Tuesday Keynote
Will Richardson
Education Consultant, Weblogg-ed.com

Will Richardson is known internationally for his work with educators and students to understand and implement instructional technologies and, more specifically, the tools of the Read/Write Web into their schools, classrooms and communities. A former public school educator for 22 years, Will’s own Weblog is a leading resource for the creation and implementation of Web 2.0 technologies on the K-12 level, and his is a leading voice for school reform in the context of the fundamental changes these new technologies are bringing to all aspects of life.

His critically acclaimed, best-selling book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Tools for Classrooms (March 2006, Corwin Press) is already being used by tens of thousands of teachers to reinvent their practice, and his keynotes, presentations and workshops to audiences around the world communicate a fresh and inspiring vision of what schools can and must become.

Attend Will's preconference workshop on Monday plus his keynote and breakout sessions on Tuesday.

Leslie Fisher
Leslie Fisher’s interest in technology began while studying music at the University of Southern California. She quickly realized the value of utilizing computers for music mixing and recording and eventually changed her major.  After Leslie joined Apple Computer in 1992, she was assigned to study Internet growth and implementation.  In 1997, Leslie founded Fisher Technologies Inc. to help educators with their technology implementations and decisions through consulting, training and presentation services. FTI continues providing those services.

Leslie conducts a preconference workshop, Digital Camera and Photo Editing on Monday, January 26.

Brad Fountain
Brad Fountain began his educational career as teacher in a grades 3-5 multi-age classroom in rural North Carolina where he blended his interest in technology with classroom instruction. He participated in many of the first Internet classroom projects including the first MayaQuest. Brad became the lead technology facilitator providing staff development on technology integration and helped to author teacher technology assessment programs in NC. He served as an administrator of the North Carolina Model Technology School for 2003. Brad joined Discovery in 2005 and now serves as the Discovery Educator Network Account Manager.

Brad presents on Wednesday, January 28.

Carl Heine
Carl A. Heine is a Senior eLearning Architect and Innovation Consultant at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, Illinois where he served as the Director of the 21st Century Information Fluency Project from 2004 to 2007. He has authored and facilitated numerous on-line professional development courses in information fluency. Today his work includes the design and development of web portals, webinars, podcasts and Flash games for assessing students' skills in information fluency.

Carl conducts conducts a preconfernce workshop, How to find Information and Evaluate It, on Monday, January 26 and presents Power Searching in a Web 2.0 World breakout session on Tuesday, January 27.

Doug Johnson
Doug Johnson has been the Director of Media and Technology for the Mankato (MN) Public Schools since 1991 and has served as an adjunct faculty member of Minnesota State University since 1990. His teaching experience has included work in grades K-12 both here and in Saudi Arabia. He has authored four books: The Indispensable Librarian, The Indispensable Teacher’s Guide to Computer Skills, Teaching Right from Wrong in the Digital Age and Machines are the Easy Part; People are the Hard Part. His regular columns appear in Library Media Connection and on the Education World website. His Blue Skunk Blog averages over 50,000 visits a month. Doug has conducted workshops and given presentations for over 130 organizations throughout the United States and internationally and has held a variety of leadership positions in state and national organizations, including ISTE and AASL.

Doug presents three breakout sessions on Wednesday, January 28.

Cindy Lane
Cindy Lane is the Professional Development Specialist for Lindbergh School District in St. Louis, MO. In her free time, Cindy is an adjunct professor teaching online classes for SBU and eLearning for MO educators, Discovery Education certified trainer, Master Trainer for Intel Teach to the Future, an eMINTS Instructional Trainer and presents at METC, FETC, SITE, MITC and other conferences.

Cindy is Missouri's first Google Certified Teacher and will lead a full-day workshop on Google Earth in the Classroom on Monday. During the remaining conference days, Cindy shares how specific examples using Google Apps can be effectively used in elementary and secondary classes.

James Lerman
James Lerman began his teaching career as a junior high English and Career Education teacher and then as curriculum supervisor of English Language Arts in Newark, NJ.  He has held various administrative positions including director of technology, principal and assistant to superintendent.  Currently, he is coordinator at the New Jersey Consortium for Middle Schools, in Kean University, NJ.  Jim is a Google Certified Teacher and LoTi (Levels of Technology Integration) Certified Education.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, January 27 & 28, hear Jim present in breakout sessions.

Patrick O'Shea
Dr. Patrick O'Shea is the Director of the Handheld Augmented Reality Project at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education.  This project focuses on studying the potential of GPS-enabled handheld computing in educational settings to improve academic and non-academic outcomes.  He has more than 15 years of experience working at every level of education.  He has consulted internationally for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, built online testing protocols, and has extensive experience with practical applications of technology in the educational setting.

Patrick presents the how-to's and results of students creating their own wiki "textbooks".

Howard Pitler
Howard Pitler, EdD is currently the Senior Director of Curriculum and Instruction at McREL. Dr. Pitler has overseen the field test of the McREL Technology Solutions and the development and field test of the Online Learning Communities series. Both are research-based models of technology professional development and capacity building that have positively impacted teacher pedagogy and school cultures. He is the principle author of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, published by ASCD and has written numerous articles on the topic. He is also the creator of McREL’s Power Walkthrough informal observation software. Dr. Pitler has been invited to present at technology conferences throughout the country and has worked with schools, districts, and state agencies to increase the appropriate use of technology in hundreds of school across the country.

On Tuesday January 27, Dr. Pitler presents a double breakout session, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works that discusses ways to use technology with Marzano’s nine instructional strategies.

Tammy Worcester
Tammy Worcester has over twenty years of educational experience. She began her career in the classroom, teaching various grades from kindergarten to middle school and served as the technology coordinator for her K-8 school.  For the past ten years, she has worked for ESSDACK, an educational service center, as an Instructional Technology Specialist, providing staff development and training in the area of technology integration. Her website, “Tammy’s Technology Tips for Teachers” (www.tammyworcester.com) is a popular online resource for teachers. Tammy is extremely innovative and resourceful and specializes in finding unique and creative ways to use traditional computer tools in the classroom. She enjoys sharing her ideas with teachers throughout the nation and has a presentation style that can be described as inspiring.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, January 27 & 28, hear Tammy present in breakout sessions.