Monday Speakers
Dwayne Reed (@TeachMrReed)
Teaching phenom and educational activist, Dwayne Reed, has been crisscrossing the globe, promoting his message of love and equity in education. After seeing viral success with the release of his educational music video, "Welcome to the 4th Grade," and appearing on Good Morning America, CNN, and MTV's TRL, Reed has been on a mission to convince the world that relationships mean everything in education, and that every child, no matter their race or social status, deserves a fair chance at a quality education. Mr. Reed spends his free time writing educational songs, playing basketball, and 'chillin' in his neighborhood,' on the Westside of Chicago. See Dwayne's session schedule.
Nate Butkus "Student Spotlight Speaker" (@natepodcasts)
Hosted by fourth grader Nate Butkus, The Show About Science is an awesome adventure into the wondrous world of scientific research and discovery! Nate started his podcast just before entering kindergarten with an approach to interviewing that's been described as "explain it to me like I'm a 5 year old" made literal (but now with an 9 year old twist). Each episode is filled with fascinating information from leading scientists and science communicators. Together, Nate and his guests explore everything from chemistry to climate change, evolution to extraterrestrials, and human brains to bat biology.
In addition to The Show About Science, Nate also hosts The Show About Politics & History and produces another podcast called The Show About Titanic with his friend Edward. See Nate's session schedule.
Michael Cohen (@thetechrabbi)
Michael Cohen, The Tech Rabbi, is a designer, educator and creativity instigator. His mission is to help educators around the world reveal their own creative abilities so they can empower students to solve interesting problems and become positive contributors to our global society. He is the author of the book Educated By Design, which outlines his principles for revealing and nurturing our innate creative courage and capacity. He is a national keynote speaker, advisor, and trainer. When he isn’t traveling the world sharing his message, he serves as the director of innovation for Yeshiva University of Los Angeles Boys School (YULA) where he manages and teaches at the Schlesinger STEAM and Entrepreneurship Center. See Michael's session schedule.
Robert Dillon (@drrobertdillon)
Dr. Robert Dillon has served as a thought leader in education over the last twenty years as a teacher, principal, and director of innovation. Dr. Dillon has a passion to change the educational landscape by building excellent engaging schools for all students. Dr. Dillon serves on the Leadership Team for Connected Learning, a Saint Louis based organization designed to reshape professional development to meet today's needs. Dr. Dillon has had the opportunity to speak throughout the country at local, state, and national conferences as well as share his thoughts and ideas in a variety of publications. He is the author of four books on best practices in learning, Leading Connected Classrooms Engage, Empower, Energize: Leading Tomorrow's Schools Today, Redesigning Learning Space, and his most recent book on learning space design called The Space: A Guide for Educators. See Robert's session schedule.
Jaime Donally (@jaimedonally)
Jaime Donally is a passionate technology enthusiast. She began her career as a math teacher and later moved into Instructional Technology. Her desire to build relationships has brought about opportunities to collaborate with students and educators around the world. She provides staff development and training on immersive technology as an edtech consultant. Her latest adventures include the launch of Global Maker Day and the #ARVRinEDU community, events and presentations. She works as an author and speaker to provide practical use of augmented and virtual reality in the classroom. See Jaime's session schedule.
Carl Hooker (@mrhooker)
Carl Hooker has been a part of a strong educational shift with technology integration during his 21 years in education. As Director of Innovation & Digital Learning at Eanes ISD, he has helped spearhead the LEAP program, which put one-to-one iPads in the hands of all K-12 students in his 8000-student district. He's also the author of the six-book series titled Mobile Learning Mindset, a guide for teachers, administrators, parents and others to support and embrace mobile learning in our schools. He’s also a keynote speaker and a consultant for multiple school districts across the country. Follow him @mrhooker on Twitter and his blog https://hookedoninnovation.com. See Carl's session schedule.
Sawsan Jaber (@SJeducate)
Dr. Sawsan Jaber is a Board Director of Our Voice Alliance charged with amplifying voices of teachers of color to create more equity for students of color. She recently completed her PhD with a focus on inclusion and belonging of students from marginalized communities. Additionally, Sawsan is a National Board Certificate candidate. She is the founder of Project Pedagogy Consulting and offers professional development to support schools that lack funding for such initiatives. Sawsan is a educational leader of twenty years with experience in a variety of settings in the U.S. and abroad. She offers the experience of being a member of a minority group as a daughter of refugees. See Sawsan's session schedule.
Olivia Van Ledtje (@thelivbits)
Olivia Van Ledtje (“LivBit”) is an eleven-year-old reader, thinker, and kids' voice believer. Using technology to inspire empathy, equity, and activism, Olivia’s mission is to share messages with the world that are hopeful, kind and true.
Olivia is the creator of LivBits—short videos for kids and teachers about reading, thinking, and life. Her work is featured internationally as a model for digital citizenship and kid creation. She’s a seasoned keynote speaker, with her own podcast, The KidLit Show, and co-author of Spark Change: Making Your Mark in a Digital World. Recently, Olivia was honored at Google Headquarters in San Francisco, CA with a Digital Rock Star award as well as a #Digital4Good award for her work on LivBits.
Olivia was also honored by the Princess Diana Foundation and was awarded the 2019 Diana Award for her work on LivBits. This award is given to youth making a global difference and working to promote social causes that impact communities in positive ways. See Olivia's session schedule.
Jennifer Williams (@JenWilliamsEdu)
Recognized as a transformational leader in education, Dr. Jennifer Williams has dedicated herself for nearly 25 years to the field of education through her roles as an education activist, professor, school administrator, literacy specialist, and classroom teacher. She speaks, writes, and consults on practices that develop global perspectives and social good through creative uses of technology, and her research interests include innovations in teaching and learning, equity and diversity in education, and social action. She is the author of the ISTE book Teach Boldly: Using Edtech for Social Good, and in her current work as the co-founder of the nonprofit organization Take Action Global (@TakeActionEdu), she helps build schools in refugee camps and in remote areas of Africa. Jennifer is the co-founder of TeachSDGs, the United Nations-appointed organization that has connected more than 35,000 international educators to the Sustainable Development Goals, and is a professor at Saint Leo University in both the College of Education and the College of Graduate Education. She writes for Edutopia, Education Week, and the International Literacy Association, and is the co-founder of Edcamp Tampa Bay and Edcamp Literacy. In 2016, Jennifer was named No. 33 of the 200 Top Education Influencers. In 2017, she was named No. 13 of the Top Women Edtech Influencers by Onalytica, based on her work in education and educational technology. Jennifer is inspired everyday by teachers and students that are catalysts for making the world a better place! See Jennifer's session schedule.
