I find it hard to believe that this is the fourth installment of our annual Big 10: Most Influential list. What began as a last-minute idea to help celebrate T&L’s 30th anniversary in 2010 has become one of our most anticipated issues of the year.
We gave contributor Sascha Zugar the daunting task of reaching out to these folks and asking them for the motivations behind their work. I think you will find her interviews both inspiring and enlightening.
After four years of curating this list, I also know there will be people who disagree, passionately, about the selections. Let me try to get ahead of that:
Q: “Where are the teachers?!”
A: “There are some! See Bergman and Sams.”
Q: “How can you include tech company CEOs?! Aren’t you just trolling for advertising?!”
A: “The products and services created and distributed by industry, whether they be whiteboards, tablets, curricula, or online courseware, have a massive influence over education practices, whether people like them or not. And while I do like that companies choose to advertise with us, it does not affect the selection process.”
Q: “How can you ignore (insert pro/con tech issue here) and how it is damaging the quality of education in this country?! Do you have a blind allegiance to the idea that all tech all the time is good?!”
A: “While I will admit a natural bias towards the benefit of technology in the classroom, I like to think we cover the issues from several angles. See Diane Ravitch.”
That being said, I am sure we missed someone you believe deserves to be on the list. Who is it? Post them on techlearning.com or just email me at khogan@nbmedia.com. I have already started collecting names for 2014!
— Kevin Hogan
Editorial Director
khogan@nbmedia.com
