TeacherCast

Mary Howard (Passaic City Schools)

@TeacherCast — Sun, 19 May 2013 22:02:42 +0000

Mary Howard is a Technology Coordinator at Passaic High School. She works with a team of coordinators, educational technology integration specialists, to create technology-infused curriculum and lead professional development for teachers and administrators on enhancing classroom instruction and student engagement with 21st Century College and Career skills. She is also responsible for supporting teachers through embedded in-classroom coaching with knowledge and resources for an innovative classroom. Mary is part of the technology team rolling out 5,000 Samsung Chromebooks in a 1:1 computing program spanning grades 7 through 12. Follow Mary at https://twitter.com/howardsucceed

The post Mary Howard (Passaic City Schools) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Joshua Koen (Passaic City Schools)

@TeacherCast — Sun, 19 May 2013 22:01:24 +0000

Joshua Koen is the Director for Information Technology at Passaic City Schools, where he is responsible for all network, computer and district telecommunications hardware and educational software. He designed and implemented an $18 million district-wide technology improvement plan, including rolling out 5,000 Samsung Chromebooks in a 1:1 computing program spanning grades 7 through 12. Follow Joshua at www.twitter.com/joshuakoen

The post Joshua Koen (Passaic City Schools) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Cleon Franklin (Memphis City Schools)

@TeacherCast — Sun, 19 May 2013 21:58:56 +0000

As Director of Instructional Technology for Memphis City Schools, Cleon Franklin is directly responsible designing, implementing, and monitoring the district’s plan for instructional technology. This includes choosing instructionally appropriate hardware and software solutions, coordinating the Mid-South Regional Technology Conference, and providing quality professional learning opportunities for classroom and virtual school teachers, librarians/media specialists, school administrators, and district administrators in effective technology integration. As an educator of 15 years, Cleon has served as teacher, assistant principal and principal, and throughout his career has consistently supported technology integration. He holds a dual bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering Technology and Technology/Mathematics Education, Master’s degrees in Educational Research and Urban School Administration, and is currently completing his doctoral studies in Instructional Design & Technology.

The post Cleon Franklin (Memphis City Schools) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Diane Ashby (Samsung of America)

@TeacherCast — Sun, 19 May 2013 21:57:00 +0000

Diane Ashby leads education business development at Samsung Electronics America’s Enterprise Business Division. Diane has responsibility for Samsung’s go-to-market strategy for education across a product and solution suite that includes mobile computing, virtualized desktops, monitors, large format displays and printers. She has over 20 years of experience including working with some of the top districts in the U.S. to integrate technology into teaching and learning. Diane joined Samsung in 2009 after leading similar initiatives in other leading technology companies.

The post Diane Ashby (Samsung of America) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Jordan Riggs (SchoolInfoApp)

@TeacherCast — Sun, 12 May 2013 00:14:07 +0000

As busy parents, Jordan Riggs and his wife, Julie, found themselves frustrated with the seemingly never-ending task of trying to keep up with the school events, announcements, team schedules and activities of their six active and involved kids. Believing the expression, “Yeah, there’s an app for that”, they went looking in early 2011 for a way to help their kids’ school develop a mobile app to simplify life for today’s busy and connected families. The options they found were less than impressive. Most were simply websites wrapped in a mobile app with no real added-value or were unreasonably labor intensive for school administrators to embrace. So, they created SchoolInfoApp with a simple mission: make it easy and affordable for K-12 schools and districts to provide their stakeholders with a custom-tailored, feature-rich, time-saving mobile app. Working with over 200 schools across the US, Canada and Europe, their apps are consistently rated 4.5 – 5 stars in user reviews. Julie and Jordan co-manage the day-to-day operations for their growing company with 20 passionate teammates that includes a design, development, marketing, management and advisory team made up of parents, a coach, a school board member, a former school district business manager and 2 principals (and, unofficially, a gaggle of outspoken and brilliant kids!).

The post Jordan Riggs (SchoolInfoApp) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Andrew Kim (Steelcase)

@TeacherCast — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 20:37:01 +0000

Andrew Kim is responsible for applying human-centered design methods to support new market strategies and product development efforts. His current focus is on understanding the role of technology within education settings. Andrew earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College and a master of design from the Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology. Contact Andrew @ akim@steelcase.com or visit www.steelcase.com.

The post Andrew Kim (Steelcase) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Henry Ryan (Learning Bird)

TeacherCast — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:57:39 +0000

Henry Ryan has 22 years experience in management roles in hi-tech companies such as Dell and Electronic Arts. He was co-owner/COO of Quazal Technologies that was bought by Ubisoft in 2010. He is an angel investor in startup technology companies in Canada but liked the Learning Bird idea so much that he helped start the business and now helps to drive it as CEO.

The post Henry Ryan (Learning Bird) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Christopher Kalika (Learning Bird)

TeacherCast — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:55:21 +0000

After leaving Beyond The Rack at the end of 2012, Christopher Kalika decided to go back to school and complete a BCom at Royal Roads University. With a great deal of technical experience and a strong design sense, Christopher heads up the Product Management team, working with the development, marketing and design teams to build a useful, user-friendly system.

The post Christopher Kalika (Learning Bird) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Stephen Heywood (TheTechBuzz)

TeacherCast — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:21:02 +0000

Stephen Heywood, host of the popular tech web show, “The Tech Buzz” has been broadcasting for 5 years. I also work as an assistant/youth pastor/media specialist for my church where I’ve been for the last 5 years. I also am a contractor with the title Wirecast Applications and Pre-Sales Specialist for Telestream. I continue working with them and have been for the last 2 years. In college I worked with students on computers where the IT department failed. I am self taught and continue through the journey of new media and sharing my experiences throughout the world, through the internet. I also go out to local trade shows, broadcasts live from them giving live coverage for my audience. I currently have 3 shows a week, “Weekly Roundup”, “Broadcast Now” , “Practical Technology” . Which air at 3:30pm EST Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. To find out more, please check out http://www.thetechbuzz.net

The post Stephen Heywood (TheTechBuzz) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Richard Cleveland (Naked Ape Productions)

TeacherCast — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 21:20:56 +0000

I started in entertainment at the age of 17. The first 20 years of my career in the entertainment business had me working in radio and live events. Having spent the better part of my adult life in this industry has been interesting. Despite what people think the entertainment industry is not all glitz and glamour. Over the many years I have had to take a plethora of other jobs from carpenter to IT technician. IN 2010 I returned to school to get my IT certifications with the thought of continuing my career in that field. With the market being so saturated I thought it might be a good time to return to broadcasting. I have had the pleasure of working with some great Canadian acts and international superstars. After a 10 year hiatus I returned to form Naked Ape Productions a grass roots internet broadcasting company. My most popular show is Between The Pages, a comic book and geek culture podcast. I hope to expand my programming with a variety of entertaining and interesting programs.

The post Richard Cleveland (Naked Ape Productions) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Shanna McClearn (BackUpThat)

TeacherCast — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:53:02 +0000

Shanna McClearn is the Co-Founder and CFO at Backup That. She focuses on marketing, human resources, and financial management. She has experience in financial analysis, budget forecasts, relationship management, and sales. Her previous experience is in banking and commercial lending. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Management Science from UCSD and her MBA from Penn State.

The post Shanna McClearn (BackUpThat) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Thomas Edwards (BackUpThat)

TeacherCast — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:11:24 +0000

Tomas Edwards is a former Spanish and Mandarin teacher from NC. After working in Charlotte, NC’s inner city schools, he noticed a glaring lack of access to technology for some of his most high-need students. He joined the team at Backup That to help teachers integrate accessible technology into the curriculum.

The post Thomas Edwards (BackUpThat) appeared first on TeacherCast.

David Chiszar (TurningTechnologies)

TeacherCast — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 22:00:13 +0000

David Chiszar is the Director of Project Management at Turning Technologies. He currently oversee the development of testing applications and similar programs, which includes working closely with customers, corporate partners and research and development teams to ensure products meet market needs. His background includes experiences in the education arena, most recently as a Director of Research and Assessment in a large K-12 system, and the business field where I spent time at a global assessment company implementing computer-based testing programs and bringing new assessment products to market. His 20+ years of experience in education and related industries as a teacher, building and district level administrator has really assisted in product development and field support to help clients get the most out of products. You can find more information on Turning Technologies on our website at TurningTechnologies.com or follow us on twitter @turningtechusa for announcements and updates.

The post David Chiszar (TurningTechnologies) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Joe Ballou (Civic Games)

TeacherCast — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 22:55:48 +0000

Joe Ballou is an expert on gamification, blended learning, curriculum design and educational technology. He has a rich background in schools and education settings, having taught in public and public charter schools in New York City as well as performing consulting and teaching work in international settings in Asia and Latin America. He is the founder of Civic Games, an education technology startup that is building a platform for personalized learning using mobile and social games. An experienced mentor and organizer he has guided and collaborated with hundreds of teachers through Teach for America’s online network and the NCSS. He is the founder of the Game-Based Learning NYC meetup group, and the author of the forthcoming ebook “Bridge to the Future: The Essential Curriculum Guide for New World History Teachers.” He holds a BA in Political Science and an MST in Secondary Education.

The post Joe Ballou (Civic Games) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Alex Kurilin (Front Row Education)

TeacherCast — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 23:18:59 +0000

Alex Kurilin has many years of software development experience (at Microsoft and as a Masters student at CMU), and prides himself on his customer development skills. He has engineered extremely complex systems before in a way that is sustainable and easy for others to follow. He is also an avid reader and considers himself a life-long student. He is fluent in three languages, and knows bits of more, and is always trying to improve. Alex is a graudate of UIUC with a degree in Computer Science.

The post Alex Kurilin (Front Row Education) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Sidharth Kakkar (Front Row Education)

TeacherCast — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 23:11:33 +0000

Sidharth is technical (has a CS degree from CMU) but is also the business end of the company. He previously worked for Goldman Sachs and Bain & Company, and recently graduated with an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. He is an avid reader and is fluent in two languages, and semi-fluent in one more.

The post Sidharth Kakkar (Front Row Education) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Bruce Arcurio (Principal, NJ)

TeacherCast — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 16:25:52 +0000

Bruce Arcurio is principal of Bear Tavern Elementary School in Hopewell Valley, NJ. The school serves children in preschool through fifth grade. Prior to this he served as principal of East Amwell School in East Amwell, Assistant Principal of Loring Flemming Elementary School in Gloucester Twp., and teacher of English at Buena Regional High School. He has a BA in English/Education from Rutgers University and an MA in Educational Administration from Rowan University. He is a technology enthusiast and works to foster technology integration into the classroom. LIteracy through the Workshop model is the direction that he looks to move with his colleagues. Additionally, parent/teacher collaboration and cooperation is the focus of Bear Tavern’s “There is no CommUnity without You!” initiative. Moving forward he is striving to marry the use of social media and other technologies to develop the school community further. @PrincipalArc www.principalarc.blogspot.com

The post Bruce Arcurio (Principal, NJ) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Evan Kontras (Chalkable)

TeacherCast — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 18:18:03 +0000

Evan Kontras is VP of Business Development of Chalkable and one of their first employees. He studied Economics at Dickinson College, during which time founded the SIG – Student Investment Group. SIG grew to over 30 members and partnered with the Financial Operations Department. Next, Evan worked in business development for July Systems, a B2B mobile app development company based in New York and Bangalore. Evan believes Chalkable’s amazing apps make learning better for students.

The post Evan Kontras (Chalkable) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Michael Levy (Chalkable)

TeacherCast — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 18:16:52 +0000

Michael Levy is the CoFounder and CEO of Chalkable. He studied finance at Yeshiva University, during which time founded ETM – Entertainment Teller Machine. ETM received a seed investment from Gilo Ventures. Next, Michael was one of the founding employees at TriSpecs Inc., a consumer electronics company based in New York and Singapore. TriSpecs Eyewear debuted at CES 2009 where he helped spearhead a relationship with the U.S. Defense Department. Michael is currently developing Chalkable to make learning better.

The post Michael Levy (Chalkable) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Mike Russell (Music Radio Creative)

TeacherCast — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:29:24 +0000

Mike Russell is a world record holding English radio presenter, creative producer, podcaster and voice over. Mike has been involved in the radio industry since he turned 13. He is also the original voice of Music Radio Creative – the original English male voice over. Mike looks after the production of all the audio for Music Radio Creative to make sure it sounds just the way you’d like it. In 2007 he broke the world record, at the time, for the longest radio broadcast ever by staying on air for 126 hours with no sleep.

The post Mike Russell (Music Radio Creative) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Jennifer Medbery (Kickboard)

TeacherCast — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:16:41 +0000

Jennifer Medbery, founder and CEO of Kickboard, is a software developer who spent three years as a high school math teacher. After receiving her degree in Computer Science from Columbia University, Jen joined Teach For America, a program that recruits college graduates to teach in low-income communities. Jen then became a Founding Teacher at Sci Academy, New Orleans’ highest-performing open-enrollment high school. Kickboard was developed out of Jen’s first-hand experience in the classroom. She and her colleagues needed a way to make better real-time instructional decisions based on data that showed which skills students knew, which they had yet to master and how student behavior impacted academic achievement. As CEO of Kickboard, Jen drives the company’s vision, strategy and growth. The company’s mission is to equip schools and teachers with a platform that they can use to foster greater alignment, consistency and visibility across classrooms to establish or enhance a performance-driven school culture. Kickboard is thus the natural evolution of the gradebook, turning a tried-and-true teacher tool into a school’s hub of student performance and activity. Feedback from teachers at all types of schools is that it allows them to track the day to day progress of students – academic and character qualities – and make real-time adjustments to best serve students. Currently more than 200 schools use Kickboard.

The post Jennifer Medbery (Kickboard) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Randal Heise (Mackin)

TeacherCast — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 04:06:03 +0000

Three decades ago, Randal Heise and his wife and business partner, Kitty Heise, set out to create a book distribution companythat would offer students, teachers, schools and school libraries a single-source for the most coveted and resourceful titles available to elevate and accelerate the progress of education in this country. Today, under their tireless dedication to this mission statement, the company enjoys access to more than 18,000 publishers and close to 3 million titles. Today the entrepreneurial prowess of the Heise’s has taken a fresh and visionary path into the realm of eBooks and other rich, digital resources. 2010 saw the initial phases of this initiative with the development of MackinVIA, an online digital resource portal drawing from their own Mackin cloud. Fall of 2012 saw the launch of their Android and iPad apps making it even more convenient for students and educators to access their materials on the hardware platforms that are part of education today. Randal Heise continues to not only motivate the 400 plus team members at Mackin Educational Resources, but speaks on behalf of Mackin and the future direction of education to audiences nationwide.

The post Randal Heise (Mackin) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Hunter Boyle (AWeber)

TeacherCast — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 03:52:19 +0000

Hunter Boyle leads business development for AWeber, the email marketing software powering over 100,000 small businesses around the globe. A seasoned speaker, content marketer and former editor of Marketing Experiments Journal, Internet Marketing Report, and What’s Working in Sales Management, Hunter has been helping organizations optimize their digital initiatives since the dot-com days. An alumnus of both Boston University and San Francisco Comedy College, outside the office, he’s an avid traveler, photographer, volunteer and craft beer lover. Connect with him on Twitter or LinkedIn.

The post Hunter Boyle (AWeber) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Vince Leung (Mentor Mob)

TeacherCast — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 21:13:48 +0000

Vince Leung graduated from the University of Illinois with a strong desire to build something and do some social good in the process, but he didn’t know exactly how to make that happen. MentorMob, a crowdsourced learning platform that gives remarkable people the ability to share the best online learning content available, is that something. As co-founder and CTO, Vince and his team have grown MentorMob from an idea to a thriving startup with users from all over the world.

The post Vince Leung (Mentor Mob) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Guido Kovalsky (Nearpod)

TeacherCast — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:58:08 +0000

Guido Kovalsky is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for technology who has founded several successful ITcompanies. He is currently the co-founder and co-CEO of Nearpod. In his role as co-founder and co-CEO, Guido leads Nearpod as it seeks to create innovative mobile tools that transform and improve the way people learn. The company firmly believes that new mobile technologies will have a big impact in the education world, and wants to be part of that deep change. In addition to his work at Nearpod, Guido is the co-founder of Bionexo.com.br, the leading e-procurement marketplace for hospitals in Latin America, where he continues to be involved as an advisor & shareholder. He is also the founder of BtoBen, a tech fund sold in 2002 to Banco Santander (Spain’s largest financial institution) and is the founder of Software house Hexacta.com, recognized several times by the Best Places to Work Institute (http://bit.ly/PmmNOs). Guido is an angel investor and advisor to several tech companies in Brazil and the US. He is a former consultant at McKinsey & Co and he holds an MBA from UC Berckeley.

The post Guido Kovalsky (Nearpod) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Mindy Brooks (Sesame Workshop)

TeacherCast — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:33:08 +0000

Mindy Brooks is the Director of Education and Research at Sesame Workshop. Mindy is responsible for the integration of educational content across digital media platforms and for leading field research on all media platforms that include Sesame Street and The Electric Company. In her role, she is responsible for integrating education as well as developing studies, coding systems, analyzing data, writing reports and summarizing findings to production teams. She received her Masters in Educational Psychology from New York University. Prior to attending NYU, she held the position of Director of Education for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Oklahoma.

The post Mindy Brooks (Sesame Workshop) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Leah Schrader (UClass)

TeacherCast — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 23:25:36 +0000

Leah Schrader, COO, is currently a 3rd grade teacher in the Bronx. Prior to this she taught second grade at an international school in Tanzania, Ms. Schrader taught science in a Baltimore charter school and 5th grade special education with Teach for America at a public school in Phoenix, AZ. A musician and artist Ms. Schrader co-founded the Children Expressive Arts Project at bard College and utilizes expressive arts as a means of therapeutic intervention – a skill that earned her the Teach for America Community Award. Ms. Schrader received a B.A. in Psychology from Bard College in 2007 and a M.Ed. From Arizona State University in 2010 in conjunction with Teach for America.

The post Leah Schrader (UClass) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Zak Ringelstein (UClass)

TeacherCast — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 22:07:12 +0000

Zak Ringelstein is a co-founder of United Classrooms (UClass), a new and free online platform that leverages social networking technology to connect classrooms around the world. Just launched in August, UClass already has over 5,000 users in 42 countries and is looking to expand its reach through partnerships with Teach For America and Teach For All. A teacher first and foremost, Zak believes that the ceiling needs to be lifted off of the classroom for students to develop into the world changers our education system should be preparing them to be. Zak graduated from Columbia University in 2008, then forwent his medical school plans to teach 4th and 5th grade with Teach For America in Phoenix, AZ. He spent last year teaching at an international school in Tanzania where he and a colleague tried to connect their students with other students around the world, but found little success due to the limitations of the technology that existed. They have since moved to New York where they have nurtured United Classrooms from a scribbled notebook page to an expanding global network. Connect with Zak on Twitter @uclassDOTorg!

The post Zak Ringelstein (UClass) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Terry Heick (TeachThought)

TeacherCast — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 17:56:27 +0000

Terry Heick is Director of TeachThought. He is a former English teacher who became interested in evolving media forms as he studied the idea along with his students. This led to interest in digital literacy, project-based learning, personalized learning, and other progressive learning models and forms. He is now super-wicked interested in self-directed learning, and the role of play in the learning process. You can find him at his blog TeachThought.com, and on twitter,facebook, and most other social media platforms (though goodold-fashioned email still works).

The post Terry Heick (TeachThought) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Kimberly Tyson (Learning Unlimited)

TeacherCast — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 17:37:36 +0000

Kimberly is the founder and lead consultant at Learning Unlimited. As a frequent speaker at conferences and professional development sessions, she shares research-based strategies and easy-to-implement ideas and practical advice. Kimberly leads school and districtwide audits and is ready to help you be successful in assessing and reviewing literacy in your school or district. Website: http://www.learningunlimitedllc.com Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Learning-Unlimited-LLC/133020680126# Pinterest http://pinterest.com/lullc Twitter https://twitter.com/tysonkimberly LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kimberly-tyson/a/527/b2a

The post Kimberly Tyson (Learning Unlimited) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Craig Davies (Class Charts)

TeacherCast — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 17:20:36 +0000

Craig is a KS3-5 ICT teacher and pastoral head of year in a secondary school inWales and has been teaching for 10 years. He comes from an ICT technical background but taught science before moving into ICT. Craig is a keen user of Apple technology and uses a wide range of apps and tools to maximise learning in his classroom.

The post Craig Davies (Class Charts) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Duncan Wilson (Class Charts)

TeacherCast — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 17:16:53 +0000

Duncan is from a teaching background with 16 years in the classroom, he formed Edukey Education in 2012. He initially started teaching Science but moved into ICT/computing at near the start of the internet revolution. He began creating online teaching resources in 2000 and has won the “Best of the Web” award from teachers TV. Duncan launchedwww.reportcommentbank.co.uk in 2010 and this is used worldwide by over 50,000 teachers. His new app – www.classcharts.com is a 100% free intelligent seating chart and behaviour management app. Keen surfer & computer geek.

The post Duncan Wilson (Class Charts) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Kristen Swanson (Teacher, PA)

TeacherCast — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 00:18:54 +0000

Kristen began as a third grade teacher where she began exploring the power of instructional technology and asynchronous learning. She has served in a variety of roles during her career, including a regional instructional consultant and a technology director for leading school district in Pennsylvania. Kristen is a founder of the Edcamp movement, and she serves on the board of the Edcamp Foundation. She is also a Google Certified Teacher, a Keystones Technology Integrator, and an author. Her work has been published in several academic journals, including Literacy Learning: The Middle Years and The Journal for Reading, Writing, and Literacy. She recently published a book called Professional Learning in the Digital Age. Kristen is now an iZone consultant with Authentic Education and an online adjunct professor for DeSales Univeristy in their instructional technology program. Kristen can be found online at www.kristenswanson.org and @kristenswanson.

The post Kristen Swanson (Teacher, PA) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Steve Engravalle (Superintendent, NJ)

TeacherCast — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 02:17:33 +0000

Steven Engravalle is a Chief Education Officer and a 13-year veteran of public education in New Jersey. A passionate champion for all children, Mr. Engravalle is committed to ensuring that New Jersey schools meet the needs of all learners in safe, clean, 21st century educational environments. Among his efforts, Mr. Engravalle partnered with MapEverywhere, the leading provider of offline, interactive venue maps for smart-phones in February 2012 to create detailed, hand-held maps of each of his home district schools. The maps are hosted off-premises with local police and fire units, as well as with school administrators, and serves as a vital reference tool for first responders. The technology is the first of its kind in the country. Mr. Engravalle also actively advocates and speaks on education and civic issues with organizations in Northern New Jersey as well as at the state and federal level and serves as a consultant on education issues to both state and federal legislators. He is frequently invited as a guest of the Governor’s Office to attend his Town Hall meetings and other events to support education reform in New Jersey. Most notably, Mr. Engravalle appeared alongside Governor Christie and other nationally recognized education leaders as a guest on the live broadcast of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program on March 2, 2012. His efforts were also recognized nationally in October of 2011 by Turner News Corporation when he was contacted to appear on national television as an expert guest on New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights legislation on HLN Network’s “The Dr. Drew Show”. Follow Steven Engravalle on Twitter @iSchoolLeader

The post Steve Engravalle (Superintendent, NJ) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Harsh Patel (Portfolyo)

TeacherCast — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 00:36:59 +0000

Harsh Patel is a former 5th and 8th grade teacher from Chicago, IL who startedPortfoliyo.org to solve problems he experienced while teaching. He blogs aboutEdTech at www.harshpatel.net and is @HarshOnInternet and @portfoliyo onTwitter.

The post Harsh Patel (Portfolyo) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Dr. David Gentile (Superintendent, NJ)

TeacherCast — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:09:09 +0000

Dr. David N. Gentile is currently serving in a leadership position as the Superintendent of Schools for the Millville Public School District located in the City of Millville, New Jersey. His primary role includes advancing the board of education’s vision to be a World Class School District. Through leading with a “systems thinking approach” he has demonstrated progress in all aspects of personnel, fiscal, and instructional operations of the district. He describes his leadership approach to include rational decision-making, situational appraisal, and problem solving, which allows him to successfully facilitate data supported district improvement. He began his educational career in 1998 as a teacher in the Millville Public School District. He has taught 4th grade and alternative school for grades ranging from 5th through 8th grade. Additionally, he coached varsity baseball and football at the high school level. Dr. Gentile accomplished both his Masters and Doctoral Degrees in Educational Leadership in the evenings and summers during his time as a teacher. He served as a vice-principal and principal at the middle school level before becoming a school superintendent. Dr. Gentile leads professional development sessions and serves as an educational consultant in his spare time. His areas of expertise include but are not limited to: Differentiated Instruction for Dummies, Brain Friendly Teaching & Learning, Social Media for Leaders, Instructional Technology, Generational Differences in the Workplace, Performance Excellence & Systems Thinking, and Professional Learning Communities. His presentations have been described as energizing, informative, and interactive as evidenced in session feedback surveys. He is a student-centered leader who believes that all educators can raise their level of performance by embracing continuous improvement through life-long learning. www.drgentile.blogspot.com Dr. David Gentile

The post Dr. David Gentile (Superintendent, NJ) appeared first on TeacherCast.

Lucinda Ray – Education Specialist

TeacherCast — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 18:23:35 +0000

Lucinda Ray, educational consultant and editor for the Classroom Activities for Wanderful, has alternated throughout her career between classroom teaching and educational software development. After many years as a middle school and high school English teacher and drama director in Massachusetts and Vermont, she joined Brøderbund in 1993 as Education Product Manager. During her years at Brøderbund, she managed the development and editing of more than 60 Teacher’s Guides to accompany Brøderbund and Living Books programs. The Living Books products were among her favorites, and she is delighted to be working again updating the materials for classroom teachers that she developed initially for Living Books. After leaving Brøderbund in 1999, she was the Director of Curriculum Development for Intellitools, a developer of software and assistive technology for children with special needs. At Intellitools, she managed the development of Balanced Literacy, an accessible early reading program, and a bilingual software program that accompanied Houghton Mifflin’s K-6 reading series, Get Set for Reading. In 2005, she returned to the classroom, and she is currently teaching English at Contra Costa College, in San Pablo, California. She also spent four years as a Product Manager and then the Director of the Enterprise Market at Safari Books Online, a subscription service providing access to thousands of books for computer professionals. Lucinda has an M.F.A in Theater Education from Boston University as well as an M.A. in English from the Bread Loaf School of English, with an emphasis on writing.

The post Lucinda Ray – Education Specialist appeared first on TeacherCast.

Mark Schlichting – Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of Wanderful Books

TeacherCast — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 18:20:36 +0000

Mark Schlichting is a well-known pioneer of the children’s multimedia and interactive design industry. As an expert in children’s interactive design with more than 30 years of design, publishing and creative management experience, he holds more than 80 awards for excellence in entertainment and education. Serving as Chief Creative Officer of Wanderful, Mark was deeply involved in the new interface designs for navigation and language changing as well as other duties. Mark is passionate about creating engaging products for kids and has spent most of his career learning the subtleties of designing interactions that are both magical and foster learning through exploration. He is probably best known as the creator of Brøderbund’s Living Books CD-ROM series, where he was the first to bring Dr. Seuss, Mercer Meyer’s “Little Critter,” and Marc Brown’s “Arthur” from books into digital media, creating the animated interactive book category. Mark is also the author of Harry and The Haunted House book and multilingual Wanderful interactive storybook. After Brøderbund, Mark was the CCO at Narrative Communications, an early streaming technology company where he was the first to animate and stream Mozilla, Netscape’s mascot. Schlichting also served as VP of Design & Development at JuniorNet, a children’s online network, where he worked with Highlights for Children, Ranger Rick, Weekly Reader, Zillions, Sports Illustrated for Kids, and Jim Henson/Disney’s – Bear and The Big Blue House. In 2000, Mark founded NoodleWorks Interactive (www.noodleworks.com), a creative design consulting and production company specializing in children’s interactive media, and he still oversees the firm while working with Wanderful. In late 2011 NoodleWorks Interactive released its first iPad/iPhone App, Noodle Words – Action Set 1, which went on to win the 2012 KAPi Award for Best Educational Product of The Year, The Parents’ Choice Gold Award, and The Children’s Technology Review Editor’s Choice Award, among other acknowledgements. Noodle Words – Action Set 1 is the first in a line of entertaining Noodle Words titles based on the question “What if words were toys”. (www.noodlewords.com) Mark is currently completing a book on the psychology and art form of computer interaction titled, “Understanding Kids – Designing Award Winning Interactive Media for Children.”

The post Mark Schlichting – Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of Wanderful Books appeared first on TeacherCast.

Mickey W. Mantle – Founder, President and CEO of Wanderful Books

TeacherCast — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 18:18:04 +0000

Mickey sets strategic vision and oversees day-to-day operations for Wanderful. Mickey had the foresight to license the exclusive rights to the beloved Living Books series of interactive storybooks, and revive these titles and others as enhanced mobile apps, as well as for the latest and popular versions of Mac and Windows computers. Mickey has a track record of more than 40 years of success in the software industry. A graduate of the University of Utah with a degree in Computer Science (contemporary with computer industry notables such as the founders of Word Perfect, Silicon Graphics, Netscape, Adobe Systems, and Pixar), his career includes working at computer graphics pioneer Evans & Sutherland (E& S), and then joining Pixar shortly after it was bought by Steve Jobs in 1986. At Pixar, Mickey managed the development of all of the software for their external products, including the Pixar Image Computer and RenderMan. RenderMan is the gold standard of 3D photorealistic rendering software and has been used on almost every Visual Effects Academy Award Winner for the past two decades. In 1991, Mickey joined Brøderbund Software as Vice President of Engineering/Chief Technical Officer where he managed the vast development organization that produced numerous award-winning PC and Mac games such as Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, Kid Pix, Myst and Living Books. Leaving Brøderbund in late 1997, he then joined Gracenote where, as Senior Vice President of Development, he managed all development, operations and professional services associated with the pioneering web-based <i>CDDB/Gracenote music information service</i>. Mickey retired from Gracenote in 2011 to devote his time to Wanderful, focusing on the interactive storybook product development and associated content licensing, plus getting married to his lovely wife Natasha and spending moments with her playing tennis, swimming and traveling. In addition to his Wanderful work, Mickey has recently co-authored Managing the Unmanageable: Rules, Tools, and Insights for Managing Software People and Teams. The book, co-authored with Ron Lichty and published by Addison Wesley, distills their experience of over 70 combined years developing software and managing programmers.

The post Mickey W. Mantle – Founder, President and CEO of Wanderful Books appeared first on TeacherCast.

Darek Teller (Cel.ly)

TeacherCast — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 21:45:53 +0000

Darek Teller is Celly’s Community Manager and Education Technology specialist. He has collaborated with Greg on other business projects before, and the two have been close friends since grade school. Darek received his BA from the University of Oregon and a MA from Reed College. Prior to finishing college he worked in the high-tech industry for seven years in a variety of roles. His main duties are education outreach, marketing, social media, content development, and Q/A.

The post Darek Teller (Cel.ly) appeared first on TeacherCast.