Bios

Will Richardson:
Will Richardson is known internationally for his work with educators and students to understand and implement instructional technologies and, more specifically, the tools of the Read/Write Web into their schools, classrooms and communities. A public school educator for 22 years, Will's own Weblog (Weblogg-ed.com) is a primary resource for the creation and implementation of Weblog technologies on the K-12 level and is a leading voice for school reform in the context of the fundamental changes these new technologies are bringing to all aspects of life. His critically acclaimed, best-selling book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Tools for Classrooms (March 2006, Corwin Press) is already being used by thousands of teachers to reinvent their practice, and his keynotes, presentations and workshops to audiences around the world communicate a fresh and inspiring vision of what schools can and must become. He is a founding partner of the Connective Learning Group which is dedicated to assisting educators contextualize and implement Read/Write Web tools into their schools and classrooms.

Will lives along the Delaware River in beautiful Western New Jersey with his wife Wendy and his children Tess and Tucker, all of whom are bloggers.

Gary Stager
For 25 years, Gary Stager, an internationally recognized educator, speaker and consultant, has helped learners of all ages on six continents embrace the power of computers as intellectual laboratories and vehicles for self-expression. He led professional development in the world's first laptop schools (1990), has designed online graduate school programs since the mid-90s and is a collaborator in the MIT Media Lab's Future of Learning Group. Mr. Stager's doctoral research involved the creation a high-tech alternative learning environment for incarcerated at-risk teens. Recent work includes teaching and mentoring some of Australia's "most troubled" public schools. Gary is Senior Editor of //District Administration Magazine//, Editor of //The Pulse: Education’s Place for Debate,// Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University and an Associate of the Thornburg Center for Professional Development. Dr. Stager is also the Executive Director of The Constructivist Consortium. In 1999, //Converge Magazine// named Gary a "shaper of our future and inventor of our destiny." The National School Boards Association recognized Dr. Stager with the distinction of "20 Leaders to Watch" in 2007. Most recently, Gary was the new media producer for //The Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project -// //Simpatíco//, 2007 Grammy Award Winner for Best Latin Jazz Album of the Year.

Chris Lehmann:
Chris is the founding principal of the Science Leadership Academy, a progressive science and technology high school in Philadelphia, PA. Chris has returned to his native Philadelphia after nine years as the Technology Coordinator at the Beacon School in New York City, one of the leading urban public schools for technology integration.

In 2006, the National School Board Association named Chris one of "20 to Watch" among American administrators. In 2001, Chris was honored by MOUSE ([|http://www.mouse.org)] as a Champion of Technology and Education for his work on building the portal at the Beacon School. Chris has spoken at educational technology conferences all over the world, including the 2007 Technology+Learning Conference, the 2007 Building Learning Communities conference, the 2007 National Educational Computing Conference, the Philadelphia Area Educational Technology Conference, the 2006 K12-Online Conference, the International Conference on Technology and Education and at LinuxWorld, and he has worked with schools and districts in the U.S. and England as a consultant. Chris is the author of the education blog [|Practical Theory.]

Gamal Sherif:
Gamal Sherif is a veteran teacher and administrator who has worked for the School District of Philadelphia, with independent schools and in the charter school movement. He has run his own consulting group, [|ProgressEd] and he has worked with several schools on curriculum mapping and educational design. Gamal has been working with Science Leadership Academy since its inception and presently teaches African American history and biochemistry.

Anissa Weinraub:
Anissa is the Special Education / Learning Specialist at the Science Leadership Academy. Before coming to the School District of Philadelphia, Anissa was involved in education as the Assistant Program Director of an after-school arts program in Providence, RI, as well as teaching in the CCP Upward Bound program and at a charter school in Philadelphia. She also has experience in educational theater, touring college campuses with an independent theater troupe that explored issues in the Middle East. Anissa is working toward her MA in Education at Temple University, and she received her BA in Urban Studies/Creative Writing from Brown University.

**Joe Bires**
Joe Bires is the Supervisor of Technology for the Marlboro Township School District. Prior to Marlboro, he was the technology coordinator for the Manville School District. He possesses over nine years experience as a technology leader and teacher in K-12 education. He earned a masters degree in computers in education with a concentration in technology leadership from Columbia University. He is currently a student in the doctorate program in educational leadership and technology at the University of Delaware.

**Marcie T. Hull**
Marcie is the Technology Coordinator, fine arts teacher and technology teacher for the Science Leadership Academy (SLA), in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She received her fine arts training along with obtaining her K-12 art teaching certificate and art history minor at Temple’s, Tyler School of Art. A year spent in Italy after college gained her more experience with paint and paining techniques. Marcie returned home and began working for the School District of Philadelphia in 2000. She quickly became a Technology Teacher Leader and developed a reputation as a proponent for technology development in her school for teachers and students. She was able to finish her masters for Technology in Education at Rosemont College in a year and a half. During this time Marcie also obtained a K-12 Pennsylvania Business Technology certification. She went on to become an adjunct professor for Rosemont College, in their Technology in Education Department. Spring of 2006 Marcie was hired and became part of the founding staff of SLA. She currently writes a blog located at www.ecram3.blogspot.com, where she reflects upon the development of SLA and posts her thoughts and opinions about trends in education.

Arthus Erea
Arthus is a student. He is also a leader in technology and educational implementation. Through his blog, [|Newly Ancient], Arthus shares his thoughts upon how to change the educational model and integrate technology with pedagogy and philosophy. As a 14-year-old, he offers a unique perspective upon the issues we face in education today. Locally, he has received numerous awards for his writing and poetry. In addition, Arthus was nominated for a [|Eddie] and has worked upon development of educational technology in the classroom. Arthus is an outspoken proponent of giving students a voice in the direction of their learning and believes everybody is both a teacher and a student.

Pat Wagner
Pat has a background of teaching English (ELA), Mathematics, and Film and Television Studies. He is also an author of 8 teacher reference texts, and former high school administrator. After two years working as an [|A.U.S.S.I.E.] consultant in New York, Pat has returned to Australia, but is still working with a Bronx middle school - a partnership that is flourishing in cyberspace. Pat reflects on this experience in his [|blog].

**Edwin Wargo**
Edwin loves his job as a K-8 Technology Teacher and Technology Coordinator at Quarter Mile Lane Elementary School part of the Bridgeton Public Schools in Bridgeton, NJ. He began his career as a District Technology Coordinator and teacher for a northern New Jersey K-12 school district. Edwin has worked out of New York City as an internetworking engineer and consultant for Fortune 500 banks. He has also enjoyed time as an educational technology consultant working with schools and districts trying to make networking as transparent as possible. Throughout his career, he also served at two community colleges as an adjunct instructor teaching network engineering courses. Edwin is currently nearing completion of his M.Ed. in School Leadership at Wilmington University. He received his BS in Secondary Education-English and Communications from Penn State University where Dr. Jamie Myers and Dr. Ali Carr-Chelman shared their passion of educational technology sparking Edwin’s passion in it. Also, an aviation enthusiast, Edwin is slowly working towards his pilot’s license. He lives in “south Jersey” with his wife Heather and their daughter Rebecca.

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 * Glenn Moses**

I started a long journey into education by being a really good student and getting into engineering school. After 8 years of being an electrical engineer and having a lot of fun with programming in the early days of microprocessors, I took some time off to have 3 children. I consider this the beginning of my real education about learning. As they grew, I got a job at Davidson & Associates (the Math Blaster company) as a programmer and producer. I really thought I had all the answers about learning and how to do it with computers. Turns out that the biggest thing I learned was that I was all wrong. It also dawned on me that although we in the development team were learning a lot, the children using our software weren't. Somewhere in there I spent a couple of years developing a math website, got a master's in educational technology, and then another few years as the VP of Development of a console and PC game publisher, designing and developing both educational and consumer games. Now that was a real learning experience!
 * Sylvia Martinez**

Now I work for [|Generation YES], which is a really different kind of company. We work with schools to support them through a change process of creating a culture of student empowerment and collaboration campus-wide, where students are equals in the effort to improve education with technology. The focus on technology is secondary, it just happens to be something that students can show expertise in, and schools really need the help. My job is to create materials and online resources so teachers and administrators achieve their vision of student-centered, student-powered technology integration. My job is also to convince them that they aren't alone in believing that schools can change, and that they can make this happen in face of resistance. Supporting people's dreams to change the world and create schools that honor student voice, teacher autonomy, and a respectful learning culture makes this a dream job.

I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone at Educon 2.0

IAlison is 16 years old and a sophomore at the Science Leadership Academy. She went to The Philadelphia School for elementary and middle school, so has been exposed to project based learning before. She is interested in engineering, alternate energy and sustainability, nature, and sports- especially orienteering. She went to Outward Bound over the summer and learned a lot about being a leader and leadership. She is now a major participent in SLA's Student Leadership group. You can read about her Individulised Learning Plan through her new blog [|SLA Goes Green].
 * Alison Campbell**

Peter Brown AIA, a registered architect, has built a career developing collaborative relationships with educators and architects, gaining a working knowledge of  school operations from multiple viewpoints. With projects and engagements in over 16 states and 7 countries, Peter has planned over $1Billion in school construction for over 50,000 students. With a keen interest in creating school environments that improve performance of teaching and learning, he brings a wide understanding of facility research, sustainable design, diverse learning styles and multiple curricular approaches designed specifically to meet the needs of all learners. Currently, Peter is serving as a mentor to Alison Campbell (above) as she seeks to transform SLA into a sustainable campus. At EduCon 2.0 Peter and Alison are sharing their experience and tools for a distance mentoring process.
 * Peter Brown**


 * Sharon Peter - Meg Peters**

Sharon Peters is a former middle and senior school English teacher. Over the years, Sharon and her students participated in several award-winning global online collaborative projects with classes around the world. She has presented topics about 21st century new media literacy skills at a number of international conferences and regularly webcasts shows for educators. Sharon's role at [|LEARN] includes overseeing the design of learning and evaluation situations in ELA and providing resources for ELA educators in the province of Québec. (twitter **speters**, skype name **eebee1**)

Meg Peters is a gr. 10 student at [|Lower Canada College] in Montréal, Québec. She is an active participant on the Green Team, Robotics Team, Drama Club, committee for the Destiny Québec Conference, Nutrition Committee and is a managing editor of the school newspaper. Meg's "entry point" to using the Internet is her creative use of FictionPress where she has published over 100 short stories and poetry since she was in grade 7.