Presenters
Keynote
Bob Wise, President, Alliance for Excellent Education
Bob Wise is president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. He currently cochairs the Digital Learning Council with Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida, and chairs the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. He is also author of the book Raising the Grade: How High School Reform Can Save Our Youth and Our Nation.
Gov. Wise joined the Alliance in 2005, where he continues to build its reputation as a respected authority on high school policy by advocating for reform in America’s secondary education system and working to ensure that all students graduate from high school prepared for college, careers, and to be contributing members of society. Gov. Wise has become a sought-after speaker and advisor on education issues; he has advised the U.S. Department of Education, White House Transition Team, and frequently testifies before the U.S. Congress.
As governor of West Virginia from 2001 to 2005, he implemented the PROMISE Scholarship program, significantly increasing college attendance. From 1983 to 2001, Gov. Wise served in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he aggressively worked to preserve federal financial aid for students to attend college.
Gov. Wise earned a BA degree from Duke University and a JD degree from Tulane University School of Law. His board and committee services also include the Public Education Network, America’s Promise, and the National High School Center.
Panel Presenters
Dr. Allison Powell is the Vice President for State and District Services of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) which provides expertise and leadership in K12 Online Learning. Before joining iNACOL, Allison taught in both face to face and online K-8 environments. She helped build the Clark County School District's Virtual High School and an online professional development program for the Nevada school district. She has served as a board member for several organizations and universities. She completed her doctorate from Pepperdine University in educational technology.
Mary Ann Wolf, PhD is the CEO of Wolf Ed and has fifteen years of experience in education and education technology. She currently serves as an independent advisor to several education organizations, focuses on connecting policy and practice for innovative education reform and instructional practices, and grounds her perspective in her teaching experience and work with students. Mary Ann recently wrote Innovate to Educate: Education System [Re]Design for Personalized Learning based upon a Symposium held by SIIA, ASCD, and CCSSO. Previously, Mary Ann was the Executive Director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA). With SETDA, Mary Ann released several research and position reports, testified before the US House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee, and co-hosted technology showcases on the Hill. Mary Ann taught fifth grade in Virginia and studied education leadership with a focus on teacher time and professionalism at the University of Virginia. Mary Ann has a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Virginia, a Masters Degree in Elementary Education from the George Washington University, and a Bachelors in Accounting and Marketing from Georgetown University.
Caleb Jones, Student Experience Advocate for Florida Virtual Schools
Roundtable Leaders
Talbot Bielefeldt, Senior Research Associate at ISTE, has designed and conducted program evaluations since 1994 for U.S. Department of Education Technology Innovation Challenge Grants, Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) programs, Enhancing Education Through Technology, and Math Science Partnership grants; National Science Foundation Cyberinfrastructure, Science Talent Expansion Program, and Graduate Teaching in K12 Education grants; and numerous state, local, and privately funded education initiatives. His past research includes national surveys on teacher preparation, development of classroom observation protocols, technology planning, and the relationship between professional development and student outcomes. Current projects include evaluations of Alabama's virtual high school program and of projects funded under several National Science Foundation programs.
Mike Caldwell is currently the Academic Director at Idaho Digital Learning Academy. Mike has been involved in online education since 2003, as an instructor, course developer, Director of Supervision and Development, and now as the Academic Director overseeing curriculum development, online instruction and teacher professional development. As a brick and mortar teacher and high school administrator, Mike's online experience provides a well rounded experience as an educator and leader. He brings demonstrated leadership, expertise and practical knowledge of various online delivery models as well as online professional development. Mike resides in Boise, Idaho and holds a Master's Degree in Education.
Linda Carling is the Program Director for Teaching and Learning Online in the Johns Hopkins University School of Education Center for Technology in Education, and has over a decade of experience in the field of online learning. Linda coordinates, designs, and builds online and blended professional development programs based on an online learning model that incorporates research-based adult learning and online teaching practices. She provides leadership in the integration of current and emerging technologies into instruction and creates tools for the development and delivery of online learning. Linda also coordinates, teaches, and advises in the Graduate Certificate in Teaching the Adult Learner and the Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching and Learning for Adults.
Anne Chervanka is the owner of Farley & Christopher, a grant writing and educational consulting business. Anne comes from an elementary background, having taught grades K-8, Title One and gifted programs. For the past 5 years, Anne has worked with Classrooms for the Future instructional coaches, as a Pennsylvania Technology Integration Mentor (TIM). At present, she is the director of the Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit's online professional development program. This program, in partnership with Ed Tech Leaders Online (ETLO), has provided over 3300 NEIU educators with access to over 40 online 3 credit courses. These courses fulfill Pennsylvania's ACT 48 professional development requirement, as well as leading to Pennsylvania Level Two certification. In July 2011 NEIU/ETLO will be available statewide.
Christina Clayton, GA Department of Education
Debi Crabtree is the Coordinator of Hamilton County Virtual School, a district-led online program in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that has served students statewide since 2005. She also teaches educational technology courses for Tennessee Technological University and serves as an independent consultant to companies and schools implementing new e-learning initiatives. Join her on Twitter @debid or on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/debicrabtree.
Julia de la Torre is the Executive Director of Primary Source, a non-profit organization in Watertown, Massachusetts that provides face-to-face and online professional development programs for K-12 teachers on global issues and world cultures. A former French language teacher, Julia has also taught English in Morocco and Moldova and has worked in both public and private schools. A 2006 graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Julia is committed to global education across all disciplines and grade levels, with a particular interest in educational technology as a tool for global learning. Through her work with Primary Source, Julia ensures that all teachers have access to high-quality resources, in-depth content, pedagogical strategies, and travel experiences to help them successfully integrate global content into their work with students.
Julie Evans has been the CEO of Project Tomorrow (www.tomorrow.org) since 1999. Prior to this position, Ms. Evans enjoyed a successful 17-year career in sales and marketing management with Unisys and two education technology startups. Ms. Evans is a graduate of Brown University and serves on the Board of Directors of Project Tomorrow, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the TechAmerica Foundation and the Childrens’ First Advisory Council. Ms. Evans was named in April 2008 as one of the Top Ten Most Influential People in Education Technology over the past 10 years by eSchool News.
Bob Farrace, Senior Director of Communications and Development, oversees all association knowledge management and communications initiatives, including print and electronic publications, social media, Web content development, and public relations for the 25,000-member National Association of Secondary School Principals. Farrace also develops the Technology Leadership strand at the annual NASSP Conference. He received his BA in English and Spanish as well as his MA in Education from La Salle University. He is a former high school teacher, and former editor of The High School Magazine.
Bob Fortney is one of the founding members of the Kentucky Virtual High School. He currently is responsible for services to adults that include online professional development, training and professional communities of practice. Bob also serves as the Kentucky State Manager for the five year federal e-Learning for Educators grant. Bob served for five years as the Region 5 KETS Coordinator for the Office of Education Technology in the Kentucky Department of Education.
Lisa Gillis is the President and CEO of Integrated Educational Strategies, Inc., the nation's non-profit leader in assisting educational entities design, implement and evaluate digital and blended models of instruction. She is also the Chair of iNACOL's Advocacy and Issues Committee. She served as the Project Director for the Digital Learning Council under Gov. Wise and Gov. Bush culminating in the Digital LeArning NOW! Report.
Michael Gorman is a graduate of Western Michigan University, Indiana University, and Johns Hopkins University. He has partnered with ISTE and various educational, governmental, and business organizations and foundations. He oversees the Integrated Solutions Block, a 21st century program serving 1050 students integrating technology with core standards, at Woodside Middle School near Fort Wayne, Indiana. Along with providing in-services for schools both in and outside of Indiana, he will be working with facilitating at BLC, the National STEM Institute, and numerous PBL Workshops in 2011. Mike maintains this Blog along with his own 21centuryedtech Wiki and also posts articles at Tech and Learning Magazine and November Learning. He is a current PD chair for SIGOL (ISTE) and the communication chair for ICE in Indiana Most of all, Mike continues to advocate for teachers and students while concentrating efforts at transforming education and bringing 21st Century Skills to every classroom.
Anita Harris is the Instructional Technology Specialist for Sussex County Public Schools in rural Sussex County, Virginia. She not only oversees instructional technology for the school district but also manages the eLearning platforms and software programs. Anita is the President-Elect of ISTE's Special Interest Group for Online Learning (SIGOL) and also an online facilitator for PBS TeacherLine and a local PBS station in southeast Virginia, WHRO. She has presented at a number of conferences and continues in her quest of "always seeking, always learning, always sharing." You may follow Anita on Twitter @iTechSpec.
April Hayman, the instructional designer for ISTE, focuses on the design and development of dynamic online, hybrid, and face-to-face professional development opportunities. She is a certified Peer Reviewer for Quality Matters, a quality assurance process for online education. Her current projects include ISTE Learning, NETS Leadership Academy, custom professional development, and social networking workshops.
Jay Heap is the Associate Director of Operations for Georgia Virtual School. He has been involved in online programs for 6 years and has experience in teaching, administration, and course creation. Jay created the Georgia Credit Recovery programs and is leading the effort to bring blended learning to Georgia students. Jay has a bachelor's degree in Business Education and a master's degree in online learning.
Kathy Heiman is an Education Specialist with Alabama Public Television. Kathy works with the eLearning for Educators federal grant project and assists in coordinating efforts for the project between APT and the Alabama State Department of Education. Mrs. Heiman is a retired Alabama educator who spent twenty seven years in public education as a classroom teacher, media specialist, and virtual high school and online technology facilitator. Through the eLearning project, Kathy has completed training courses through Education Development Center to be both an online facilitator and online course developer. Mrs. Heiman currently facilitates online courses through eLearning for Educators Alabama and has developed an online course for educators using APT’s digital resources. Kathy conducts training webinars for educators and sets up online communities of practice through APT’s Moodle management system.
Nancy Hlavaty completed undergraduate and graduate work in math education at the University of Scranton, then went on to administrative courses at Marywood university. She is certified in mathematics and holds a principal certification as well as a supervisor of curriculum certificate. Her experience includes teaching high school and college mathematics both face-to-face and online, including graduate level courses for Wilkes University and IU 19. Nancy has curriculum experience, pre k – 12, as well as experience in grant writing and implementation.
David Jakes has spent 25 years in education as a teacher, staff developer, and technology coordinator. From his first Macintosh Classic to his current iPad, he has witnessed firsthand the changes in education that educational technology has empowered. Jakes shares this knowledge as a frequent speaker at technology conferences across the United States, and has spoken in Canada, Europe, and China. His interests in educational technology include digital storytelling, mobile learning, and the development of spaces for learning. He currently maintains a web site (Jakesonline.org), a blog (strengthofweakties.org), and a variety of other resources (jakes.editme.com) dedicated to improving the use of technology in education. He is currently the Coordinator of Instructional Technology at Glenbrook South High School, in Glenview, IL
Glenn Kleiman is Executive Director of the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation and Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the NC State University College of Education. A cognitive psychologist by background (Ph.D., Stanford, 1977), his work in education has spanned basic and applied research, curriculum development, software development, providing professional development for teachers and administrators, policy analyses, and consulting for school districts and state departments of education. Prior to joining NC State in July 2007, he was, since 1985, Vice President and Senior Research Scientist at Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) in Newton MA, where he most recently directed the Center for Online Professional Education and was Co-Director of the Northeast and Islands Regional Education Lab. He was also on the faculty of the Harvard Graduate School of Education from 1995-2007 and was educational chair of the Harvard/EDC Leadership and the New Technologies Institutes.
Donna Landin has served as the West Virginia Department of Education eLearning for Educators project director for the past six years. More than 10,000 West Virginia teachers have been involved in online professional development, course facilitation or course development under her leadership. She also manages the development of the West Virginia Learn 21 K-12 student learning resource portal.
Cathie Loesing is a Program Coordinator for the eMINTS National Center at the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO where she works with the eMINTS Professional Development program for K-12 teachers across Missouri, the United States and Australia. She also works with the eLearning for Educators: Missouri online professional development program. Her experience in education includes positions as a classroom teacher, library media specialist and technology integration specialist in Missouri. As a member of the STARR Program, Ms. Loesing was selected as an in-service regional professional development provider for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Cathie has written, developed, facilitated and taken online courses.
Dr. Susan Lowes, Director of Research and Evaluation at the Institute for Learning Technologies at Teachers College, Columbia University, has led many research projects on online teaching and learning. Her recent presentations and publications include “Behind the Counts: Teacher Beliefs and Teaching Styles in Asynchronous Online Classrooms” and “Developing a Framework for Looking at Group Work in Asynchronous Online Courses” (2010 and 2009 iNACOL Virtual Schools Symposia); “The Teacher as Migrant: How Teaching Online Can Change Classroom Practice” (Distance Learning, June 2010); “Studying the Effectiveness of the Discussion Forum in Online Professional Development Courses” (Journal of Interactive Online Learning, Winter 2007); and “Trends in Professional Development for K-12 Virtual Schools” in What Works in K-12 Online Learning? (ISTE, 2007). She is also Adjunct Professor at Teachers College, teaching courses on research methods and on online schools and online schooling for K-12.
Susan Maher of St. Michael’s Academy has over 20 years experience as an educator, educational diagnostician, and disability service provider in all levels of education from elementary school through college. Susan earned her bachelor degree in education at Texas A&M University and her master degrees in special education and education psychology at the University of Houston. Susan earned her advanced degree in education leadership at Bernelli International Graduate University which is currently pursuing US accreditation. Her international residency involved working in the area of social entrepreneurship.
Lynne Meeks is the Project Director for the e-Learning for Educators program at Alabama Public Television (APTV). eLearning for Educators is a ten-state collaborative effort to provide high-quality online PD for teachers. More than 45,000 teachers in have enrolled in eLearning courses at little or no cost since the program began in 2006. Before directing the highly successful, ten-state eLearning program, Lynne held positions as a classroom teacher, school administrator, and district program specialist in Alabama and in Georgia. She holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, Policy, and Technology Studies and is an active volunteer and board member in community arts organizations.
Kim Michel is the Director of Stratford Foundation's Commonwealth Learning Online Institute, which is currently developing a series of online PD courses based on the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. Kim holds a Master's Degree in Special Education. Her professional experience includes Special Education Teacher in public sector, Learning Center Teacher, Director of Commonwealth Learning Center, and Director, On-line Development. Kim is trained in Orton-Gillingham, RAVE-O, Project Read® Comprehension (Report and Story Form), Project Read Phonics, Project Read® Framing Your Thoughts, LiPS® Visualizing and Verbalizing® and Diagnostic Assessments.
Dan Morris has over 40 years of experience in public education. He is National Senior Trainer for the Intel Teach program, an adjunct faculty member at the University of Denver and most recently served as the director of Educational Technology and Innovation for the Colorado Department of Education. He is currently the Executive Director and Director of Professional Development for eNetColorado, a statewide network of over 70 districts and 14 Boards of Cooperative Services which is collecting and delivering staff development programs, resources, and tools that support the development of 21st century, technology-rich classrooms.
Nancy Quinlan is President of Stratford Foundation a non-profit educational 501(c) (3) charity whose mission is to increase student, teacher and parent access to multisensory teaching methods by offering research-based teacher training to professionals and by providing one-to-one individualized instruction to students who learn differently and those seeking to accelerate current performance.
Mary Schlegelmilch is the eLearning Supervisor for the Omaha Public Schools. Mary has experience teaching elementary and secondary students in both rural and urban schools. Mary coordinates the acquisition and development of online digital resources and distance learning programs for the Omaha Public Schools. She assists with district curriculum development while continuing to implement programs with building administrators that will impact student achievement such as credit recovery and credit rescue programs, middle school high access classrooms, elementary one-to-one initiatives, blended learning advanced placement courses, and elementary gifted courses. Mary has facilitated webinars on topics pertaining to the use of learning objects and Open Education Resources to the implementation of blended learning credit recovery programs.
Bryan Setser revitalized and transformed the North Carolina Virtual School into a national model for e-learning serving over 50,000 students annually. In his role as Chief Quality Officer, his school district was recognized as a Malcolm Baldrige National Award Winner and a national best practice staff development site by the American Productivity and Quality Council. A master motivator and innovator, Dr. Setser serves on numerous national reform efforts including the National Digital Learning Council, the INACOL State Leadership Team, and the State Virtual Leaders Alliance. He has twice been appointed by two separate Governors in North Carolina to the e-learning and School Technology commissions.
Aron Sterling is an educational specialist in instructional technology integration for Fairfax County Public Schools, the nation’s 12th largest school division, located in the shadow of the US Capitol. Prior to his position in the central office he worked as an elementary teacher for 6 years in Morgan Hill, California, and then a teacher, lead teacher and technology specialist for 16 years in FCPS. In addition, Mr. Sterling is the chair of the North TIER Partnership, a non-profit partnership between 12 school divisions, a community college and businesses in North Virginia. This partnership started as a technology consortium under NCLB and created a successful and sustainable model. Today it provides online professional development to thousands of educators through the capital region. Aron is committed to creating both cognitive and emotional change in teachers’ awareness to integrate technology for learning.
Christie Terry is in her 6th year as Director of the e-Learning for Educators program at the eMINTS National Center. She has worked as an eMINTS instructional specialist, middle-school science and math teacher and taught in a multi-age classroom for grades K-7.