Meet Leslie Fisher

Leslie Fisher's interest in technology began while studying music at the University of Southern California. She quickly realized the value of utilizing computers for music mixing and recording. She grabbed her 300 baud modem, jumped on the Internet (before anyone really called it the internet) and started looking for music resources. She soon realized she was spending more time discovering technology than playing music so she changed her major and tried to figure out what geeky thing she could do for the rest of her life. After graduating from USC with a Business and Marketing degree in 1989 and a quick stint as a Trainer, Leslie joined Apple Computer in 1992. When the Internet took off in 1994, Leslie was one of the first Apple employees assigned to study Internet growth and implementation. Fisher Technologies Inc. is now a worldwide company (meaning one employee named Leslie gets to travel the world teaching) specializing in presenting technology solutions for educators as well as Digital Photography, editing and workflow.

Meet Jeff Crews

Jeff Crews, co-founder of BeyondtheChalk, received his bachelors degree from The University of Montana in Broad field science and biology.  Jeff completed his master's in technology education from Lesley University and later received his Doctorate from The University of Montana in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on science and technology. Jeff serves as adjunct faculty for Lesley University where he travels to different location around the country to teach masters' level classes to teachers pursuing an advanced degree. He also has serve as adjunct for The University of Montana where he taught the elementary science methods and the instructional technology courses. These experiences have reinforced the importance of sound professional development within our teaching corps both old and new. 

Meet Richard Byrne

Richard Byrne is best known in the educational technology community for his award-winning blog Free Technology for Teachers. On a daily basis Richard’s blog "Free Technology for Teachers" reaches a subscriber base of more than 57,000 educators. In addition to writing Free Technology for Teachers, Richard also maintains iPad Apps for School, Android for Schools, and PracticalEdTech.com. Richard’s printed work includes a monthly column for School Library Journal, contributing author to What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media, and columns for Teacher Librarian. Richard has been invited to speak at conferences and at schools across North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Richard’s work is focused on helping teachers effectively use free technology resources in their classrooms. Richard lives in Greenwood, Maine with his loyal dogs Max and Morrison.

Nominate an outstanding teacher, leader, or media specialist.

Each year NCTIES recognizes outstanding individuals who have shown outstanding achievement and leadership in implementing technology to improve education.

2014 Outstanding Teacher Award

Nominations Open through January 5, 2014

This award recognizes and honors one teacher who has demonstrated outstanding achievement and leadership in implementing technology to improve education. Award recipients are selected from a pool of nominations submitted to NCTIES from around the state of North Carolina. 

Nominees are evaluated using a set of selection criteria (below) for the award category. Winner will be announced in March at the NCTIES conference.

The educators selected to receive this award will be:

• Honored at the NCTIES Conference, March 6-8, 2014, in Raleigh, NC
• Awarded  $2500, with a $500.00 honorarium given to the teacher and up to $2000.00 reimbursement toward award recipient's expenses for registration, meals and travel for the ISTE conference 2015. (Based upon the state per Diem of $56 per day for meals.  All receipts must be submitted for a refund.)
• Featured in NCTIES publications and on the Web site

For more information, please visit: http://www.ncties.org/recognition/teacher/index.html

2014 Outstanding Leader Award
Nominations Open through January 5, 2014

This award recognizes and honors one leader who has demonstrated outstanding achievement and leadership in implementing technology to improve education. Award recipients are selected from a pool of nominations submitted to NCTIES from around the state of North Carolina. 

Nominees are evaluated using a set of selection criteria (below) for the award category. Winner will be announced in March at the NCTIES conference. (Award winners will be notified by February 1, 2014

The educators selected to receive this award will be:

• Honored at the NCTIES Conference, March 6-8, 2014, in Raleigh, NC
• Awarded  $2500, with a $500.00 honorarium given to the teacher and up to $2000.00 reimbursement toward award recipient's expenses for registration, meals and travel for the ISTE conference 2015. (Based upon the state per Diem of $56 per day for meals.  All receipts must be submitted for a refund.)
• Featured in NCTIES publications and on the Web site

For more information, please visit: http://www.ncties.org/recognition/leader/index.html

2014 Media Specialist Technology Innovation Award
The purpose of this award is to identify, promote, and sustain excellence in collaborative and innovative technology-based projects driven by the school library media center in support of curricular and instructional needs in elementary, middle, and high schools. 

Nominations Open through January 5, 2014

Entry Information
The award will be presented to a team of a school librarian and a collaborating teacher—one primary school (PreK-5), or its equivalent, and/or one secondary school (6-12), or its equivalent—at NCTIES conference March 5-7, 2014 in Raleigh, NC.

For more information, please visit: http://www.ncties.org/recognition/innovation/index.html

Meet Adam Bellow: Keynote Speaker

Adam Bellow is one of today’s leading speakers on educational technology and infusing technology to aid school reformation. He is the founder of both eduTecher and eduClipper. In addition to these free resources, Adam launched the popular Change the World student-focused charity campaign.

Bellow was honored by ISTE in 2010 as an emerging leader and then again in 2011 when he was named Outstanding Young Educator of the year. Bellow has been a sought after speaker in the education and educational technology circuit over the past few years because of his particular high-speed delivery which blends humor and rapid fire visuals in a style that re-defines slide-aided presentation. He has given memorable talks and keynotes at conferences such as ISTE, #140edu, and TEDxNYED amongst others.

Bellow is currently serving as CEO of eduClipper, the edtech startup that he founded in 2012. eduClipper is a free web tool focused on helping students and teachers find, share, and build valid learning experiences in a K-12 safe educational social platform.

Visit the featured speakers page to see the others presenting at #NCTIES14.  

Hotel Booking Links

The booking links for the Marriott City Center and the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel are now live.

Use this link to book your stay at the Marriott: http://cwp.marriott.com/rdumc/ncties2014

Use this link to book your stay at the Sheraton: https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/booking/reservation?id=1309205301&key=E9C07

Marriott City Center

Connected to the new convention center, our downtown Raleigh hotel features guest rooms and suites with luxurious bedding, wireless Internet, and 37-inch flat-panel plasma TV.

Valet parking is available free to Marriott guests attending NCTIES for one vehicle per room each day in the city parking lot. Be sure to remind hotel staff at check in that parking (for one car) and Internet access are included as part of the agreement with NCTIES. A hotel staff member must park your car for you in the valet lot. We highly recommend car pooling to minimize parking expenses. Parking in the area runs $10 to $15 per day for any additional vehicle.

Please be aware: Once all the rooms in our block have been reserved, there may still be rooms at the Marriott‘s regular, higher price, but parking and Internet will not be included in that price.

500 Fayetteville Street

Raleigh, North Carolina 27601

Phone: 919-833-1120

Fax: 919-833-8912

www.marriottraleigh.com

Use this link to book your stay at the Marriott: http://cwp.marriott.com/rdumc/ncties2014

Sheraton Raleigh Hotel

Warm, maple-trimmed walls and a sun-filled atrium greet you at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel. When you arrive, you will not only see but feel the comfort all around the hotel. 

Parking is available free to Sheraton guests attending NCTIES. The parking deck is located directly across Salisbury Street from the hotel. Standard passenger vehicles only are allowed in the parking garage. Be sure to remind hotel staff at check in that parking and Internet access are included as part of the agreement with NCTIES.

421 South Salisbury Street

Raleigh, North Carolina 27601

Phone 919-834-9900

Fax 919-833-1217

www.sheraton.com

Use this link to book your stay at the Sheraton: https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/booking/reservation?id=1309205301&key=E9C07

Meet the Region 5 Candidates

Donna Martin, Program Specialist in the Guilford County School System

My current role in the Guilford County School System is that of Program Specialist serving five elementary schools participating in the Mission Possible TIF III Grant.  I was specifically selected by two schools due to the recognitions I received during the multiple leadership roles in the district that directly pertain to the integration of instructional technology.  Basically, the core component of my job is to serve as an instructional coach.  I coach teachers in two elementary magnet schools; Montileu Academy of Technology and Bluford STEM Academy.  As Montlieu is the first one-to-one school in our district, my skills have come in handy while coaching best practices.  Although my first responsibility is to address pedagogy, my understanding and creative ideas of how technology can enhance learning is recognized and appreciated by the teachers and administration.

My skills were first recognized as a classroom teacher with a passion for student learning utilizing technology.  I was quickly invited to serve as a technology specialist in a Science and Technology school where I served for seven years.  During that time I presented many times at the state technology conference and led an October computer learning month initiative across the state.  I was also an active member of the Region 5 technology educator group. 

Afterwards, I moved to the district level as a technology specialist and continued to serve elementary schools and one middle school.  I conducted many workshops in our district during that time as well as at state conferences, including NCTies.  My colleagues and I were honored as we were selected as the top presenters at the conference for two consecutive years.  During those years, I was also awarded the North Carolina Technology Educator Award by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.  I also served as technology liaison for new schools opening in Guilford County.  Pilot Elementary, a new school, was named as an Apple Distinguished school.  Montlieu Academy of Technology, a school that I currently serve, was named this year as an Apple Distinguished school.

I was later promoted to serve as Instructional Technology Integration Specialist assigned to work with the district’s K-12 curriculum specialists in the district’s curriculum department in efforts to assist them with the integration of technology.  I designed a laboratory equipped with cutting edge technology for these specialists and trained them accordingly.  I continued to participate in NCTies events as well as other state conferences such as FETC, NECC and ISTE.  As a matter of fact, I am headed to ISTE this June! 

I have participated on interview teams for technology specialists and have even created district-level digital report cards that required the understanding of advanced functions.  I have also enjoyed participating on technology educator award panels and reviewing technology grant submissions.  Two summers ago, I was named as an Apple Distinguished Educator and attended the Apple Academy in Cupertino CA just before Steve Jobs passed away.  If I remember correctly, only about 75 people across the nation were selected to attend that year.  I was so honored!!

Although my current role does not have “technology” in its title, I am still actively involved in seeking the best instructional practices to benefit student learning.  In this case, technology is always on the forefront.  I have attended NCTies for many years and would love to be a part of the executive board in order to serve such a dedicated organization that benefits our teachers and students.

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Sam Walker, Technology Facilitator in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System

Here's a snapshot of my education, work history, and involvement with NCTIES.

• Named North Carolina Technology in Education Society Instructional Technology Specialist/Educator of the Year – March 2010. NCTIES Award Winners 2010

• NCTIES concurrent session presenter 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

• Invited and scheduled to co-present with Kelly Mendoza of Common Sense Media at ISTE 2013 in San Antonio, Texas about the importance of teaching digital citizenship at the elementary level 

• NCTIES Preconference co-presenter ActivInspire with former Winston-Salem/Forsyth Couty School Director of Instructional Technology Marlo Gaddis and Matt Barfield of Promethean 2009

• Headed the creation of a Social Media Best Practices and Education Goal in Kimmel Farm’s current and ongoing School Improvement Plans.

• Featured co-presenter at 2012 ASCD Conference (March, 2012, Philadelphia, PA) “Creating Social Media Policies for Schools” with Steven Anderson, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Director of Instructional Technology

• I serve as a consultant to CERTL (Center for Excellence in Research, Teaching and Learning - Wake Forest University Medical School) and led several digital projects to upgrade their database of Problem-Based Learning Library to a Moodle platform.

•  Member Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools District Media-Technology Advisory Committee

•  Guest Panelist/Co-Presenter at the 2012 North Carolina Association for Biomedical Research (NCABR) Annual STEM Conference, Raleigh, NC October 24, 2012

• Partnered with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School’s Director of Instructional Technology to implement a new technology initiative (Teach21 -2007-2008) that called for ongoing professional development in appropriate use of technology, and significant classroom technology hardware upgrades.

• I have a BA from Elon University in Communications (1990)

• I have a MAT from Salem College in Elementary Education K-6 (1997)

• Presently enrolled in Appalachian State's Master of Arts Program - Instructional Technolgy/Computers (Degree Completion set for December 2013)

• Since 2005 I have served as a Technology Facilitator in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System and helped open newly constructed Kimmel Farm Elementary in 2009.