Special Thank You
to our 2008 TRLD Featured Presenters
Keynote Speaker
Donald Leu, John and Maria Neag Endowed Chair in Literacy and Technology Professor of Education, President. National Reading Conference, Director, New Literacies Research Lab
Donald holds the John and Maria Endowed Chair of Literacy and Technology at the University of Connecticut. He has more than 100 research publications and sixteen books and he has given keynote addresses in Europe, Australia, Asia, South America, and North America. Don is Co-Director of the New Literacies Research Lab at the University of Connecticut, a former President of the National Reading Conference, a member of the Board of Directors of the International Reading Association, and has been elected to the Reading Hall of Fame.
Featured Presenters
Sheryl Abshire, Administrative Coordinator of Technology, Calcasieu Parish Public Schools
Sheryl has worked as a school principal, K-5 teacher, library/media specialist, and university professor. She has been involved in diverse staff development programs throughout the nation and Great Britain involving restructuring and funding schools through the infusion of technology and curriculum enhancements. As the first teacher inducted into the National Teachers' Hall of Fame and as the Board Chair for CoSN, Sheryl has served as a catalyst to initiate the integration of technology throughout the nation and internationally. She serves on numerous national, state and district committees focusing on the role of technology and curriculum in changing educational practice.
Dr. Lynne Anderson-Inman, Director, Center for Advanced Technology in Education/Center for Electronic Studying, University of Oregon
Lynne has a Ph.D. in Special Education, with an emphasis on content-area reading, writing and studying. She is Director of the Center for Advanced Technology in Education (CATE) and Director of the Center for Electronic Studying (CES), both in the College of Education at the University of Oregon. She is a nationally and internationally recognized expert on the use of technology to improve reading, writing and studying, with special emphasis on strategies for using technology to enhance the academic success of struggling learners. Dr. Anderson-Inman has pioneered the concept of "computer-supported studying," conducting research and developing materials on strategies designed to promote effective learning through the use of technology. She has directed numerous federally funded projects investigating (1) computer-based study strategies for diverse learners, (2) digital books with "supported text," (3) networked notetaking for ESL students, and (4) large scale web-based environments designed to promote extended study and authentic inquiry. Dr. Anderson-Inman is a widely published author on effective uses of technology and a frequent speaker at national and international conferences.
Floyd Braid, Chief Learning Officer, i3 Training Services Inc.
Floyd has been a middle school and college level educator. He has developed & implemented several district and statewide professional development programs. Floyd currently serves as the Chief Learning Officer for i3 Training Services www.i3trainingservices.com a professional development company that focuses on the evolution of technology tools as they support the curriculum in the classroom.
Dave Edyburn Ph.D., Professor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Dave is an Associate Professor in the Department of Exceptional Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Dr. Edyburn's teaching and research interests focus on the use of technology to enhance teaching, learning, and performance. He has authored over 100 articles and book chapters on assistive and instructional technology. Along with Drs. Higgins and Boone, co-editors of the recently published book, Handbook of Special Education Technology Research and Practice. He is a past president of the Special Education Technology Special Interest Group (SETSIG) in the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) as well as a past president of the Technology and Media (TAM) Division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). He is a frequent conference presenter and national workshop leader.
John Fleischman, Director, Technology Services, Sacramento County Office of Education
John is Director of Technology Services at the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE). With more than 25 years of experience in education as a teacher and project director, John is currently responsible for all of SCOE's information and educational technology operations.
Kelly Fonner, Education/Assistive Technology Consultant
Kelly, an Independent Educational and Assistive Technology Consultant, has been working with individuals with disabilities since the mid 70s. She has 22 years of experience in assistive technology and has consulted with various national companies and universities. Kelly speaks internationally on a wide range of AT and related-topics.
Dr. Mike Hall, DMH Consulting LLC
Mike is one of America's most sought-after speakers on the subjects of technology education integration and Freshman Transition initiatives. The former Deputy Superintendent of Information Technology for the Georgia Department of Education, Dr. Hall has been a technology visionary featured speaker twice at the National Intel Visionary Conference and has presented more than 250 sessions at local, state, and national technology conferences across the country. His efforts have given him the opportunity to work with schools in numerous states on the transformation of technology across the curriculum as well as Ninth Grade Academy/Freshman Transition initiatives. Dr. Hall was recognized in 2004 as one of the top 10 High School principals in the US and in 2005 as one of the Top 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers for innovative technology projects in the US by Government Technology Magazine. While serving as a high school principal, Dr. Hall's school, Houston County High School, was recognized as the most advanced school in the nation for technology integration across the curriculum. The school was also named an Intel Model School (one of only three in the nation). Mike is the co-author of High School 101, an innovative project-based strategy designed to prepare students to succeed in the classroom as well as the workplace. This progressive 'real world' approach to freshman transition has been recognized as a model initiative that teaches students critical 21st Century skills.
Dr. Ted S. Hasselbring is a Professor of Special Education at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University.
Ted, has conducted research on the use of technology for enhancing learning in students with mild disabilities and those who are at-risk of school failure for the past thirty years. He has authored more than one hundred articles and book chapters on learning and technology and serves on the editorial boards of four professional journals. He is also the author of several well-known computer programs, including READ 180 and FASTT Math. Between 2000 and 2006, Dr. Hasselbring left Vanderbilt and joined the University of Kentucky as the William T. Bryan Professor of Special Education Technology and the Executive Director of the National Assistive Technology Research Institute. In the fall of 2006, Dr. Hasselbring returned to Vanderbilt where he had been a Professor of Special Education and Co-Director of the Learning Technology Center from 1982 to 1999. Dr. Hasselbring is a graduate of Indiana University, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1971, the Master of Arts in Teaching Degree with a major in Biology in 1972, and an Ed.D. in Special Education in 1979.
Kirsten Haugen, Consultant for Educational and Assistive Technology
irsten is an experienced educator, author and trainer on educational and assistive technology, and early intervention. She has presented at TRLD since 1995. More at: http://haugenka.edublogs.org.
Sara Kajder, Assistant Professor of English Ed, Virginia Tech
Sara is an assistant professor of English Education at Virginia Tech. A former middle and high school English teacher, she received the first National Technology Leadership Fellowship in English/Language Arts. A nationally-known presenter and consultant, she is the author of the Tech Savvy English Classroom (Stenhouse, 2003), and Bringing the Outside In (Stenhouse, 2006).
Scott Marfilius, Education/Assistive Technology Consultant
Scott has been working with individuals with disabilities for the past 23 years. The past 17 years has involved implementing assistive technology at various levels. First within an integrated classroom as a classroom teacher, then implementing a district wide system change within a Public School System by assisting their District Wide Team. He continues to assist teams and individuals in assessing students assistive technology needs. His teaching certifications are in Early Childhood Handicap, Cognitive Disabilities, Emotional Disability, and Learning Disability. He also consults with individuals and businesses to determine adaptations that are needed in work place settings. Scott's focus areas in assistive technology include computer access, and technologies that assist those with cognitive and learning disabilities.
David Warlick, Director & Principal Consultant, The Landmark Project
David, a 30 year educator, has been a classroom teacher, district administrator, and staff consultant with the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction. For the past ten years, Mr. Warlick has been the director of The Landmark Project, a web development, consulting, and innovations firm in Raleigh, North Carolina. His web site, Landmarks for Schools, serves more than six-million visits a month. David is also the author of three books on instructional technology and 21st century literacy, and has spoken to audiences throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia, and South America.
Dr. Joy Zabala, Consultant and Professional Developer, Assistive Technology & Leadership
Joy is a general and special educator who has worked in the field of assistive technology for almost 25 years. Joy provides professional development and support to local, state, national, and international educational systems. She is the developer of the SETT Framework, a problem-identification and solution-seeking process that supports collaborative work by students, parents, and multi-disciplinary professionals. She is a founding member of the QIAT Consortium and facilitates the QIAT List. Joy is the immediate past president of Technology and Media Division of CEC and edits the TAM Connector.