Tech Forum - Strategies, Solutions and Innovations for Technology Leaders

Speakers: Tech Forum Texas 2010

Keynote Speaker

CHRIS LEHMANN, Founding Principal, Science Leadership Academy, Philadelphia, PA

Chris Lehmann is the founding principal of the Science Leadership Academy, a progressive science and technology high school in Philadelphia, PA. He returned to his native Philadelphia after nine years as a technology coordinator, English teacher, girls' basketball coach and Ultimate Frisbee coach at the Beacon School in New York City, one of the leading urban public schools for technology integration. Lehmann was an honoree for the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development's 2009 Outstanding Young Educator Award. He was named as one of "40 Under 40" by Philadelphia Business Journal in 2009 and as one of "20 to Watch" among American administrators by the National School Board Association in 2006. In 2001, he was honored by MOUSE as a Champion of Technology and Education for his work on building the portal at the Beacon School. Lehmann has spoken at educational conferences all over the world and has worked with many schools and districts in the U.S. and England as a consultant. He is the author of the education blog Practical Theory.

ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS

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

Anna Adam, Campus Instructional Technologist, Killeen ISD

Anna Adam has served Killeen ISD for 12 years as a campus instructional technologist, where she juggles being instruction support and technology guru for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students and their teachers. Along with her numerous daily responsibilities, she also facilitates the school’s popular DigiDolphins technology club for fourth and fifth grade students. As co-creator and producers of the Tech Chick Tips podcast (http://techchicktips.net), an Apple Distringuished Educator and a FableVision Ambassador, Adam has published numerous articles and is an active advocate for using technologies to engage and educate students. She finds daily inspiration from her own digital kids, ages 10, 8 and 6.

Claudia Bedoya, Third grade teacher, Austin ISD

Claudia Bedoya was born and raised in Bolivia. Her family moved to Austin, Texas when she was 18 years old. This experience is always present in her mind and affects her every day teaching her English Language Learners. Bedoya, who holds an MBA in Management Information Systems. received her teacher certification on 2003. She currently teaches 3rd grade bilingual at J.J. Pickle Elementary, where she has been teaching for eight years. She is also the educational technology resource contact for Pickle and the math lead teacher. She was an Intel Inspiring Educator Award winner in 2010, and was recognized at this year’s ISTE conference.

Pam Cranford, Testing Coordinator/RtI Manager, White Oak ISD

Pam Cranford has spent the past 27 years at White Oak ISD, where she works to incorporate technology into the daily curriculum. She has taught grades K-5 in the academic arenas of the technology lab, gifted and talented, special education, RtI Manager, and testing coordinator. She was also pivotal in the development of website design for district staff and leader of parental involvement in online Class Server lessons. She has written over 350 Moodle lessons for both students and staff, and she currently serves as the campus administrator for the elementary Moodle course and technology mentor to the primary and intermediate staff members. Notable recognition for her work includes 2008 GLOBE Teacher of the Year, 2009 TCEA Classroom Teacher of the Year, and 2009 ISTE Outstanding Teacher Nominee.

Jennifer Fano, Administrator, Randolph School District, NJ

Jennifer Fano is currently an administrator for the Randolph School District in New Jersey. Throughout her ten years teaching at the elementary level, she has received grants and incorporated new technologies to enhance instruction. In her fifth year as an administrator she has been using collaboration tools and working with staff in the areas of curriculum, instruction, and professional development. In addition to degrees in education and administration, she also holds an advanced certificate in Teaching and Learning with Technology from Columbia University.

Scott S. Floyd, District Instructional Technology Specialist, White Oak ISD

Before he began serving as the district instructional technology specialist in White Oak, Scott Floyd spent ten years in the classroom, mostly teaching middle school reading, English, and gifted and talented. He has also taught first grade in a self-contained classrom. His current focus is on helping teachers integrate technology tools into their curriculum both in instruction and personal learning. He works with administrators, faculty, and students on creating electronic portfolios – utilizing online tools with hosting in the cloud – to better showcase themselves to the world outside the school walls. As a former Texas secondary teacher of the year, Floyd has worked with educators on the local, area, state, and national levels. He also spends time lobbying on behalf of education in the Texas legislature.

Karen Fuller, Chief Technology Officer, Klein ISD

Karen Fuller has been involved in K-12 education for 18 years. She began as a classroom teacher in Diboll ISD, teaching microcomputer applications on Apple IIe’s, and then became the technology coordinator for the district. From there she moved to become the technology manager for ESC VII, in Kilgore, Texas. In 2004 she became the district technology trainer and, later, the director of technology in Marshall ISD. Fuller has been with Klein ISD since 2006, ?rst as the director of information technology and now as CTO. She has designed, implemented, and supported campus LAN’s, district WAN’s, and regional networks, and has conducted workshops on technology integration, grant writing, supporting district hardware and software, and technology planning. In addition, she has worked with districts on implementing wireless, VOiP, and distance learning networks, and developing curriculum for technology integration; has provided technical training for technology staff; and has served on state committees for developing hardware standards and teacher standards in technology.

Ronnie Gonzalez, Director of Technology & Communications, Navasota ISD

Ronnie Gonzalez has worked for Navasota Independent School District since 1999 and currently oversees the district’s network LAN and WAN, data servers, VOIP phone system, technology integration, technology professional development, and communications plan. He was named director of technology & communications in 2005 after previously teaching desktop publishing at Navasota Junior High for four years, and serving as the district’s technology specialist for one year. His passion is to incorporate the latest technology into the district’s classrooms and provide students access to the latest social media tools in an educational setting. Gonzalez has been influential in helping the rural 3A school district move forward with the use of Web 2.0 and social media tools to connect learning with life while providing new avenues for reciprocal conversation with the community. To begin the 2009-2010 school year Navasota ISD launched its own Google portal, Facebook fan page, and Twitter profile, and established an informational district e-newsletter that has grown to over 3,000 parents and community members. He recently presented to colleagues at Texas A&M University on “Building a Personal Learning Network” and is passionate about sharing his life-changing experience of using his personal learning network and Twitter for both personal and professional growth.

Michael Gras, Chief of Technology, White Oak ISD

Formerly a teacher of life science, physical science, earth science, and Texas history at Sharpstown Jr. High (Houston I.S.D.), Michael Gras has a masters degree in guidance and counseling and has worked for many years as a tutor, educational consultant and network designer. After forming his own company, he assembled teams that designed and built educational networks in dozens of East Texas school districts. In his current role as chief of technology at White Oak ISD, he works with three co-workers actively engaged in building a minimalist, operating-system-independent network. The team works under the philosophy that best resources needed by students and teachers are "out there." Gras' current focus is on creating positive Internet identities for students and teachers through the utilization of a variety of social networking tools. He is the current treasurer for the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) Strategic Open Source Special Interest Group.

Arturo Guajardo, Instructional Technology Facilitator, Austin ISD

Arturo Guajardo is an instructional technology facilitator for the Austin Independent School District as well as an independent trainer and consultant specializing in emerging educational technologies and the use of digital media with ELL/Bilingual students. He has developed and led numerous instructional technology staff development sessions and has presented at various conferences including the National Educational Computing Conference (now ISTE), National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE), and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).

Debbie Iosso, Elementary Principal, Randolph School District, NJ

Debbie Iosso has been in the business of education for the last 30 years. She has been employed by the Randolph School District in New Jersey and has received tenure as an elementary and high school teacher, supervisor and is currently the high school principal. Her experiences have earned her teacher of the year awards at the county and state levels. She is a graduate of Bloomsburg University with a BS degree in Special Education, Seton Hall University with an MA in Education and an Ed.S. degree also from Seton Hall University in Education Leadership, Management and Policy. Recent workshops include but are not limited to Techspo, FEA/NJPSA/ASCD and Innovative Learning Conference in San Jose, CA.

Justin Martindale, Instructional Technology Specialist, Klein ISD

A former children’s minister and science teacher, Justin Martindale serves as an instructional technology specialist at a 1:1 intermediate campus in Klein, Texas. His primary role is to provide job-embedded staff development to 90 faculty and staff who teach over 1000 students in grades 6-8. In the last year, he has presented at Region VI, TCEA, and ISTE.

Scott Meech, Technology Facilitator, The Joseph Sears School

Scott Meech is in his 16th year of teaching and is currently working at the Joseph Sears School in Kenilworth, IL, as the district technology facilitator. While he began his teaching career in social studies, he quickly realized his greatest educational interest was in the transformative nature of technology. He was an early adopter and was regularly the test pilot for any and all new tech initiatives. His teaching quickly transformed from a traditional teacher-centered paradigm to a constructivist, student-centered approach. Meech earned his masters in education in curriculum and technology in 2005 and is finalizing an educational leadership program from the Johns Hopkins University Leadership program in conjunction with the International Society of Technology and Education. While he has a myriad of interests, his favorite pastime is studying the impact technology is making and can make on education. He believes that education is on the brink of major change and that technology will finally fulfill its promise. Meech blogs at http://www.smeech.netand has a repository of his work at smeech-presos.wikispaces.com. Additionally, he has started an educational community that is focused on studying mobile devices and their educational value called I Education Apps Review.

Helen Mowers, 21st Century Learning Specialist, Killeen ISD

Helen Mowers has worked for Killeen ISD for 17 years, serving as a science teacher, instructional technologist, and professional developer. When not involved in designing professional learning for teachers, she can be found behind the microphone co-producing the Tech Chick Tips podcast (http://techchicktips.net), writing articles for educational journals, sharing technology resources that teachers can use in the classroom, or finding new ways to use technology to entertain and educate her nieces. An Apple Distinguished Educator, Mower is passionate about sharing with others how technology can engage students in school and provide a medium for students to share their voices.

Juan Orozco, Instructional Technology Facilitator, Austin ISD

Juan Orozco is an instructional technology facilitator for the Austin Independent School District and has been an educator for 13 years. He is also an Intel Teach Master Teacher, PBS Teacherline facilitator, Discovery Star Educator, and a Texas Staff Development Conference board member (TSDC). Orozco has developed and led numerous instructional technology staff development sessions and has presented at various conferences including the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC, now ISTE), Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA), Florida Educational Technology Conference (FETC) and Texas Staff Development Conference (TSDC).

Dr. Alice E. Owen, Executive Director of Technology, Irving ISD

Alice Owen has experience as a principal, staff development director, technology director, and statewide executive director of a computer education association. She currently oversees a district-wide implementation of over 10,000 laptops provided to all high school students and teachers in Irving ISD. She has hosted national symposiums for districts implementing laptop programs in one-to-one settings, is a member of a number of state and national associations, and serves as past-chair of the state chapter of CoSN, the Texas K-12 CTO Council. Owen has also worked with CoSN staff and others to develop a Leadership Symposium around the topic of one-to-one computing and has served as chair of ISTE’s special-interest group about one-to-one computing. She has been on numerous state and national committees to develop standards for the educational technology community and has developed curriculum and served as master trainer for a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant project that trained Texas superintendents and principals in the use of laptops and leadership. As staff development director, she led her district to be recognized nationally by the U.S. Department of Education as a Model Staff Development Program.

Humberto Adrián Pérez, High School Video and Technology Teacher, Pflugerville ISD

Humberto Pérez has been passionately dedicated to the arts for the past 24 years of his life. He currently teaches video technology and independent study of technology applications at John B. Connally High School in the Pflugerville school district. In addition, he is one of the founders and sponsors of the Connally Digital Media Club. This club encourages professional development by providing students, faculty, community members, and media professionals with the opportunity to meet, exchange ideas, and share experiences in working with digital media. Pérez incorporates digital storytelling, social media, guerilla filmmaking techniques, personal electronic devices, and artistic techniques into a project-based and engaging learning experience for his students. He collaborates with educators in Austin ISD on the Dear Michelle Project, an annual digital media summer camp at the Ann Richards School of Young Women Leaders. He was the master teacher for the Cine Joven Filmmaking in Spanish program at the Austin School of Film. He is also a member of Capital Macintosh, and the special interest group leader for the CapMac Final Cut SIG.

Jennifer Saccoccio, Elementary Teacher, White Oak ISD

Jennifer Saccoccio is currently a second grade teacher in White Oak ISD. She has been teaching for eight years and has taught grades 2-7 and worked with a variety of students including ESL, special education, and gifted and talented. While working in Eagle Mountain ISD, she served as campus technology integrator (CTI) for Gililland Elementary School. As a CTI, she was responsible for training teachers on different aspects of technology and testing teachers on the minimum technology competencies required by that district. She has a huge love of technology and enjoys finding new ways to incorporate it into the classroom to enhance the educational experience of her students.

Kim Sharp, High School English Teacher, Klein ISD

Kim Sharp has been an English I teacher at Klein Forest High School in Klein ISD since 2004. She reaches all levels of students within her Academic, Pre-Advanced Placement, and Special Education classes. Sharp’s endeavors in integrating technology in her classroom began in 2007, when she was selected to take part in launching the International Business Academy, an innovative program in which students use district-issued PC Tablet computers to connect their education to global cultures, international economic activities, and the position of the United States in global business. In 2009, the PC Tablets were extended to the entire student population. In her classroom, Sharp utilizes numerous software programs and equipment, such as Starboard, E-Instruction, DyKnow, PhotoStory, and on-line Learning Management Systems. She has been a technology spotlight teacher for her campus, sharing ideas and helping other teachers to integrate technology into their curriculum. This past May, her classroom was filmed for a TEA Technology and Learning video to be published later this year.

Candace Threadgill, Director of Information Technology, Klein ISD

Candace Threadgill is the director of information technology for Klein ISD and the current president of the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA). She earned a BBA and a MBA from Baylor University in Information Systems Management. A former K-12 Science and Math teacher and an adjunct technology lecturer for UTA for pre-service teachers, Threadgill has been a technology director for the past 13 years – 11 years at Connally ISD and two years at Klein ISD. She has also been on the Board of Directors for TCEA since 2002 and was Convention VP for the 2009 TCEA Convention. She has presented at many state and national forums and is a recognized advocate for educational technology.

Paul Wood, Director of Technology, Bishop Dunne Catholic School

Paul Wood serves as the director of technology for Bishop Dunne Catholic School where he has been an educator for 35 years. He is a graduate of the University of Dallas with a BA in Psychology and is working on completing his Master's in Education. Bishop Dunne is a 6-12 School that allows its students to bring their own connectivity each day to the school and they are implementing electronic textbooks in all areas possible this year.

Steve Young, Chief Technology Officer, Judson ISD

Steve Young has served since 2006 as CTO for Judson ISD in San Antonio, Texas, where his department oversees network operations, server hardware, desktop hardware, application support, programming, help desk support, telecommunications, radio, and PEIMS. He has held several positions in instructional technology at North East ISD and at Northside ISD, where he started teaching in 1992. Young founded the San Antonio Area Technology Directors group, which has met quarterly since its inception in 2007. The group serves as a vendor-agnostic informal community of technology leaders who share project ideas, concerns, and solutions to common problems. In 2010 Young was selected as the Chair-Elect of the Texas K-12 CTO Council, the first state chapter of the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), which serves as the premier professional association for school district technology leaders.