Ed Tech Hour

Carl E. James is a professor in the Faculty of Education and in the Graduate Program in Sociology; and is currently the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora at York University, Toronto. He is also the Senior Advisor in Equity & Representation in the Office of the VP Equity, People & Culture. He holds a PhD in Sociology and an honorary doctorate from Uppsala Universit...

Erin Trautman has been working as an international educator for over 24 years. She began her career as a teacher for students with learning disabilities. After a break in education to support and care for her two children, she returned to The American School Foundation (ASF) to work in the Early Childhood Center (ECC). Inspired by her work and effort to reach students’ individual needs she created...

Tiffany Michels is the Founder and Executive Director of Helianthus Positive Behavior Supports LLC. She founded the company in 2020 after learning that ABA resources were lacking in her local area of North Carolina. Tiffany graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at ODU and a Master of Education in Special Education with a Graduate Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis at GMU. She is...

Renee Metty has over 20 years of experience in the education field and additional experience as an Executive Coach, Development Consultant, and Facilitator with Pulse organization. In 2010, she founded the Cove School in West Seattle, which is a preschool that adopts a mindfulness-based approach for students. As far as her educational background, she earned a master's in early childhood education...

Carolyn Burns is the founder and manager of Ukulapha Community Outreach. She was born and raised in South Africa. Her post high school education was nursing with a pediatric specialty. At 32 she ventured over to Canada where she lived and worked on the west coast for 25 years. Aside from many fortunate opportunities to travel and explore within North America, Carolyn’s curiosity evolved into a sea...

Jared Mader is the Director of Educational Technology for the Lincoln Intermediate Unit and the former Director of Technology for five years in the Red Lion Area School District. In his past two roles, he has been responsible for all of the instructional technology and infrastructure decision-making, founding his educational philosophy in the ISTE Standards. Jared has promoted engaging staff and s...

Joya Hayes has 19 years of experience in human resources, training and organizational development, community-based programming, policy & procedure development and executive level planning.  As Human Resources Director, she also represents the Human Resources department for all formal negotiations with the Austin Police Department, the Emergency Medical Services department, and the Austin Fire...

Judy Perez has been identified as a national level expert in K-12 online and blended learning by the U.S. Department of Education. Prior to founding the iLearn Collaborative, she directed district-wide blended learning at Jeffco Public Schools and led their online school from turnaround status to Performance accreditation. Judy's career in education includes science teacher, assistant principal, p...

Rohit Kumar ,  through his work and education, has come to believe that schools are places for an enriching socio-cultural dialogue that can empower or subvert its pupils, depending upon how the school is imagined, designed and brought into action. Rohit holds an M.A. in Education from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and a Masters in Software Systems from the Somaiya Inst...

With nearly 20 years in the field of education, Mr. Damon Englese will tell you that a school is not just an institute for learning, but has become the heart of a community where effective educational leaders, like himself, are prioritizing the safety and well-being of their students and staff in the wake of a world-wide pandemic. Mr. Englese continues to lead his school w...

Dr. Nicholas Munro is a senior lecturer and researcher in the Discipline of Psychology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. He has a PhD in Higher Education Studies and is registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa as a counselling psychologist. Dr. Munro teaches across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules in psychology, and conducts research and pub...

Dr. Kevin Cokley is a Professor in the Departments of African and African Diaspora Studies and Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. For more than 20 years, he has studied and researched various topics in African American Psychology such as racial and ethnic identity development, academic motivation and academic achievement. In recent years, he has been named as a fellow for...

Kimber serves as the weCreate Director at Shattuck St Mary’s International School in Forest City Malaysia, where she leads inquiry and blended learning programs. Her prior professional roles include serving as Director of Technology at a K-8 school specializing in students with learning differences and teaching 5th and 6th grade students as well as middle school science, K-8 technology and STEAM,...

With over 40 years in the field of education, he has conducted research on the development of reading and writing skills within special education for both the elementary and secondary school settings. He is also the recipient of many awards within the field of education and was elected to the Reading Hall of Fame in 2018.

He is a leading specialist in the Gulf region for innovation, quality management, and entrepreneurship. His background is in computer sciences and executive management. He has been a consultant for many global organizations and is a thought leader in the UAE in advancing innovative education and business strategies.

Dr. Meagan C. Arrastía-Chisholm is an assistant professor of educational psychology at Valdosta State University. She teaches undergraduate-level courses in psychology and education and graduate-level courses in research methodology. In her courses, she integrates multiple forms of educational technologies to enhance student learning outcomes and to create a community of learners within her course...

Dr. Devon Cancilla is the Chief Knowledge Officer at the Online Learning Consortium. He is responsible for leading work in key areas that include product development, learning innovation, quality enhancement, community engagement, professional development and leadership, research, and policy. Devon has received both the Sloan-C (now OLC) Outstanding Achievement Award for Online Education and an Ef...

Dr. Ian MacLeod is the Associate Principal for Student Services at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School located in Palos Hills, IL. In this administrative role, he works with various school leaders to oversee multiple departments including guidance, special education, and athletics. His school district has implemented a digital learning program that is focused on preparing and inspiring students to becom...

Brian Hill is the CEO and Founder of Edovo. His organization is focused on helping individuals connected to incarceration build better lives and decreasing recidivism through education and communication. Edovo provides incarcerated individuals access to tablet technology that includes programs focused on educational, vocational, and treatment programming options.

Dr. Michael Lemke is the Vice President of Learning Architecture at Area 9 Lyceum. He manages a global team of learning engineers that are tasked with developing adaptive learning courses for settings that include healthcare, corporate training, and higher education. His interests and professional activities have resulted in projects that focus on a wide range of topics including data science and...

Zach Ingrasci is an award-winning humanitarian, activist, and filmmaker, who has had worked on the front lines to fight for human rights. He has raised over $90 million for poverty alleviation efforts, and he has collaborated with the UN Refugee Agency and Google to create an immersive online hub that provides answers to the most widely searched questions about Syria. Zach’s documentaries include...

Dr. Helen Crompton is an international expert in the field of educational technology. Her research has focused on mobile learning resulting in the United Nations officially naming her as one of nine mobile learning experts in the world. Dr. Crompton has developed courses for ISTE focused on mobile learning, technology integration, and artificial intelligence.