Speakers
For current information about the program, please visit the Program page.
Speakers, panelists and moderators at Technology & Learning's Tech Forum are innovators in the field of educational technology. With years of experience as conference presenters, educators, school leaders and Technology & Learning authors, they offer a unique perspective on technology challenges and solutions.
As information is frequently updated, we encourage you to check back often.
Kim Carter
Director
Monadnock Community Connection School
Kim Carter is the Director of Monadnock Community Connection School, an alternative public school choice for high school students in southwestern New Hampshire. She was the 1991 New Hampshire Teacher of the Year and the 1996 New Hampshire Media Educator of the Year. A contributing editor for Technology & Learning, Kim has been a co-conspirator in the SchoolTech Expos and Leadership Institutes since their inception. Her greatest love is her three sons, followed closely by a fascination with how people learn and how technology empowers learning and teaching for all.
Edward Carmody
Program Manager, Wireless Networking
ShoreGroup
ShoreGroup's Program Manager of Wireless Networking, Edward Carmody, has 12 years of telecommunications experience in the New York City market. An operations manager and technical specialist for PBX integrations with JR Communications, he helped to lead the effort to grow the privately-held firm to market leadership in its territory. As JR Communications merged with ShoreGroup, a leading Cisco Gold VAR in the NY Metro area, he founded and currently heads the Wireless Networking division. He has spearheaded ShoreGroup's search for and development of commercial partnerships with manufacturers in key market-driven wireless technologies, such as 802.11x wireless LAN, free space optics, and high-end microwave products. As an expert in WLAN security, he has consulted with Fortune 500 companies, healthcare and educational institutions on implementing secure and scalable wireless networks. His process-driven approach to network design, implementation and customer satisfaction, coupled with expansive knowledge of emerging wireless technologies, have helped to position ShoreGroup as a regional leader in the planning, installation and support of advanced networks.
Jerry Crystal
Director, Technology Integration
Hartford Magnet Middle School, CT
Jerry Crystal is Director of Technology Integration for Hartford Magnet Middle School in Hartford, Connecticut. In his 20+ years in education he has worked with nearly every permutation of educational technology from the single computer classroom through to the wireless total laptop school. His practical, perceptive and humorous insights come from years of experience working with students, teachers and administrators at all levels of the educational spectrum. His workshops and professional development materials have been enthusiastically received by audiences regionally, nationally, and internationally. Mr. Crystal is a consultant to private and public organizations and author of numerous articles including, most recently, a preliminary perspective on the Maine Laptop Initiative featured in the September 2002 edition of Technology & Learning magazine. Besides chairing the Technology Committee of the New England League of Middle Schools he has served on numerous other committees that deal with pivotal issues such as the ethical use of technology. A proud US Navy veteran, he is also a loving husband to his wife Donna and an indulgent father to his four daughters.
Hall Davidson
Director of Education Services
KOCE-TV
Hall Davidson is currently Director of Educational Services at KOCE-TV, PBS in Orange County, California. He serves as Executive Director of Telecommunications of Orange County, a media consortium serving 200,000 students, and as Director of the California Student Media and Multimedia Festival, now in its 37th year. He taught language arts, mathematics, and foreign language before leaving the classroom to teach secondary mathematics on television on a program that earned an Emmy. He has served as a technology advisor for software manufacturers, commercial and PBS broadcasters, for organizations including the California School Library Association and Technology for Results in Elementary Education; and been part in numerous technology education task forces and committees. He serves as adjunct faculty on two California colleges. He is past president of Video-Using Educators, and serves on the board for Computer-Using Educators (CUE), the largest technology user group in the western United States. He has produced educational series on information literacy, the Internet, and an upcoming series for children ages 0-5. He is the father of two children currently in the public school system in Los Angeles.
Mary Delgado
Adjunct Professor
Marquette University
Mary Delgado is a veteran teacher of 30 years with experience in English as a Second Language and cross-cultural education. For the past four years Mary has been an adjunct professor with Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, as a facilitator and creator of online courses. She has worked with Milwaukee Public School teachers in creating and designing their own online courses. Ms. Delgado is president of her business INTERNET CREATIONS devoted to the creation and design of quality online courses and to challenging discussions on the philosophy and application of online learning in a K12 setting. Mary can be reached at mdelgado1@wi.rr.com.
Bruce Friend
Chief Academic Officer
Florida Virtual High School
Bruce is the Chief Academic Officer (CAO) of Florida Virtual School. In his role as CAO, Bruce is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the school, student and parent services, teacher recruitment, training, and support. The CAO also oversees matters relating to curriculum and instruction, directs the development of new course offerings, assesses the effectiveness of existing courses, and researches the most appropriate student populations to be served. As a member of the Executive Director's Leadership Team, Bruce participates in the school's overall planning, development and evaluation. Prior to being selected as CAO, Bruce was the course designer and instructor of the online American Government and Economics courses currently being offered by FLVS. Among his honors are 1998-99 FLVS Teacher of the Year and a finalist for the 1997 Walt Disney Teacherrific Award. He holds a bachelor's degree in Social Science from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master's of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Central Florida. Bruce has become a regular speaker about online teaching and learning issues at many national and state conferences and forums as well as giving presentations to various school and government officials throughout North America.
Sheila Gersh
Director of Technology & International Projects
CCNY, Center for School Development
Dr. Sheila Gersh is the Director of Technology and International Projects for the Center for School Development, School of Education at the City College of New York. For the past 15 years she has directed a variety of instructional technology projects that engage students in dong inquiry-based, collaborative telecommunications projects. Last year she worked with two early childhood teachers who participated in a project linking 5-year-old students in New York with the same age group of students in Paris, France. She has also worked with teachers who are involved in I*Earn and ThinkQuest projects. She is presently in the 2nd year of a project with Japan, which you will learn more about at Tech Forum. Dr Gersh also teaches face-to-face and online graduate courses such as "Introduction to Web-Based Learning", Teaching with the Internet and "Developing Electronic Portfolios and Multimedia Projects.
Michael Greenfield
Director of Technology
Chappaqua Central School District
Michael Greenfield is the Director of Technology for the Chappaqua Central > School District in New York. ýAn educator for the past 14 years, he is an experienced teacher, professional developer, administrator and consultant. Additionally, he has presented at regional and national conferences on a wide range of topics including technology integration, data driven decision-making, infrastructure management and emerging technologies.
Margaret Honey
Vice President & Director
Center for Children and Technology
Margaret Honey, Director of the Center for Children and Technology, has worked in the field of educational technology since 1981. Her primary research interests include the role of technology in school reform and student achievement, the use of telecommunications technology to support online learning communities, and issues of equity associated with the development and use of technology. She conducted the first national survey to look at K-12 educatorsý use of telecommunications (1992), and in collaboration with Bank Street College, she developed one of the first projects to cultivate the Internet as an environment in which to advance teacher professional development (1993). She is currently involved in several projects aimed at shaping technology to help educators make effective diagnostic use of data.
David Jakes
Instructional Technology Coordinator
Community HS District 99, Downers Grove, IL
David Jakes currently serves as the Instructional Technology Coordinator for Community High School District 99 in Downers Grove, IL. David's interest in technology developed from his 15 years as a classroom science teacher. In addition to speaking at many technology conferences, David conducts technology staff development projects in his school district and throughout the United States, He currently manages two technology-related Web sites, Biopoint.com and myprojectpages.com that seek to help teachers use technology, and particularly the World Wide Web, to increase student achievement and performance.
Adam Kenner
Director of Technology
Horace Mann School, Riverdale, NY
Adam Kenner is the Director of Technology at Horace Mann School in Riverdale, New York. He received his MA in Computing in Education from Columbia University Teachers College and has been teaching computer science at Horace Mann School in Riverdale since 1987. Adam chaired the Computer Science Department at Horace Mann from 1988 to 1997, when he became Horace Mannýs first Director of Technology.
Adam is skeptical about many of the so-called "benefits" of technology as it has typically been deployed in educational environments. He believes that some truly transformational technologies will soon emerge from the accelerating convergence of portable wireless devices like PDAs, palmtop computers, cell phones and digital imaging equipment. The true challenge of curricular technology integration will always be developing and nurturing the humanware resources in our schools ("Humanware" term used with implied permission from Steve Bergen, CIO, Chapin School).
Todd McIntire
Principal
Edison Schools
Todd McIntire, Achievement Director with Edison Schools, has been involved with educational technology for 15 years as a teacher, technology coordinator and chief information officer. He is a regular contributor to Technology and Learning magazine and presents at national technology conferences on technologies such as metropolitan area networks, virtual private networks and application service providers.
Peter Pappas
Assistant Superintendent for Instruction
East Irondequoit Central Schools
Peter Pappas is the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction at East Irondequoit Central Schools, a suburb of Rochester, New York. Mr. Pappasýs educational experience includes over 30 years experience in K ý 12 supervision, curriculum leadership and teaching in the social sciences at the high school, college and adult level. He has served as a national consultant to school districts, universities, publishers and the NYS Education Department. He has published professional and popular articles as well as contributed to texts, teacher resources and test banks. He is the recipient of state and national grants and fellowships including the "NEH Independent Studies in the Humanities."
He has developed and coordinated a variety of technology integration projects and websites for teachers and students. Mr. Pappas is a lively and engaging speaker, as well as a skilled workshop facilitator. He has conducted presentations and workshops across the country that are a dynamic mix of humor, motivation, and the kind of "straight talk" that resonates with teachers and administrators. You can see his website "Palm for Educators" and more of his work.
Judy Salpeter
Program Chair
Technology & Learning Events
Judy Salpeter, an experienced educator and education technology specialist, is program chair for Technology & Learning Events. On the editorial staff of Technology & Learning magazine since 1985, Salpeter served as editor-in-chief from 1994 to 2000. She is now consulting editor to the magazine and works as a freelance writer, consultant and conference planner.
Gwen Solomon
Director
TechLEARNING.com
Gwen Solomon is Director of techLEARNING.com, the web site of Technology & Learning magazine. Gwen has served as senior analyst in the U.S. Department of Education, coordinator of instructional technology planning for New York City Public Schools, and founding director of New York City's School of the Future. Her latest books are Connect Online: Web Learning Adventures and Toward Digital Equity: Bridging the Educational Digital Divide (edited book).
Karen Vitek
Resource Room Teacher
Nassau-Spackenkill School
Karen Vitek, a Resource Room teacher at the Nassau-Spackenkill School in Poughkeepsie, NY, has been a teacher for the past 24 years. She enjoys using technology with her students to help them reach the learning standards despite having learning disabilities. Her work has been published in print and on the web. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and experiences with other educators at local and regional conferences. She is a three time member of the New York State Academy of Teaching and Learning, winner of the Master Search Internet Lesson Plan contest sponsored by Classroom Connect and a Palm Education Pioneer.
David Warlick
Director
Landmark Project
David Warlick is the Director of the Landmark Project based in Raleigh North Carolina. A former history teacher, district level administrator, and IT specialist with the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction, he is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in innovative applications of technology, especially the Internet. He has spoken at conferences, seminars and workshops in most states and many other countries, and has developed numerous curriculum projects over the global network, including the second oldest continuing online project, the Global Grocery List. He is the author of Raw Materials for the Mind, a book that explores the implications of digital information for schools.
