Mary Burns has been involved in education for over 20 years as a teacher, researcher, technology specialist and teacher professional development provider. At EDC she has advised Ministries of Education on the teacher professional development component of ICT programs and designs professional development for teachers in the areas of ICT integration. She also serves as an advisor to many of EDC’s international education projects involving ICTs. She is presently leading EDC’s technology efforts in Indonesia and has been involved in many technology immersion initiatives in various roles—as an evaluator, as a professional development specialist and as an instructor in her own 1:1 classroom at the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in México City.

Since 1997 Ms. Burns has provided professional development in the area of ICT and improved instructional methodologies to teachers and teacher trainers in the United States, México, Canada, Central America, Asia, the Caribbean, eastern and southern Africa, and the Middle East. Prior to EDC, Mary was a professional development provider, researcher, and curriculum developer at Southwest Educational Development Laboratory in Austin, TX, helping teachers in low-performing schools integrate technology and employ learner-centered approaches to improve student learning. She has worked extensively in five continents in technology planning, professional development and evaluation for diverse entities—such as the World Bank, USAID, international schools, ministries of education, and local NGOs.

Mary has co-authored 3 books on ICT for teacher professional development, has published over 20 articles and monographs on integrating ICTs into school systems for such respected publications as Educational Leadership and the Kappan, and was the lead developer for the Active Learning with Technology portfolio, which received the 2001 National Staff Development Council award for Technology Excellence in a Teacher Professional Development Program.

Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach is a 20-year educator who has been a classroom teacher, technology coach, charter school principal, district administrator, and digital learning consultant. Currently, she is in the dissertation phase of completing her doctorate in Educational Planning, Policy and Leadership at the College of William and Mary.

She is the owner and founder of 21st Century Collaborative, LLC, a digital learning consulting business through which she gives keynotes, workshops and supports nonprofits in their grant work. Find out more at www.21stcenturycollaborative.com.

Through the Powerful Learning Practice Network which she co-founded with Will Richardson, she works with schools and teachers around the world to re-envision their learning cultures and communities - plpnetwork.com.

Additionally, she is the co-founder of the K12Online Conference, a free, annual global gathering of educators, hosted on the Web and packed with cutting-edge ideas. In 2007, K12Online attracted more than 83,000 participants world-wide. Find out more at k12onlineconference.org.

Sheryl has published journal articles, book chapters and magazine pieces, been featured on public broadcasting television and radio shows, and is a regular presenter at local, state, national and international conferences speaking on topics of homelessness, teacher leadership, virtual community building, and 21st Century learning initiatives. Her first book on 21st Century Learning will be published with Eye on Education in 2008.

Sheryl lives near the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia Beach with her four children, all of whom are avid bloggers.

Bernajean Porter’s work reflects a belief that technology can accelerate all students in rediscovering their joy and personal success as learners. Bernajean will demonstrate how schools can make innovative changes while dealing with the need for and issues around accountability, addressing the benefits and limits, both real and perceived, that our ideas present.

Bruce Dixon is the founder and president of the Anywhere, Anytime Learning Foundation and consults to schools, School Districts, Education Departments, Ministries of Education as well as technology companies such as Microsoft, hp-Compaq, Apple, Bertelsmann and Toshiba on 1-to-1 and technology in education. Bruce has more than 25 years experience working with schools and technology, as a teacher, Principal, software developer, undergraduate college lecturer, and then in 1987 with a partner he established an educational technology company, Computelec. As a national company of more than 90 staff, the company were fundamental to the establishment and growth of laptop programs in more than 80 schools across 3 states, before he sold it in the mid-nineties to focus on consulting. Since 1995 he has worked extensively in North America, and was in part responsible for developing the one-to-one program there, through the Anywhere, Anytime Learning initiative. He consults to schools, School Districts, Education Departments, Ministries of Education as well as technology companies such as Microsoft, hp-Compaq, Apple, Bertelsmann and Toshiba. Over the past 3 years, Bruce has consulted in the US, Australia, Canada, Germany, UK and New Zealand, and has been invited to speak at Conferences in Korea, Thailand, Italy, Singapore, Taiwan, Phillipines, Japan, South Africa, United Kingdom, as well as Australia and several North American states.