TechCon : Speakers

TechCon presenters are professional practitioners in education technology. These individuals are instrumental in the success of the changing how innovation is implemented into the learning experience. They come from a multitude of backgrounds.

Charlene has been instrumental in establishing the technology staff development program for more than 500 faculty and staff members at her school where she maintains an extensive staff development Web site and blog for promoting learning programs for educators. Recently honored as the ICE 2007 Technology Educator of the Year, and ISTE's 2007 Outstanding Leader of the Year, Charlene has presented a variety of sessions at local and national education conferences on integrating technology into teaching and learning.

Christine, like her Syfr partner, Richard Erdmann, has always been interested in business as well as education. After teaching middle and high school geography, history, language arts and creative writing, and starting a family, Christine started a tutoring service from her home while her children grew from babies to school age. It was this home-based business (started with a 48K Apple IIE and a 128K IBM PC) that inspired her to ponder how teachers might use computers in their classrooms.

Jim was the Chief Information Officer at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, before his current role. Though Jim was responsible for the creation and implementation of their highly successful 1:1 tablet initiative, his true strengths are his strategic vision and keen eye for identifying the details to achieve overall programmatic success. As part of his work with IMSA, Jim 's expertise is frequently tapped by companies and government entities as a leader in the use of technology to create leaders for tomorrow.

Keith served as a founding administrator at Conserve School, a private boarding high school, guiding the school's technology infrastructure and 1:1 laptop program through conception, design, construction, and operation. He has more than a decade of experience delivering information technology solutions in educational contexts, ranging all the way from preschool through the undergraduate level. In addition to a breadth of multi-platform technical knowledge from years of systems administration, Keith has expertise in IT infrastructure design and construction management associated with new building and facilities remodeling. Keith holds a Masters in Information & Telecommunications Systems Management, as well as numerous industry certifications, including Cisco Certified Network Associate and Certified TCP/IP Network Analyst. Keith is a part-time MBA student at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a senior member of the American Society for Quality, and brings Six Sigma certification and a quality systems/process management orientation to work in IT strategic planning, project management, and operational design.

David has spent 25 years in education as a teacher, staff developer and technology coordinator. From his first Macintosh Classic to his current netbook, he has witnessed firsthand the changes in education that educational technology has empowered. Jakes shares this knowledge as a frequent speaker at technology conferences across the United States, as well as in Canada, Europe and most recently, China. His interests in educational technology include digital storytelling, visual literacy and developing online communities of learning through blogging, wiki and other connective technologies. He currently maintains his Web site, Jakesonline.org and a blog, The Strength of Weak Ties — both dedicated to exploring and improving the use of technology in education.

Phil has spent seven years in the classroom as a high school Science instructor and currently serves as President-Elect for Illinois Computing Educators, a professional organization composed of over 3,000 members including educators, administrators, industry professionals, and education technologists from across the state. Among other projects, Phil is currently developing and conducting professional development for instructors as District 219 implements its Anytime, Anywhere Learning 1:1 initiative.

Nadine has been in education for 10 years in positions including classroom teacher, technology coordinator, and staff development provider. She is always excited to help teachers design and implement meaningful activities that use technology in ways that enhance the teaching and learning process.

Craig oversees instructional technology, computer hardware, computer applications, audio-visual systems, and telecommunications for the district. Prior to joining the district, he provided technology consulting and low-voltage design to schools. Before entering the technology ranks, he was a building architect for local school districts.