Tuesday Speakers
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.
Cheyenne E. Batista (@cheysays & @letsfirefly)
Cheyenne E. Batista is the Founder & CEO of Firefly Worldwide Inc., a global education consulting firm that supports leaders in the education, non-profit, and corporate sectors. She most recently served as Founding Principal, then Founding Superintendent, Managing Director of a Pre-K to 12th grade network of community-based charter schools called East Harlem Scholars Academies in New York City. In a unique player-coach model, Cheyenne oversaw replication of the first school into the expansion of the network of more than 1,000 students and 150 staff members achieving excellence daily. She previously taught within the New York City Department of Education and at the American School of Campinas in São Paulo, Brazil. Cheyenne has led in roles on staff at Teach For America and later managed complex product deliveries at Grow Network/McGraw-Hill, an assessment data reporting company. Cheyenne is a proud New Yorker who graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and from Harvard Graduate School of Education with a Master’s in Education Policy and Management. She is currently pursuing an EdD in Education Policy and Leadership as part of the inaugural doctoral cohort at American University School of Education. Cheyenne is a trilingual dog-lover and foodie who loves chasing sunsets worldwide on a dirt bike or motorcycle whenever she can. You can follow her work on Twitter at @cheysays and on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook at @letsfirefly. See Cheyenne's session schedule.
PJ Caposey (@MCUSDSupe)
PJ is an award-winning teacher, principal, and superintendent who is a sought after keynote speaker, consultant, executive coach, and provider of professional development. PJ has recently keynoted several national conferences with topics including, time management, the tyranny of the status quo, student engagement, school culture, and social media. PJ is also a prolific author with seven books published in the last decade. He lives in Northwest Illinois with his wife, who is also an educator, and their four children. See PJ'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.
Sophia Garcia-Smith (@sophiagsteach)
Sophia Garcia-Smith is an educator who loves to create, collaborate and share her love of teaching and technology. She currently works at a suburban Chicago school district. She has connected with schools from around the world looking to give her students an authentic audience. She has presented at many educational tech conferences across the United States. You can connect with her on Twitter: @sophiagsteach and Instagram: @garciasmithteach. See Sophia'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.
Nathan Lang-Raad (@drlangraad)
Dr. Nathan D. Lang-Raad is a speaker, author, and professional learning facilitator. He is the Chief Education Officer at WeVideo. Throughout his career, he has served as a teacher, assistant principal, university adjunct professor, consultant, and education strategist. He was director of elementary curriculum and instruction for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, as well as education supervisor at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Nathan is the author of Everyday Instructional Coaching, WeVideo Every Day, and co-author of The New Art and Science of Teaching Mathematics with Robert J. Marzano. He resides in the beautiful state of Maine with his husband, Herbie Raad, and 3 boys (Siamese Cats) Humphrey, Rock, and James. See Nathan's session schedule.
Jess Smith (@talesofmissmith)
I have been teaching for 7 years jumping around various grade levels in central New Hampshire. I’ve taught 4th-6th grade and am currently in my third grade home. And rest assured that I have been an unorganized hot mess in each of those classrooms and I’m okay with it. There is joy in each day and in this teaching community. There is joy in the faces that fill my room. My goal is to share my joy and laughter and fun with others while we embrace all the mess, teach all the things, and change all the lives. See Jess'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.???????
