Tech Forum - Strategies, Solutions and Innovations for Technology Leaders

Speakers: Tech Forum New York 2010

Keynote Speaker

KATHY SCHROCK, Director of Technology, Nauset Public Schools; Creator, Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators

As director of technology of the Nauset Public Schools in Orleans, MA, Kathy Schrock is responsible for maintenance of all the technology and networking for seven schools, technology curriculum infusion planning, and teacher training and professional development in both technology and information literacy. She is well-known in the education field as the creator of Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators (http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide), an extensive Web site she started in 1995 to help fellow educators identify curriculum-related Web resources to enhance their units of study. In early 1999 she partnered with Discovery Channel School to provide a well-rounded and robust site.

Schrock is the author of numerous articles and reviews and many technology-infusion books for educators. She has been a speaker, both nationally and internationally, at dozens of technology and library conferences. She has also received numerous technology-related accolades including the Making IT Happen award from both ISTE and the Massachusetts CUE, named as a Top Five Innovator in Education (along with Papert, Gates, Wozniak, and Jobs) by Technology and Learning (now Tech & Learning) magazine, and honored as the Rutgers University School of Communication, Information, and Library Studies Alumna of the Year. Extremely interested in information literacy, search strategies, copyright issues, the role of emerging technologies to support teaching and learning, and critical Web site evaluation, she received her BS in elementary/special education from Rutgers College in 1979 and her MLS from Rutgers Graduate School of Library and Information Studies in 1981.

ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS

Tech Forum is well known for its great speakers, attendees and networking opportunities. The following team members will be presenting:

David Andrade, Physics teacher, Central Magnet High School, Bridgeport, CT

Before taking his current job at Central Magnet High, David Andrade worked for ten years as an engineer. In addition to teaching physics, he is a professional development facilitator with expertise in technology integration. He serves as a Tech & Learning advisor, author and blogger and also blogs at www.educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com. He is also a part-time paramedic, an EMS instructor and a STAR Educator and Leadership Council member for Discovery Education.

Adam Bellow, Director of Educational Technology, College Board Schools

Adam Bellow is the founder of eduTecher, a free web resource for teachers, students, and parents that finds and explains how to use free Web tools in the classroom. He works as the director of educational technology for the College Board Schools and has previously worked as technology integration specialist as well as a high school english teacher. Recently named an Emerging Leader by ISTE, Bellow has been asked to present at conferences across the country and all around the world. You can check out his site at www.eduTecher.net and follow him on Twitter @AdamBellow.

Alisa Berger, Co-principal, NYC iSchool

Alisa Berger is a founding co-principal at the NYC iSchool, a New York City public high school. Previously, she has worked in the New York City central offices as a director of leadership and organizational learning, overseeing 250 schools in achieving their goal of increased student achievement by developing, aligning, and delivering cutting edge training and professional development. Initiatives she was involved with included the Children First Intensive (CFI), an action research initiative designed to help build schools' capacity to use accountability tools to differentiate, individualize, and improve instruction. Berger also served as a facilitator for the SAM (Scaffolded Apprenticeship Model) Masters program, a comprehensive school reform program, run through Baruch College, City University, that supports schools in strengthening their distributive leadership and creating an adaptive environment that is able to continuously improve itself. Sbe began her career in school administration as the founding leader of the Mott Hall II school, a small, progressive NYC public middle school.

Kim Carter, Executive Director, QED Foundation

With 35 years of experience in education, Kim Carter has taught preK through graduate school, and provided training, coaching, and facilitation for administrators, teachers, parents, community partners, and youth in schools and learning organizations in the U.S. and the U.K. A 1991 New Hampshire Teacher of the Year and 1996 New Hampshire Media Educator of the Year, she served on the NH Professional Standards Board from 1992–1995, was a contributing editor for Technology and Learning magazine for eight years, and has been a national facilitator for the School Reform Initiative (previously NSRF) for 15 years. Carter has been actively involved in local, state, and national education reform efforts for over two decades. She was one of the five-member planning team that designed and opened award-winning Souhegan High School in Amherst, NH, where she was director of information and technology Services for eleven years. She then founded Monadnock Community Connections School (MC2), a competency-based high school of choice, serving as director and founding principal for seven years. She consulted on the founding of the Five Freedoms Project, and was executive director from January, 2009, until its December, 2009, merger with QED Foundation – a multigenerational organization of adults and youth working together to create and sustain student-centered learning communities. Carter’s expertise and interests include designing highly effective learning and assessment, democratic schooling, educational equity, learning theory, and high school redesign.

Jerry Crisci, Director of Technology, Scarsdale Public Schools

Jerry Crisci is the director of technology for the Scarsdale Public Schools in Scarsdale, NY, where he helped to develop an innovative computer curriculum that has been profiled in The Wall Street Journal and CBS radio's Charles Osgood program. In 2003, Scarsdale was one of three districts honored nationally with a "Technology Salute" by the National School Boards Association. Crisci’s articles and software reviews have appeared in many books and publications, including Electronic Learning, Classroom Computer Learning (now T&L), Multimedia Schools, Kids and Computers, Instructor, Technology Horizons in Education and Middle Years. He has served as an adjunct professor at the St. Thomas Aquinas College and a technology instructor at several ASCD Summer Technology Academies. He has also presented papers and workshops at many conferences and, as a Google Certified Teacher, conducted dozens of workshops on using Google technologies in education. Crisci is also president of Chestnut Hill Media, an educational technology consulting firm and software design studio. He has authored two commercial software packages, They Came to Ellis Island and The Multimedia Project Planning Kit. His book on future trends in education will be published in November 2010.

Dr. Howie DiBlasi, Emerging Technology Evangelist, Digital Journey

Howie DiBlasi has extensive experience in the education field (20 years) business leader (10 years) and as a technology director (14 years). He was recognized as “Vocational Teacher of the Year” for the state of Arizona and nominated as a finalist in the “Top Secondary Leaders in America”. He has been featured in several magazines as “a CIO who really thinks outside the box.” He is a published author, "change agent," and educational technology consultant, and was recently recognized by the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration with the "Pinnacle Award" for outstanding Professional Development Programs. Di Blasi’s emphasis is on digital technology, multimedia, interactive video conferencing and 21st century learning. He has presented to thousands of educational leaders, administrators and teachers from Bangkok to Boston.

Patrick Higgins, Jr., Supervisor of Humanities, Verona Schools, NJ

Patrick Higgins has been a teacher of English and social studies, a technology coordinator, and an administrator at various schools in New Jersey. In his current position as supervisor of humanities for the Verona Schools, he focuses on developing curriculum to meet the needs of the 21st century student, coordinating professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators, and facilitating change within the humanities. He has presented at the local and state level on topics such as Research 2.0, Creating Personal Learning Environments, Writing for Authentic Audiences, and Data Visualization. His focus within the past year has been on introducing teachers to the disruptive nature of social technology and the pedagogical shifts they bring about. He currently writes his own blog, Chalkdust101, and is a contributor to Tech & Learning.

Tom Honohan, Technology Integration Teacher, New Canaan High School, New Canaan, CT

Tom Honohan is entering his fourth year as a technology integration teacher at New Canaan High School. With a focus on the Math, Science and Career & Technology Education departments at the school, he collaborates with teachers and students to integrate technology into the existing curriculum and provide training as needed. He began his teaching career as a NYC Department of Education Teaching Fellow in Harlem and ended his seven years with the DOE as a Project Manager for a NCLB EETT Title 2D grant in Northern Manhattan. He is proud to say that this will be his seven year as a Tech Forum participant.

Patrick Larkin, Principal, Burlington High School, MA

Patrick Larkin is in his 14th year as a high school administrator and seventh as a building principal. Prior to that he was a high school English teacher. As an assistant principal, Larkin was named Assistant Principal of the Year in the state of Massachusetts. He also is a former executive board member in the Massachusetts Secondary Schools Administrators Association (MSSAA) and he recently completed a two-year term as a member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Public Secondary Schools. He is an avid blogger and a proponent of social media to better engage teachers, students, and parents in the education process.

Dr. Robert Miller, Director of Information and Communication Technologies, New Canaan Public Schools, CT

Rob Miller is entering his seventh year as director of information and communication technologies for the New Canaan Public Schools. Before that, he spent five years in a similar role in a neighboring school district. Miller is responsible for the technology infrastructure, technology support, data services, state reporting, and the instructional program for technology and library media, merged as “Information and Communication Technologies” in New Canaan. He recently finished his Doctorate of Education at Northcentral University in E-Learning and Teaching Online. His dissertation focused on the development of 21st century communication, collaboration, and digital literacy skills through the use of social network tools at the high school level.

Mary Moss, Co-principal, NYC iSchool

Mary Moss is a founding co-principal of the NYC iSchool, a New York City public high school. Prior to her work at NYC iSchool, she was a teacher of young adolescents for seven years before becoming principal of Mott Hall II, a progressive middle school in NYC. At Mott Hall II, she expanded classroom technology practices, instituted a differentiated professional development program, and developed student-centered initiatives such as student-led conferences, a comprehensive advisory system, and college/career awareness programs. While at Mott Hall II, Moss led her teachers to adopt a project-based instructional approach, developing the planning and professional development tools that inform her current work in a real-world, problem-based model at iSchool. She graduated from Bates College with a self-designed major in Children's Studies, then earned her Masters at Harvard Graduate School of Education in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy, followed by a doctorate from Columbia University Teachers College, with a focus on adolescent education and schools' preservation of developmentally appropriate practices in an age of high-stakes accountability.

Mickey Muldoon, Manager of External Affairs, NYC School of One

Mickey Muldoon is the manager of external affairs at School of One, where he is the primary point of contact with researchers, policy makers, the media, and partner organizations. Before joining School of One, he was the policy and operations associate at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education think tank in Washington, DC, where his responsibilities spanned development, blogging, research, and accounting. Previously, he was a field organizer for Barack Obama’s general election campaign in Richland County, Ohio.

Lisa Nielsen, Technology Innovation Manager, NYC Department of Education

Lisa Nielsen is an educational administrator and permanently certified teacher with more than a decade's experience working in educational innovation at the city, state, and national level. As an innovative educator in New York City, she was honored as Teacher of the Year and was her district's nominee for Technology Educator of the Year. Nielsen has worked in various capacities in educational innovation at the NYC Department of Education and Teachers College, Columbia University, including as manager of instructional technology professional development, literacy coach, instructional technology coach, teacher, librarian, and staff developer. She currently serves as technology innovation manager for the NYC Department of Education. She is a Google Certified Teacher, International Edublogger, International EduTwitter, and creator of The Innovative Educator blog, website, learning network, and wiki. In addition to her blog (TheInnovativeEducator.blogspot.com), her work is published in Learning and Leading, Tech & Learning, and ISTE Connect. An outspoken and passionate advocate of innovative education Nielsen is also covered by local and national media for her views on "Thinking Outside the Ban" and determining ways to harness the power of technology for instruction and providing a voice to educators and students.

Michael Pincus, Teacher, Scarsdale Public Schools

Michael Pincus is an elementary computer teacher at the Scarsdale Schools in Scarsdale, NY, where he works with teachers to design innovative technology projects. He has a passion for helping teachers and students share and present their work online. Prior to becoming a computer teacher, he was a 1st and 2nd grade classroom teacher. Before his teaching career, Pincus worked in advertising in NYC where he worked on such accounts as Apple, Nike and Coca-Cola.

Michael Ritzius, Science Teacher and Creator of the Integrated Studies Program, Camden County Technical Schools, NJ

Mike Ritzius is a 10 year veteran science teacher at Camden County Technical School in Gloucester Township, New Jersey. In 2009, he and four of his colleagues, created the Integrated Studies Program where students learn through a problem-based and project-based format in a hybrid online and face-to-face learning environment. As president of his local education association, he cultivated a strong working relationship with his superintendent, making the Integrated Studies Program a reality. Ritzius also has a strong interest in professional development. He is a co-founder of Edcamp, a grassroots, professional development movement (edcamp.wikispaces.com, www.edcampphilly.org). He works closely with NJEA to help provide technology training to its 200,000 members and conducts informal, monthly technology trainings within his district. He has spoken at the Rutgers University Institute for Improving Student Achievement, Wilmington University School of Education, and Alan November’s Building Learning Communities 2010 as a practitioner session. Ritzius worked as molecular biologist at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia until 2000 when he moved into teaching via the NJ alternative route program.

Sarah Rolle, Director of Technology, The Elisabeth Morrow School, NJ

Sarah Rolle has been involved in education since 1989. She has experience in both private and public schools and has worked as a learning specialist, computer support staff for a Semester at Sea college program, an instructional technology trainer and, currently, director of technology. She is particularly interested in training teachers to integrate technology in the classroom. Rolle has presented at such conferences as NECC, the Microcomputers in Education Conference (at Arizona State University), the New Jersey Educational Computing Cooperative Conference and the NJ Association of Independent Schools, on topics including media literacy, virtual worlds for students and Google. She is a Google Certified Teacher and holds a Master of Education in Educational Media and Computers from Arizona State University.

Doug Rose, Computer Teacher, Scarsdale Middle School, NY

A computer teacher at Scarsdale Middle School since 2001, Doug Rose also taught English on both the middle school and high school levels in Scarsdale for over twenty years. He is known for developing innovative computer projects using multiple applications, including tools for online assessment, research, and literary and cultural analysis. Rose is an instructor for the Scarsdale Teachers Institute, where he has developed and taught courses on database design, computer-based collaboration, assessment, desktop publishing, and the program Inspiration. Current areas of interest include data analysis, data visualization, and the use of computers in writing instruction.

William Stites, Director of Technology, The Montclair Kimberley Academy, NJ

Bill Stites has been at the Montclair Kimberley Academy (MKA) in Montclair, New Jersey, since 1994. He has taught third grade as well as working in the technology department the entire time, serving as director of technology since 1999. He also serves as "Blogger in Chief" of edSocialMedia, a destination for people writing and reading about the role of social media in education, particularly in independent schools and colleges. In addition to his role at MKA and edSocialMedia.com Stites has also been an advisor for the New Jersey Educational Computer Cooperative since 2001 and a presenter at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) conferences over the years, winning the Leading Edge Award for Technology in 2004 for MKA’s online faculty development program.

Cathy Swan, Technology Integration Teacher, New Canaan Public Schools, CT

Cathy Swan has been the technology integration teacher at New Canaan High School since the program's 2002 inception, collaborating with classroom teachers to integrate technology into the existing curriculum and conducting training as needed for staff and students. Before that, she taught French and Spanish for nine years. Swan is a Google certified teacher and a member of the district ICT team awarded honorable mentions in both the COSN Team Award 2010 and ISTE's Sylvia Charp Award for District Innovation in Technology, 2010. Since 2005, Swan has held a position on the board of the Connecticut Educators Computer Association (CECA). She has served on the New Canaan Public Schools Professional Development Team for the past decade where she is responsible for the planning and implementation of high school professional learning days and events throughout the school year. She is a member of the National Staff Development Council's Academy XVI. She has presented at various CT and NY districts, as well as at the Tech Forum, CoSN and CECA conferences on the topic of Web 2.0 technologies in education. Swan's program and district were featured in a 2010 Intel Blueprint publication as well as the 2010 CoSN Compendium.

Lisa Thumann, Educational Technology Specialist, Center for Mathematics, Science and Computer Education, Rutgers University

Formerly a K-6 technology teacher, Lisa Thumann has been with the Center for Mathematics, Science and Computer Education at Rutgers University in New Jersey since 2002. As the center's senior specialist in educational technology, she facilitates professional development sessions on campus as well as travels throughout New Jersey helping teachers integrate technology into their classrooms. Her focus for the center is her 21st Century Learning Initiative and helping teachers to develop and participate in personal learning networks. Lisa also presents at State and National conferences such as Alan November's Building Learning Communities and ISTE (formally NECC). You can find her speaking annually for the NJ Association for Educational Technology and the NJ Educational Computing Cooperative. She has been the Keynote presenter for the NJEA Technology Institutes and the NJETI 2010 Annual Conference and blogs regularly for Tech & Learning. You can read more about Lisa on her personal blog at ThumannResources.com.

Willyn Webb, Teacher, Counselor and Adjunct Professor, Delta, Colorado

Willyn Webb, LPC, is an author, alternative high school counselor/teacher, and adjunct professor. Motivated by the success she has experienced in using cell phone technologies with her students, Web is coauthoring a book (Teaching Generation Text) with Lisa Nielsen on harnessing the power of cell phones in education. She has 20 years experience as an educator and counselor from preK through adult. She is a motivating and energetic speaker, highly successful educator, and diverse author with published professional and children's books.