ConnectEd Summit 2009 - Speakers

Keynote Speakers and Workshop Facilitators

Keynote Speakers

Jason Ediger, Director of iTunes U and Mobile Learning, Apple Inc.

Jason Ediger is director for iTunes U and Mobile Learning in Apple's Education Division. In this role he manages the team responsible for iPhone, iPod and iTunes U in K-12 and higher education. Before joining Apple, Ediger was with the Orange County Department of Education, coordinating distance learning environments, evaluation of emerging technologies, and professional development focusing on the integration of technology. Prior to this, Ediger was in the classroom for nine years, teaching 8th grade in Whittier, California.

Dr. Eric Mazur, Balkanski Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, Harvard University

In addition to his position at Harvard, Eric Mazur is Chairman of Turning Technologies' Instructional Strategy Advisory Group, a board consisting of industry experts who assist by sharing and implementing pedagogically sound instructional strategies across a variety of educational platforms. An internationally recognized scientist and researcher, he leads a vigorous research program in optical physics and supervises one of the largest research groups in the Physics Department at Harvard University. In addition to his work in optical physics, Dr. Mazur is interested in education, science policy, outreach, and the public perception of science. He believes that better science education for all -- not just science majors -- is vital for continued scientific progress. To this end, Dr. Mazur devotes part of his research group's effort to education research and finding verifiable ways to improve science education. In 1990 he began developing Peer Instruction a method for teaching large lecture classes interactively. Dr. Mazur's teaching method captured in his book, Peer Instruction: A User's Manual (Prentice Hall, 1997) has developed a large following, both nationally and internationally, and has been adopted across many science disciplines.

Dr. Stephen Molyneux, Apple Distinguished Educator

Steve Molyneux Stephen Molyneux is recognized as one of Europe's leading experts in the field of Learning Technologies and in 1998, for his contributions to the Industry, was appointed a distinguished Fellow of International Computers Ltd, a subsidiary of Fujitsu. In 1999 he joined the Academic Board of Governors of Richmond, The American International University in London and in 2000 was awarded the World Open Learning Award for outstanding personal achievement in promoting the use of technology to support education and training. Professor Molyneux holds a number of consultation posts across Europe. Dr. Molyneux is a Scientific Advisor to the European Commission and has written numerous reports under contract to the European Parliament. In the past he has been a Scientific Reviewer to the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research and is frequently asked to provide briefing documents to a number of government bodies and ministers. He is a member of the ICT Strategy group for Advantage West Midlands, and provides advice on the strategic use of C&IT to the Court Service department of the Lord Chancellor's Office. Professor Molyneux is a member of the Institute of IT Training e-Learning Standards Committee and provides advice and guidance to a number of National Grid for Learning projects around the country. During 2000, Professor Molyneux was a member of the Knowledge Economy and Lifelong Learning Taskforce for the Scottish Parliament.

John Regan, Vice President, Government and Education Group, AT&T

John Regan John leads an organization that is responsible for delivering a full range of voice, networking and mobility solutions to local and state government customers as well as K-12 schools, colleges and universities. In this role, John and his team work closely with the leaders of some of the largest public and private colleges, universities and school districts across the U.S., helping them to capitalize on technology to advance teaching and learning environments to meet the expectations of today’s 21st century students and faculty. In addition to this work, John and his team are committed to the mission and cause of education through their support of organizations such as ACUTA, Educause, ISTE and COSN. John has a Bachelor of Science Degree from St. Edward’s University in Business Administration. He is active in the community and has held various positions with St. Louis Ballet, Junior Achievement, Rotary and the Economic Development Corporation.

Workshop Facilitators

Peter Akins, Applications Analyst at the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, University of Cincinnati

Peter Akins is an Applications Analyst at the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning at the University of Cincinnati, a public Research I institution. He is the developer and maintainer of the College's data-driven dynamic websites which includes both public sites as well as a comprehensive intranet called DAAPSpace. As part of his work, he has created applications to manage many of the College's academic and administrative functions including course management, room and A/V equipment reservation and a Student Gallery. Peter is also the primary author of MobilAP, a web framework for creating a mobile academic environment that is optimized for the iPhone OS. This software has been used to add a level of interactivity to several recent technology conferences in Ohio, Florida and California.

John Bentley, Chief Information Officer, Freed-Hardeman University

John Bentley has worked in higher education for the last 7 years at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, TN. As Chief Information Officer John has been instrumental in putting a solid IT infrastructure in place and then implementing a mobile computing initiative called iKnow. The iKnow Initiative is an aggressive program aimed at improving academics, communication, innovation, and the student experience at Freed-Hardeman. Before coming to Freed-Hardeman John spent 13 years in manufacturing.

Arthur Brant, Director of Network Services, Abilene Christian University

Arthur has been working in the area of Networking Services for Abilene Christian for 11 years. He currently leads a team of professionals that manage the university’s data network, network security operations, telephone system, and cable television system. As ACU implements strategies for a “connected” 21st-century campus, Arthur’s primary engagement is the design, implementation, and maintenance of a useable and reliable infrastructure. This engagement includes working with various university constituents as well as partners in the wireless LAN and cellular industries.

Dr. Derek Bruff, Assistant Director of the University Center for Teaching and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics; Vanderbilt University

Prior to holding his current position, Derek Bruff was a faculty preceptor in the Harvard University Department of Mathematics, teaching several courses and coordinating multisection calculus courses. He earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from Vanderbilt University. Bruff’s research interests center on investigating effective uses of classroom response systems. To that end, he consults regularly with instructors in a variety of disciplines at Vanderbilt and elsewhere about teaching with clickers, offers workshops for instructors on clickers at colleges and universities and online, and has written a book, Teaching with Classroom Response Systems: Creating Active Learning Environments, to be published by Jossey-Bass in February 2009.

Dr. Kyle Dickson, Associate Professor of English and Director of the Digital Media Center, Abilene Christian University

Kyle Dickson, Associate Professor of English and Director of the Digital Media Center at ACU. Since 2005, Kyle has given numerous campus and conference presentations on e-learning, podcasting and evangelized early adoption of iTunes U. In 2007, he served as a co-writer of the ACU Connected vision document, continuing to work with faculty to explore mobile media applications, culminating this spring in the Digital Media Center in the Learning Commons. Since the announcement of the ACU Connected initiative, Kyle has worked closely with third-party developers and academic departments on mobile learning tools for teaching across the university. The first-fruits of that work will appear in faculty pilots on media flashcards, iPhone clickers, and podcasting this spring. In the past year he has presented with colleagues at EDUCAUSE, the Handheld Learning Conference, and the New Media Consortium summer conference.

C. Brad Crisp is an assistant professor of information systems in the College of Business Administration at Abilene Christian University

Brad earned a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and previously worked at Indiana University. His research examines the use and impact of information technology in educational and workplace settings with an emphasis on social processes such as communication and trust in virtual teams. His publications have appeared in the Academy of Management Journal and the Encyclopedia of Information Systems.

Berlin Fang, Associate Director of the North Institute, Oklahoma Christian University

Berlin Fang is responsible for developing online or hybrid courses as well as other solutions for integrating technology into teaching, including mobile applications. Berlin works with faculty to gather their needs and work with the team to address such needs. Berlin graduated from the Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation Program of Syracuse University. Prior to joining Oklahoma Christian University, he worked for Marshall University as its first instructional design specialist. He has also worked for American Management Association and McKinsey & Company. His main interests include instructional design, faculty development and performance improvement.

Juan Garcia, Media Expert and Emergent Technology Consultant; Austin, Texas

Juan Garcia is a media expert and emergent technology consultant based in Austin, Texas with specialties in mobile content development and distribution. He is the executive producer and creator of the "SFS TV" podcast, which in 2005 became the first video podcast devoted to showcasing international student short films as well as giving university students hands-on experience in media production. Correspondingly, he serves as a Video Producer & New Media Consultant for the University of Texas at Austin’s Faculty Innovation Center where he has designed and implemented a series of educational podcasts. Along with his work, Juan sits on the board of directors for the Austin Museum of Digital Art, Mobile Film School and Austin School of Film, and is likewise an avid member of the Austin Digital Media Council. In 2007 he was the Youth Media Program Chair for the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture Conference and frequently supports organizations in the development of youth-generated media programs. He has previously been invited to speak about new media trends for various organizations, including the Dallas Video Festival, Leadership Austin, and the World E-Democracy Forum in Paris, France.

Mireille Gotsis, Director of Industry Solutions, AT&T Business Services

Based in Redmond, WA, Mireille leads a team that is focused on helping academic institutions and enterprise customers maximize the return on their investment in wireless technologies. A specialist in mobile solutions, Mireille spearheaded AT&T’s own wireless project deployed to over 1,500 mobile salespersons. She is a frequent keynote and panel speaker at industry and academic conferences, including OAUG (Oracle Application User Group) Collaborate 07; Dreamforce; Insurance Accounting & Systems Association (IASA); PharmaForce; Towards an Electronic Patient Record (TEPR); Center for Connected Health Symposium. Mireille is a former Microsoft Corporate Counsel, and is a graduate of Stanford University (B.A.) and UCLA (J.D.). She served as University Counsel at the University of Southern California.

John Hanlon, Business Solutions Manager, Oklahoma Christian University

John has played a key role in the support of OC's mobile computing project. Since 2004, he has been responsible for the development and maintenance of software images across OC's mobile platforms. John has additionally managed the deployment of OC's Macbook and iPhone/iPod fleets as the University made the transition to becoming an Apple Macbook campus.

Luke Hartman, Academic Multimedia Specialist at the North Institute, Oklahoma Christian University

Luke developed inTouch, OC's iPhone native app for campus connection and information, as well as OC's education-based tools: Feedback (instant polling), Here (attendance), and 3by5 (customized flashcards). He is responsible for integrating iTunes U, Podcast Producer, wikis, and in-house web projects for the campus community.

John Hermes, Chief Technology Officer, Oklahoma Christian University

John has played a significant role in Oklahoma Christian University's ongoing mobile computing project since it began in 2001. In July 2007, John was appointed Chief Technology Officer, and he has led OC through significant program changes, including the development of OC's "InTouch" mobile-learning project. This project has been instrumental in providing the vision to move OC to a 1-to-1 Apple MacBook campus, transforming it from its original Windows-based format. The addition of the iPhone or iPod touch for all students has augmented and extended this important mobile-learning program, offering students new ways to interact, learn, and explore.


Ben Kruse, Director of Higher Education Mobility, AT&T

Ben leads a regional sales organization supporting the development and deployment of mobile campus applications, and his team was actively involved in the iPhone deployments at Abilene Christian University and Oklahoma Christian University last fall. Nationally, Ben has been working closely with AT&T and Apple teams to streamline the logistics supporting deployment of large-scale mobility programs in higher education. Ben holds an undergraduate degree in marketing & international business from Kansas State University, as well as an MBA in marketing from the University of Kansas.


Dr. James Langford, Director of Web Integration and Programming, Abilene Christian University

James Langford serves as Director of Web Integration and Programming at Abilene Christian University and is responsible for server infrastructure and communication and the academic applications used by ACU students and employees. He has participated throughout the converged media project, creating the first ACU mobile site and leading the technical team through the development of the current version of ACU's mobile portal and through the ongoing development of new tools to be used in mobile learning. James is an adjunct assistant professor in ACU's School of Information Technology and serves on Apple's iPhone task force for higher education and on Google's customer advisory board for education.


Bob Longo, Executive Vice President, Etech Group, North America

Bob has a long history of influential involvement in technology and education. He is currently EVP for Etech Group North America, makers of award winning Studywiz Spark online learning environments for schools. In his previous role as President of the PowerSchool Division of Apple Inc., he was instrumental in focusing the business on providing sound technology solutions for education. Bob has been on the Board of Directors of the Pittsburgh Technology Council and Hemomax Inc., and was a Senior Advisor for: Carnegie Mellon University, Innovation Transfer Center; GSIA FAST Program, the Duquesne University’s Business School; and John Carroll University’s Communications Department. He was also an invited participant by the U.S. Department of Education, in the development of the National Education Technology Plan. Bob holds a Bachelor Degree in Communications from John Carroll University and a Master Degree in Communications from Miami University.

Dr. Frank Lowney, Professor of Educational Foundations in the School of Education at Georgia College & State University

Dr. Frank Lowney is currently Senior Director for External Projects as well as Professor of Educational Foundations in the School of Education at Georgia College & State University (GCSU). Frank began the Georgia College EduNET Project, an online K-12 outreach effort, in 1988 and has been active in exploring how Internet protocols might be used to pursue educational objectives ever since. For over a decade, he has been responsible for assisting faculty in connecting instructional technologies with their educational goals. In 2002 GCSU was among the first educational institutions to use the iPod for instructional purposes. The iPod project led Frank and his team to develop a proprietary podcasting server for GCSU, later adding integration with iTunes U and other systems as well as scaling it up to serve all 35 institutions in the University System of Georgia. Most recently Frank has been associated with the Georgia Digital Innovation Group, a collaborative initiative of The University System of Georgia's Advanced Learning Technologies Unit and Georgia College & State University.


Dennis Marquardt, Educational Technology Project Manager at the Adams Center for Teaching and Learning, Abilene Christian University

With experience as a faculty member in both higher education and K-12 environments, Dennis Marquardt has a passion for advancing student learning and achievement through the use of technology in the classroom. As a facilitator for the ConnectEd K-12 track, Dennis brings knowledge from working as a Technology Coordinator in a K-12 institution supporting Apple learning programs as well as an instructor working interactively with students through the use of technology.



John Matthews, Senior Systems Engineer, Alcatel-Lucent

John has been working with ACU for over six years on networking solutions. John was instrumental in the design criteria for ACU’s wireless deployment to support the Connected mobile learning initiative, and he continues to work to ensure usability and scalability for ACU’s students. For example, John worked extensively to identify an appropriate wireless solution for a 6,400 square-foot auditorium at ACU that frequently has to withstand loads of 300 concurrent mobile-device users attempting to utilize the wireless network.

Dr. Scott Perkins, Professor of Psychology; Abilene Christian University

Scott Perkins is professor in the Department of Psychology at Abilene Christian University. He completed graduate work Experimental Psychopathology at The Pennsylvania State University and a residency in Clinical Psychology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Perkins has been at ACU for more than 20 years and throughout this time has conducted research and published/presented findings with student co-authors. The majority of his research has focused on topics in psychological assessment, including long-standing interests in the areas of depression assessment and treatment, neuropsychological deficits and rehabilitation, and adolescent mental health and suicidology. Perkins has had a joint administrative appointment for the last three years as the Director of Research at ACU, a position in which he oversees faculty grant processes and the University’s IRB.

Cynthia Powell, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Abilene Christian University

Cynthia Powell is an instructor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Abilene Powell Christian University. She completed a Master's degree in Inorganic Chemistry at Texas A&M University and has done research in the fields of theoretical and synthetic transition metal chemistry. She is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Chemistry at the University of North Texas, where her primary research focus is Chemistry Education. Cynthia has taught at ACU for 16 years and for the past 10 years has coordinated the General Chemistry lab program. She is very interested in increasing student engagement in the lab learning process and has written the inquiry based lab curriculum being used at ACU.

Dr. William Rankin, Director of Educational Innovation and Associate Professor of English, Abilene Christian University

In the spring of 2007, Bill and a team of academics at ACU began work on the initiative that became "ACU Connected," a ground-breaking iPhone and iPod touch-based mobile-learning initiative. Working closely with students, faculty, and technologists, he helped produce the "Connected" video, and he continues to work on projects designed to help people envision and implement new learning technologies. As a project lead for ACU Connected, Bill was named one of Campus Technology magazine's "Innovators of the Year" for 2008 in the mobile learning category. Bill has presented about ACU Connected at Rutgers' "The Connected World" conference, at the New Media Consortium's annual meeting at Princeton, at the Handheld Learning 2008 Conference in London and at this year's EDUCAUSE national conference in Orlando. With more than 20 years’ experience working with educational technology, Bill has consulted broadly with universities and educational developers in the US and UK, has designed and constructed computer-based learning facilities, and has written more than two million dollars worth of educational technology grants. Bill has just been named ACU's first Director of Educational Innovation, an academic technology imagineering position designed to explore and develop new educational technologies and pedagogies.

Brent Reeves, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Abilene Christian University

Brent Reeves is an associate professor of Computer Science and wonders what it is that makes things and people and projects go. He designs software systems that almost never work as advertised and only rarely work as intended. Through mobile systems such as /big, /script, and /game, he hopes we, together, can explore the more interesting aspects of collaboration and design.

Kay Reeves, Director of Technology Support Services, Abilene Christian University

Kay Reeves graduated from David Lipscomb College with a Bachelor’s degree in 1976. She completed a Masters in Organizational and Human Resource Development at Abilene Christian University in 1994. Kay started working in the Telecommunication office in 1990 where ACU’s Help Desk was created. She is now the Director of Technology Support Services, which encompasses technical support for all faculty/staff and students, second tier support in hardware and software, technology training, the campus copy center, and the university switchboard. This past fall, Kay was instrumental in organizing ACU’s iPhone and iPod touch deployment to all incoming freshmen.

Dennis Reiman, Chief Technology Officer and Associate Vice President of Strategic and Emerging Technology, Florida Community College

Dennis Reiman is the CTO and Associate Vice President of Strategic and Emerging Technology for Florida Community College. Dennis has over 10 years of technology support and management experience in higher education organizations in Florida and California. His responsibilities have included the management of ERP, Enterprise Portal Systems, Data Management, Systems Integration, strategic technology planning, and architecture. His background includes network/server administration, systems programming, security and application systems design and development. Currently, Dennis and his team are focused on extending enterprise applications to mobile platforms; particularly Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch devices as well as completing the implementation of the College's Web 2.0 and SOA initiatives. The College is in the final stages of a new faculty computing deployment which will provide every full-time faculty member with an Apple MacBook Pro, iPod Touch, and a full suite of software tools and solutions. Dennis serves on Apple's iPhone task force for higher education, as well as Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit Advisory Council.

Kevin Roberts, Associate Vice President of Operations and Interim Chief Information Officer, Abilene Christian University

In November 2008, Kevin Roberts was named Associate Vice President of Operations. His areas of responsibility include, Information Technology, Construction and Renovation, Maintenance, Landscape and Grounds, Dining Services and Retail Operations. Kevin came to ACU in 1999 as the Director of Re-Engineering after a decade working in change management, primarily in the banking industry. Since joining ACU, he has led the university in several major initiatives including implementation of the university's new ERP, implementation of a CRM system for the university, and the creation of a one-stop-shop for student services—The Depot. Kevin assumed the role of CIO in the Fall of 2006 and under his direction, the University became one of the first schools in the country to convert the entire campus to Google Apps for Education. Most recently, Kevin led ACU's "Connected" initiative. As a part of this initiative ACU became the first school in the world to offer iPhones or iPod touches to each student in its incoming class.

Mark Scott, Director of Instructional Technology and Assistant Professor of Business, Freed-Hardeman University

Prior to joining the FHU School of Business, Mark Scott focused on managing his Internet/Network Security and Technology consulting practice, which he started in 1997. That practice remains active today. He has more than 20 years experience concentrating in the computer and network technologies, including special expertise in Internet Security and Digital Forensics. He served as an adjunct faculty member for the FHU School of Mathematics and Computer Science from the Fall of 2003 through the Spring of 2005 and then as Assistant Professor of MIS from Summer 2005 through the Spring 2008, at which time he was named the Director of Instructional Technology.

Joshua Tooley, Helpdesk and Team 55 Manager, Abilene Christian University

Joshua Tooley graduated from Abilene Christian University with a Bachelor’s degree in 2002. He is currently completing a Masters in Organization Communication and Conflict Mediation at the university. Joshua started working for ACU 5 years ago and now leads a large portion of the Information Services front-line support, which includes both Team55 and the ACU Helpdesk. He played a vital role in the distribution, support, and training direction of the ACU Mobile Learning Initiative.

Tom Zeller, Senior Technology Analyst, Indiana University

Tom has over 25 years experience in IT and was the architect of the original IU wireless deployment in 2001. Tom was also on the technical analysis team for IU’s recent planned wireless upgrade. Tom continues to be involved in examining the opportunities and architectures of converged data and telephony networks. He works in the Applied Technology Laboratory evaluating emerging technology.