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Speaker Biographies
Sue O'Connell
Monday, December 6
Sue O'Connell is a math consultant, author, and national presenter. Sue's background includes experience as a classroom teacher, an instructional specialist, a talented and gifted teacher, a school improvement specialist, and a university professional development schools coordinator.
Sue is the author of a variety of math teacher resource books including Now I Get It: Strategies for Building Confident and Competent Mathematicians, Introduction to Problem Solving, and Introduction to Communication. She is the series editor for Heinemann’s Math Process Standards Series. Her books are well-known for their engaging and practical activities.
Sue is the founder of Quality Teacher Development, a teacher training company devoted to expanding the skills and knowledge of K-8 math teachers. Through Quality Teacher Development, she designs and coordinates on-site training programs for schools and districts across North America. She is a frequent speaker at local, state, and national math conferences.
Scott Meech
Monday, December 6
Scott Meech is starting his 16th year in education. He currently works at The Joseph Sears School in Kenilworth, Illinois as the district Technology Facilitator. While Scott began his teaching career in Social Studies, he quickly realized his greatest educational interest was in the transformative nature of technology. Scott was an early adopter and was regularly the test pilot for any and all new tech initiatives. Scott's teaching quickly transformed from a traditional teacher-centered paradigm into a constructivist student-centered approach. Meech earned his masters in education in curriculum and technology in 2005 and is in the final stages of the Johns Hopkins University program in conjunction with ISTE to obtain a type 75 administrative certificate.
While he has a myriad of interests, his favorite pastime besides spending time with his wife and three daughters is studying the impact technology is making and can make on education. He believes that education is on the brink of major change and that technology will finally fulfill its promise. Scott is a Google Certified Teacher and he blogs at Smeech.net and for Tech & Learning Magazine. You can check out his repository of work at http://smeech-presos.wikispaces.com/. Scott's recent focus has been on the development of a blog and community surrounding mobile devices called, "I Education Apps Review" (www.iear.org) that is focused on the impact that mobile devices can and are making on classrooms.
Dr. Pamela M. Radford
Monday, December 6
Pamela M. Radford, Ph.D. is a Northern Regional Coordinator for Illinois ASPIRE (Alliance in School-based Problem Solving & Intervention Resources in Education), a statewide professional development and technical assistance grant to support implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI). She also serves as a District Services Coordinator for the Northern Suburban Special Education District, providing coaching and professional development to districts in using data based decision making to improve academic and behavioral outcomes for all students. Her training and consultation experience include problem solving and data based decision making, functional behavioral assessment and behavior intervention plans, Curriculum Based Measurement, and academic interventions.
Dr. Karen Carrier
Tuesday, December 7
Dr. Karen A. Carrier is Associate Professor Emerita in Literacy Education at Northern Illinois University. She was the Coordinator of Project QUILL, a Title III grant from the U.S. Dept. of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) that provided professional development for in-service teachers working with English language learners. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds an M.A. in Bilingual/Bicultural Studies and a B.S. in Psychology. She has taught ESL to high school students and adults. At Northern Illinois University, she taught the ESL, Bilingual, Assessment, and Multicultural courses in the teacher education programs. Since her retirement from NIU, Dr. Carrier has continued to work with school districts and regional offices of education in Illinois, offering professional development workshops for teachers and administrators who work with English language learners. She has published articles aimed at helping mainstream teachers help their English language learners in all-English classrooms, and has conducted research in minority teacher preparation and second language listening instruction.
A. D. Carson
Tuesday, December 7
A.D. CARSON was born in Decatur, Illinois. He received a B.A. in Education and Creative Writing from Millikin University and M.A. in English from the University of Illinois, Springfield. He is a high school educator whose only aspiration as a high school student was to become a professional rapper. After releasing two albums independently and living out his rap dreams he chose education as a professional career. He has never lost his Hip-Hop ties, however, using his unique career path and avocations to engage students and audiences of all ages and disciplines. He continues bridging the gap between the music and literature through teaching, performing and conducting workshops. An educator, author, and performance artist, he has written hundreds of unpublished poems, stories, songs, and other tangentially related pieces, some of which he shares on his website, http://www.aydeethegreat.com. The recipient of the Grace Patton Conant Award for Literary Creation, A.D. Carson’s work has appeared in Collage and The Alchemist’s Review and Quiddity International Literary Journal and Public-Radio Program. His work will also appear in the August 2010 critical reader, Jay-Z: The Artist, The Man, The Visionary. His first novel, Cold, will be published by Mayhaven Publishing, inc. in the fall of 2010.
Tony Vincent
Tuesday, December 7
Tony Vincent is former elementary school teacher and technology specialist who is now a speaker and consultant. He started one of the first podcasts from an elementary school called Radio WillowWeb and continues to podcast today. Tony’s learninginhand.com website is a popular destination for teachers interested in topics like iPods, podcasting, movie-making, web-based tools, and handheld computers. Tony has empowered teachers and students worldwide with fun and practical presentations and workshops.
