital rights management and other aspects of copyright in the digital age. His teaching credits include Franklin Pierce Law Center and the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science. He earned his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School and his LL.M. from Harvard Law School.
Mr. Ferdi Serim, South West Regional Director, National Network of Digital Schools (T303)
Ferdi Serim helps people learn to read, write and think, using technology to expand the boundaries of what they read, write and think about. His work as the National Network of Digital Schools SW Region Director, as NM State EdTech Director, director of the Online Internet Institute (OII), (and jazz musician) helps people understand and harness technology's transforming potentials for distributed learning and networked knowing. Mr. Serim authored three books: "NetLearning: Why Teachers Use the Internet", "From Computers to Community: Unlocking the Potentials of the Wired Classroom", and "Information Technology for Learning: No School Left Behind". Mr. Serim has walked the talk: his students' Internet achievements are documented in the Scientific American, Los Angeles Times, the Learning Channel and other media. He also presents at numerous state, regional and international conferences, conducts staff development workshops and seminars for parents, teachers, school administrators and others involved in systemic school reform, including the US Department of Education, National Science Foundation, the Milken Exchange on Educational Technology, the Singapore and Malaysia ministries of education, and others. His favorite credential, however, comes from Dizzy Gillespie, who said he's a "pretty good drummer."
Ms. Linda Sharp, Project Director, Consortium for School Networking (M202, Pre-Conference Workshop)
Linda Sharp is an education and learning professional with over 30 years experience. She is currently a consultant working with several educational technology companies. In addition, she is Project Manager for CoSN’s Cyber Security Initiative. Prior to her work with CoSN, Ms. Sharp worked with AlphaSmart, Inc as Vice President of Professional Services and Vice President of Sales. Prior to her work in the education industry, she was a teacher, coach and District Technology Advisor for Cherry Creek Schools in Englewood, CO. Ms. Sharp has a BA in Education from University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO and a MA in Education Technology from Lesley College, Boston, MA.
Ms. Linda Shay, Professional Development Manager, Office of Principal Preparation and Development, Chicago Public Schools, IL (T105)
Linda Shay, a Professional Development Manager from the Chicago Public Schools Office of Principal Preparation and Development, was a school principal prior to joining the Office of Standards-Based Instruction, and eventually the CPS Office of Principal Preparation and Development. She has been deeply involved in transformational leadership for principals in programs ranging from pre-principalship to experienced principal mentors for many years. Ms. Shay actively develops and delivers professional development for CPS principals at all points in their careers. Ms. Shay has participated in the Principal Technology Leadership Institute and regularly recounts her experiences at educational conferences. CoSN is her first technology-related speaking engagement.
Ms. Kathy Shirley, Director, Technology and Media Services, Escondido Union School District, CA (T106)
Kathy Shirley is the Technology and Media Services Director for the Escondido Union School District, a district in southern California serving approximately 18,500 K-8 students. Ms. Shirley holds two teaching credentials and an administrative credential and has taught at the elementary, middle, and university levels. She has also worked at the San Diego County Office of Education, where she co-founded the Innovative Video in Education Awards and Festival. Additionally, she has served as a district Technology Resource Teacher and Mentor. In 2003, she was named an Apple Distinguished Educator. She has presented at various local, state, and national conferences, including the California Computer Using Educators Conference (CUE) and the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC). Ms. Shirley co-authored the Apple, Inc. guide Getting Started: A Guide for using iPod and iTunes for Teaching and Learning and is the executive producer of the Apple Distinguished Educators’ podcast channel, Cut to the Core.
Dr. Janice Smith, Functional Team Lead, Open Source Portfolio Community & Educational Consultant, The rSmart Group (T306)
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Mr. Paul Smith, Product Marketing Manager, Pearson (T108)
Paul Smith is a Product Marketing Manager for Emerging Technologies at Pearson. He was a member of the original PowerTeacher design team and helped to cultivate many of the foundational aspects of PowerTeacher, Pearson’s new web-based gradebook. He works in the School Systems group at Pearson, and has been with the company since 2000. In a prior life, Mr. Smith spent a number of years as an Elementary classroom teacher in Santa Clara, California. Currently, he is focused on the School 2.0 movement and researching ways in which Pearson might incorporate new technology into its student information system products to enhance and support 21st Century learning.
Ms. Vicki Smith Bigham, CoSN Professional Development Consultant and President, Bigham Technology Solutions, Inc. (Pre-Conference Workshop, M304)
Vicki Smith Bigham has over thirty years experience in public and private school education as a teacher, software developer, school administrator, university professor and industry consultant. As President of Bigham Technology Solutions, Inc., she manages a variety of product development, training, meeting planning and marketing projects and works with both companies and schools. She manages the EdNET Conference and EdNET Virtual Roundtables for The Heller Reports, a QED company, is Technology Consultant to the National School Supply & Equipment Association (NSSEA), and serves as Professional Development Consultant for the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN). She is a former president of the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA), which she helped to found, and a former president of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Ms. Bigham’s career has focused on supporting educators in effective use of technology and bringing together the best ideas and people in the education marketplace to produce quality products and services for schools. She has been a pioneer and leader in helping to build a networked community of educators, industry executives and legislative policymakers, all working to improve teaching and learning through the use of technology.
Dr. Helen Soulé, Educational Consultant, (M102)
Helen Soulé, PhD is the Executive Director of Cable in the Classroom, the national education foundation of the cable industry. Previously, Dr. Soulé served as both chief of staff and special assistant for technology to the assistant secretary for the Office of Post Secondary Education in the U.S. Department of Education. Dr. Soulé is one of the founders and past chairman of the State Education Technology Directors Association (SETDA), and is currently Treasurer of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Formerly serving as director of the Mississippi Department of Education Office of Technology, she provided leadership to educators in planning, coordinating, directing and supporting Mississippi's education technology initiatives and programs. Dr. Soulé has been involved in the integration of educational technology since 1982, when she began her career as a teacher in Meridian, MS.
Ms. Irene Spero, Chief Operating Officer, CoSN (M303)
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Dr. Gary Stager, Senior Editor, District Administration Magazine & Adjunct Professor, Graduate School of Education and Psychology, Pepperdine University (T404, T505)
For 26 years, Gary Stager, an internationally recognized educator, speaker and consultant, has helped learners of all ages on six continents embrace the power of computers as intellectual laboratories and vehicles for self-expression. He led professional development in the world's first laptop schools (1990), has designed online graduate school programs since the mid-90s and is a collaborator in the MIT Media Lab's Future of Learning Group. Mr. Stager's doctoral research involved the creation a high-tech alternative learning environment for incarcerated at-risk teens. Recent work includes teaching and mentoring some of Australia's "most troubled" public schools. He is Senior Editor of District Administration Magazine, Editor of The Pulse: Education’s Place for Debate, Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University and an Associate of the Thornburg Center for Professional Development. Dr. Stager is also the Executive Director of The Constructivist Consortium. In 1999, Converge Magazine named Gary a "shaper of our future and inventor of our destiny." The National School Boards Association recognized Dr. Stager with the distinction of "20 Leaders to Watch" in 2007. Most recently, he was the new media producer for The Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project - Simpatíco, 2007 Grammy Award Winner for Best Latin Jazz Album of the Year.
Ms. Meris Stansbury, Assistant Editor, eSchool News Network (T503)
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Michael Stevenson, Vice President, Global Education for Cisco Systems
Since June 2007 Michael Stevenson has been Vice President, Global Education for Cisco Systems. He is responsible for developing Cisco’s education strategy and leading implementation in countries where the company is working on a non-commercial basis to bring about education reform. Michael has built his expertise in education technology through roles in government and the media. Until September 2006 he was Chief Information Officer and Director of Technology at the Department for Education and Skills in England, driving the use of ICT in schools, colleges and universities. Before that he was DFES Director of Strategy. From 2000 to 2003, he founded and led the BBC’s Factual and Learning Directorate, responsible for factual programmes and content across television, radio and online and spearheading an innovative education strategy that created an online curriculum for children at school and at home. After studying Classics at Oxford, he joined the BBC as a graduate trainee. As a programme maker he specialised in politics and religion, going on to found and edit the flagship political programme On the Record. He then went into management, initially as BBC Secretary for the years leading up to the successful 1996 Charter Renewal. In 1996 he became Deputy Director of Nations and Regions, leading BBC Scotland and BBC Wales through the period of political devolution. Other current roles include a Non Executive Directorship with Granada Learning, an education technology company; and sitting on the board of Khulisa, a South African not-for-profit specialising in restorative justice. Michael’s wife Deborah is a Crown Court judge in London. They have three children - Tom (16), Celia (14) and Beatrice (9).
Ms. Laura Taylor, Director, Office of Learning Resources, Indiana Department of Education (T405)
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Mr. William Thomas, Director, Educational Technology, Southern Regional Education Board, GA (M208)
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Mr. Tom Tokarz, Special Counsel, Henrico County, VA (T401)
J. T. (Tom) Tokarz is special counsel to Henrico County Schools, a 49,000 student school division in Richmond, Virginia. He has written, taught and presented on computer issues for attorneys for over 25 years. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and the University of Virginia School of Law.
Ms. Barbara Treacy, Managing Project Director, Education Development Center, Inc. (T402)
Barbara Treacy is a Managing Project Director at Education Development Center where she directs EdTech Leaders Online (http://www.edtechleaders.org), a national capacity building online professional development program for state departments of education, school districts, regional education service providers and teacher training institutions with participating organizations in over 35 states. Since the inception of EdTech Leaders Online in the fall of 2000, Ms. Treacy has led teams of curriculum developers, online facilitators, instructional designers and online specialists to provide graduate level training programs in online learning, a catalogue of over 50 online workshops focused on specific K-12 subject areas and grade levels, and a national forum for online specialists implementing local online programs and courses.
Mr. Dan Turner, Information Management Services Director, Surrey School District, Canada (M107, M309A)
Dan Turner is the Director of Information Management Services for British Columbia's largest school district with over 65,000 students and 8,000 employees. He has 20 years of experience working within the K-12 organization and extensive technological management and operational skills. He has comprehensively developed and implemented technological strategies and direction based on organizational requirements as well as planned infrastructure upgrades to build to meet institutional requirements.
Ms. Kaisa Vahahyyppa, Head of Unit, Opetushallitus (T206)
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Ms. Riitta Vänskä, Senior Manager, Education & Research PolicyNokia Corp (M306)
Ms. Riitta Vänskä, Senior Manager, Education & Research Policy, was born 1958. She received Master Degree in Computer Science from University of Turku in Finland. She has worked over 15 years in the area of "How to harness technology for learning" Ms. Vänskä joined Nokia in 1996 and has been the key contributor to the launch and development of e- and m-learning in Nokia. She was the Head of the New Learning Solution team during 1998-2001 and thereafter she concentrated to mobile learning and mobile collaboration concepts and technologies. The Last two years Ms. Vänskä has been responsible for university co-operation and education policy issues in Corporate Relations and Responsibility unit of Nokia Corporation.
Mr. Darrell Walery, Director of Technology, Consolidated High School District 230, IL (M406)
Darrell Walery; Director of Technology for Consolidated High School District 230. District 230 consists of 3 High Schools serving over 9000 students in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. Mr. Walery started his work in the District as a science teacher in 1978. In 1995, he became the district's first Director of Technology. He has a keen interest in new technologies and currently is on the Executive Committee of the Consortium for School Networking's Emerging Technologies Committee. He has presented at several National Technology conferences and has written articles for national educational technology magazines. His interests outside of work are boating on Lake Michigan and sports. Go Bears!
Ms. Carolyn Walpole, Director of Education and Curriculum Development, i-SAFE Inc. (M202)
Carolyn Walpole, M.S. Ed ended her 20-year teaching career to become Director of Education & Curriculum Development for i-SAFE Inc. Under her direction, the i-SAFE Internet safety curriculum has become a dynamic, age-appropriate K-12 collection of more than 175 lessons, aimed at empowering youth with the skills and knowledge they need to be safe, responsible cyber citizens. The curriculum has reached more than 3.5 million students across the 50 United States and has been translated into five foreign languages. A special focus of Ms. Walpole's work is the development of cross-curricular integration strategies for cyber safety/ethics education. She also works with a number of colleges and universities to develop Internet safety education for pre-service and in-service teacher education programs, and has been a featured presenter on cyber safety topics at conferences across the U.S. and in Great Britain. Notable projects include cyber safety curricula development for international distribution in partnership with Microsoft; the Activate Your Mind: Protect Your Ideas initiative (U.S. Department of Justice's Task Force on Intellectual Property); content for the Federal Trade Commission's On Guard Online; resource development for Court TV's Choices and Consequences; content consultant to Plays for Living for Cyber Citizens of the World Wide Web, an interactive play presented at New York State's Cyber Security Awareness Conference: Kids Safe Online; and presentation of a universal program for global cyber safety education at Oxford University's Oxford Internet Institute.
Ms. Andrea Waters-Winston, Acting Director, Learning Technologies Department, Atlanta Public Schools, GA (M403)
Andrea Waters-Winston has 8 years of elementary level certified teaching experience with Atlanta Public Schools. Ms. Winston began teaching in 1995 as a fifth grade Technology-Based Language Arts Teacher. She has experience teaching all elementary core subjects as well as all elementary grades (K-5th). Ms. Winston has 5 years of experience as a Learning Technologies Specialist ( K-12 district level technology coordinator), and 1 year as the current district level Trainer of the Learning Technologies Department. Ms. Winston has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Development from Spelman College (1995). She holds a Masters of Education degree from Georgia State University (1999) in Education Administration and Supervision.
Ms. Heather Weisse, Applications Coordinator, MAGPI, University of Pennsylvania (T202)
Heather Weisse is MAGPI’s Applications Coordinator. In her tenure at MAGPI, Ms. Weisse has initiated and managed the development of more than 200 educational videoconference-based programs, involving thousands of students and educators across MAGPI’s tri-state community and the national Internet2 K20 community. Some of Ms. Weisse’s best-known programs include the Stand Up. Speak Out. Lend a Hand! project, the Alex’s Virtual Lemonade Stand project, America Reads the Constitution and the Creative Minds Series. In addition to designing interactive educational programming, Ms. Weisse has been researching technology-mediated literacy teaching and learning as a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. Previously, she has presented on tactics for designing, delivering and accessing educational programming via IP video at the Internet2 Member Meetings, CoSN and ViDe conferences. Before coming to MAGPI, Ms. Weisse directed a youth television production program at the Community Media Center of Carroll County and worked with the Carroll County Bureau of Recreation to develop co-curricular after-school programs for elementary school youth.
Dr. Mark Weston, Researcher Professor, University of Colorado, Denver and National Education Strategist, Dell, Inc. (T505)
Mark Weston is the National Education Strategist for Dell Computer. In this role Mr. Weston is responsible for expanding Dell's industry leadership in education by establishing strategic relationships with key leaders to enhance instruction and learning through the enlightened use of technology. Previously Mr. Weston directed strategic government initiatives for FileNet Corporation and led the strategic education initiatives group at Apple Computer. Mr. Weston earned degrees from Cornell College, Drake University, and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Colorado where his dissertation concerns the paradigm crisis in education.
Mr. Gregory Whitby, Executive Director of Schools, Catholic Education Office Parramatta, Australia (T101)
Gregory B Whitby has 30 years experience in education. He taught in both Catholic and public secondary schools before moving into senior administration roles including six years as Director of Schools in the Diocese of Wollongong. As Executive Director of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Parramatta, Mr. Whitby oversees the provision of quality learning and teaching in approximately 76 primary and secondary schools across western Sydney. Mr. Whitby's experience spans the K-12 schooling continuum. He has held all leadership positions in schools and has contributed to both curriculum and teacher professional development. Over the past decade Mr. Whitby's focus has been on reframing schooling to meet the needs of learners in a knowledge age with a particular emphasis on the changing leadership models and school design. Mr. Whitby has established a robust infrastructure network linking a number of schools throughout Australia enabling teachers and students to work collaboratively and cooperatively in an online world. He is a regular speaker and contributor to national and international conferences and seminars. Most recently - Oracle Open World, San Francisco; Shanghai Municipal People's Committee for Education; National TAFE Innovation Conference; Victorian Department of Education Principals' Association. Mr. Whitby has also led several professional experience tours for senior educators and administrators in New Zealand, USA, Europe and the UK. Mr. Whitby holds post-graduate qualifications in education, management and religious education. Gregory B Whitby BA Dip Ed, MEd, Grad Dip RE, MMgt, AIMM, FACEL, MACE, JP
Ms. Bev White, Chief Technology Officer,, Wake County School System, NC (Workshop)
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Mr. Jeff White, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services, Fort Osage School District, MO (M103)
Jeff White is a veteran educator whose 30 year career has taken him from classroom teacher to his current position as Assistant Superintendent in the Fort Osage School District located in Independence, Missouri. He received his Education Specialist degree from the University of Missouri in 1986 and is currently working toward completing his doctorate. Mr. White has served on several advisory committees to the Missouri DESE and MASSP. He was named Principal of the Year by the Greater Kansas City Principals Association in 1996 and 2001. Additionally, Mr. White received the Milken Educator of the Year Award in 1999.
Dr. Guus Wijngaards, Professor, eLearning, INHOLLAND University for Professional Education (M206)
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Ms. Brenda Williams, Executive Director, Office of Instructional Technology, West Virginia Department of Education (M105)
Brenda Williams is the Executive Director of the Office of Instructional Technology in the West Virginia Department of Education. She has worked in the area of educational technology at the Department of Education since 1983. Prior to 1983, she was a classroom instructor working with students in the 5-14 grade levels and adult education as she integrated instructional technology. She has an MA+45 in Educational Administration from the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies with an undergraduate degree, additional hours in Instructional Technology and a MA in Vocational Administration from Marshall University. She currently directs the office responsible for all statewide instructional technology and competitive programs in K-Adult public schools and classrooms. Programs and grants include state and federal funding, planning, alignment to standards and assessments, initial and ongoing educator professional development, infrastructure preparation, statewide contracts, E-rate, Intel, Oracle and Thinkfinity state partnerships, maintenance and renewal/updates of programs. She is also a member of COSN, ISTE, SETDA, SREB, NSDC and ASCD and coordinates resources to advance the Partnership for 21st Century Learning.
Mr. Brent Williams, Educational Technology Specialist, Educational Technology Training Center, Kennesaw State University & GA Department of Education (T401)
Brent Williams is a national conference speaker, instructor, and consultant in many areas of educational technology. He has over 25 years of experience in private and public sector technology analysis, management, and planning. Mr. Williams has a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering Technology, and Masters Degree in Technology Management and is pursuing a PhD in Educational Leadership at the University of Nebraska.
Ms. Leslie Wilson, President, One-to-One Institute (M104)
Leslie Wilson served public education in 7 school districts over the course of 31 years. She held positions of special education teacher, administrator, adventure-based counselor/teacher, high school principal, assistant principal and executive director of secondary curriculum and instruction. She was recruited to work in the Freedom to Learn program in October 2003. Ms. Wilson holds a BS Ed from the University of Michigan, with a double major in special education and psychology. Her Master’s of Education (Instructional Technology) comes from Wayne State University. Her special education certification was awarded through Eastern Michigan University. Most recently, she completed her doctoral coursework in Education Leadership at the University of Michigan. As an Education Policy/Program Fellow with the Institute for Educational Leadership, she has facilitated the creation of an advanced fellowship program for educational technology visionaries in Michigan. Ms. Wilson has authored and co-authored numerous journal articles regarding school reform and change through one to one teaching and learning models.
Dr. Frank Withrow, President, ABLE Company (M404)
Dr. Withrow has been a classroom teacher, elementary supervisor, researcher, and an educational administrator. His research includes electro-physiological testing of hearing in infants, paired associate learning, immediate visual memory spans, and the uses of programmed 3-D computer generated lessons. Dr. Withrow was the Director of Educational Programs for the NASA Classroom of the Future from 1996 to 1998. He served in the U.S. Department of Education from 1966 to 1992 as the Senior Learning Technologist. He administered technology programs for the disabled including Captioned Films for the Deaf where he developed captioning techniques for television. In addition, he funded the development of reading machines for blind people. He was the Executive Director of the National Advisory Committee for Handicapped in 1975 at the time P.L. 94-142 was passed. As a Senior Battelle Memorial Fellow he studied the influence of electronic media on child growth and development. He developed a demonstration of interactive cable television programs and edited a book on the influence of television on child growth and development. He was the program manager for the U. S. Department of Education’s television series including Sesame Street, Footsteps a series on child growth and development for parents and The Voyages of the Mimi, a multiple media elementary science and mathematics series. He also directed bilingual television programming that included Hispanics, French, Native Americans, Asians, and Afro-American themes. All programs included captions. He was the Director of Technology for the Young Astronaut Council where he developed an on-line series of lessons for students and teachers. He developed and managed the Star School distance-learning program for the U. S. Department of Education. He represented the United States of America as a learning technologist at a number of world conferences, i.e. OECD, UNESCO, and the Council of Europe. He received his BS in Education of the Deaf, MS in Speech and Hearing and a Ph.D. in Audiology from Washington University in St. Louis, MO. He holds Advanced Clinical Certification in both Speech and Hearing from the American Speech and Hearing Association.
Dr. Mary Ann Wolf, Director of Leadership Policy and Planning, State Educational Technology Directors Association (T301)
Mary Ann Wolf, PhD is the Director of Planning, Policy, and Leadership for the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA). In this position, Dr. Wolf oversees many of SETDA's major initiatives including the SETDA Profiling Educational Technology Integration (PETI) tools, Technical Assistance Partnership Program (TAPP) with nine federal evaluation (ESETP) grantees, and SETDA State Profile Survey. Dr. Wolf has lead the development of the programs for the SETDA Leadership Summit and other professional development opportunities for SETDA members. Dr. Wolf has included articles in the THE Journal and has recently presented on educational technology programs and policies at the following conferences: NCES, NCSL, CCSSO's Large Scale Assessment Meeting, CoSN, NAESP, and NECC. Dr. Wolf's background includes experience in education and consulting. Dr. Wolf taught fifth grade in a Virginia public school and studied education leadership at the University of Virginia. She recently conducted extensive primary research on teacher time and opportunities for administrators to support teachers in order to improve student learning. Dr. Wolf has a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Virginia, a Masters Degree in Elementary Education from the George Washington University and received her Bachelors in Accounting and Marketing from Georgetown University.
Ms. Elaine Wrenn, Technology Coordinator, Echo Horizon School, CA (M104)
Elaine Wrenn is in her fifteenth year as the Technology Coordinator at Echo Horizon School, an independent elementary school which was created to provide a mainstream environment for hearing impaired children. Her duties as Technology Coordinator include working with teachers to integrate technology into curriculum, working with students in grades PK-6 on technology related projects, and managing a network of 225 Macintosh Computers. Her experience as a demonstration teacher in Upper Elementary at the Corinne Seeds University Elementary School at UCLA (UES) helps her to understand the pressures, concerns, and needs of classroom teachers as she helps them seemlessly incorporate technology to enrich their overall curriculum. She began utilizing laptops at Echo Horizon School in 1999 and immediately saw their potential for transforming teaching and learning environments. She is in her fourth year as coordinator of Echo Horizon's 1:1 laptop program for 5th and 6th graders and also utilizes laptop carts in the younger grades to provide 1:1 experiences for these students. Ms. Wrenn holds a B.A. in Cognitive Science and a Masters in Education from UCLA and has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished Educator since 1998 for innovation and leadership in the field of educational technology. She has presented locally, nationally, and internationally about how technology can enhance learning and empower students. Her work and the work of her students and teachers has received numerous honors in state and local media festivals and she and Echo Horizon School have been twice recognized as a ComputerWorld Smithsonian Laureate for visionary use of technology in education.
Professor Tsuneo Yamada, Professor and Executive Director, Research and Development Department, National Institute of Multimedia Education (NIME) (T406)
Tsuneo Yamada is a President's Advisor and a professor of Research and Development Department, National Institute of Multimedia Education (NIME) and an Adjunct Professor of Department of Cyber Society and Culture, the Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Japan. His main research fields are Educational Technology, Learning Psychology, and Second Language Learning. He has been engaged both in the study on advanced use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in educational fields and in the development of various e-learning materials. Under the new projects, his current interests are on the development and evaluation of learning objects, the strategies for their sharing and distribution, and their quality assurance. He is participating in Global Learning Object Brokered Exchange (GLOBE) Initiative from NIME. He is a member of the board of directors, Accreditation Council for Practical Abilities (ACPA), Japan.
Ms. Rita Yap Siu Li, Curriculum Planning Officer, Curriculum Planning and Development Division, Singapore Ministry of Education (M405)
Rita Yap Siu Li graduated with a BA from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her professional qualifications include; Diploma in Education (Primary and Secondary), Advanced Post-Graduate Diploma in Teaching of Social Studies (Secondary) and Diploma in Department Management from National Institute of Education, Singapore. Her journey as an educator began in 1997. She had eight inspired years of teaching Geography and Social Studies to teens aged 13 – 16 with mixed learning abilities in local schools and five insightful years as Head of Humanities Department, leading teams of devoted teachers to enhance the teaching and learning of Humanities subjects in two schools. Presently, she is a curriculum planning officer with the Curriculum Planning and Development Division, looking primarily into the area of Geography. She has a keen interest in exploring innovative and effective ways to enhance teaching and learning processes for both teachers and students.
Constance Yowell, PhD Director of Education, Program on Human and Community Development, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Connie M. Yowell is Director of Education in the Foundation's Program on Human and Community Development. In this role, she focuses on grants relating to public education, and on the implications for education of young people’s use of digital media. Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Yowell was an Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where her work included the study of reasons why Latino youth drop out of high school. Previously she worked as a Policy Analyst in the Office of Policy and Planning of the U.S. Department of Education. Before that Dr. Yowell was a Research Assistant at the University of California at San Francisco and at Stanford University. Dr. Yowell earned her bachelor's degree from Yale and her PhD from Stanford University.
Mr. Ed Zaiontz, Executive Director, Information Services, Round Rock ISD, TX (T305, Pre-Conference Workshop)
As the Executive Director of the Information Services Department for Round Rock ISD, a suburban school district with approximately 40,000 students and 42 facilities, he is responsible for the planning, implementation, and support for all technology resources associated with voice, video, and data networks. This includes all administrative applications, LAN/WAN support, and PC hardware maintenance and support. Mr. Zaiontz came to Round Rock ISD in 1983 as the Instructional Technology Coordinator. As a result of a reorganization of the central office in 1992, he was promoted to the Executive Director position. Prior to joining Round Rock ISD, Mr. Zaiontz was a successful junior high school math teacher for the Austin Independent School District and worked for a regional education service center in Austin. He completed two undergraduate degrees and a master’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He has chaired the Texas K-12 CTO Council since it was created as the first state chapter for CoSN and is currently on the CoSN Board of Directors.
Dr. Andrew Zucker, Senior Research Scientist, The Concord Consortium (T104)
Dr. Zucker is a Senior Research Scientist at the Concord Consortium, which specializes in educational technology R&D. He has decades of experience with educational technology. Dr. Zucker started a school computer center in 1974 and published reflections on the school's experience with computers in a 1982 Phi Delta Kappan article. At SRI International for 17 years, he worked on a wide variety of projects, including the Integrated Studies of Educational Technology (a national study of teachers' professional development in uses of technology, a formative evaluation of the E-Rate, and an evaluation of the former Technology Literacy Challenge Fund program). Dr. Zucker headed the Ubiquitous Computing Evaluation Consortium, an NSF-funded project to develop knowledge about 1-to-1 laptop computing programs (see http://www.k12one2one.org/, co-sponsored by CoSN), and he directed a study of Henrico County's pioneering iBook program. He is lead author of The Virtual High School: Teaching Generation V (Teachers College Press, 2003). |
