Ooh, Fall is in the air, and Snoop is loving it. It sure makes it challenging to be at my desk working when I want to be outside, but with the weekend upon us, we can all get outside and enjoy the season. But first—check out this week’s scoops….
New roles for colleagues and friends….
After a mere decade apart, the band is finally back together! Leveraging over a century of combined national and international experience in technology-based solutions, the talented team of Mick Adkisson and Eileen Lento recently launched Eureka!Enable. From start-ups to well-established companies, they provide tailored solutions to meet an organization’s specific business needs. To learn more, feel free to reach out for a 30-minute discovery call. I think this is exciting for Mick and Eileen. Let them know you agree. Wish them every continued success at mick@eurekaenable.com and eileen@eurekaenable.com.
Boston public media producer WGBH, a pioneer in educational multimedia, has named Seeta Pai to the position of Executive Director of Education. In this role Seeta will oversee PBS LearningMedia, education production, First 8 Labs and media engagement, editorial direction, and education policy and strategic development.
Seeta comes to WGBH with more than two decades of experience in research and strategy in children’s media and education. She served as Vice President of Research at Common Sense Media, leading national studies on children’s media and technology use. She also led initiatives producing resources on digital learning and educational technologies for schools and families.
Prior to that Pai was at Sesame Workshop as Senior Director of International Education, Research and Outreach. She has held teaching and research positions at the University of California at Berkeley and Harvard and is the author of numerous articles and reports on children and media. She holds a BA from Bangalore University and Ed.M. and Ed.D. degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Seeta will begin her new role on October 31st. Please join me in congratulating her on joining the WGBH team!
The Discovery Education Community has announced the members of the professional learning network’s 2017-2018 Leadership Council (LC). The Discovery Education Community is supported by Discovery Education. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Education Community connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable professional learning, idea sharing, networking, and inspiration.
The members of the Leadership Council are active contributors to the growth and development of the Discovery Education Community. They serve and lead by hosting events, contributing to social media and the Discovery Education blog, creating instructional resources, and providing feedback on Discovery Education’s services. The expertise, enthusiasm, and passion of the Leadership Council, and the members they serve, drive the Discovery Education Community.
Selected for their leadership abilities and commitment to improving teaching and learning worldwide, members of the Discovery Education Community’s 2017-2018 Leadership Council will help facilitate the professional growth of their fellow teachers and encourage the sharing of best practice both locally and globally. The term of service for each LC member is one year.
View the whole roster of new Leadership Council members. Congratulations to these amazing educators!
Kudos!
SETDA, the principal membership association of the U.S. state and territorial educational technology leaders, has announced Jillian Balow, Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Wyoming Department of Education, as the recipient of the 2017 SETDA State Policy Maker of the Year Award. Jillian was honored for her vision and leadership in support for the effective use of technology in Wyoming at SETDA’s 2017 Leadership Summit: Leveraging Technology to Personalize Student Learning in National Harbor, Maryland.
Since taking office in January 2015, Jillian chaired the Distance Education Task Force, which made recommendations that led to state legislation to remove many barriers to the facilitation of online courses in Wyoming school districts. She also established a K-20 common statewide learning management system, which coordinates online course offerings for K-12 and post-secondary, as well as professional development opportunities from the Wyoming Department of Education and postsecondary institutions.
In 2016, with Superintendent Balow’s leadership and support, Wyoming held its first ever Computer Science Education Week and signed the state Future Ready Pledge. She partnered with the Governor’s Office, Department of Enterprise Technology Services, State Library, Wyoming school districts, and National Governor’s Association for the Wyoming Classroom Connectivity Initiative which focused on increasing connectivity to school districts by utilizing federal E-rate funds and building WiFi capacity in schools to enhance student learning. Wyoming will host its first K-20 statewide digital learning conference in November 2017 where it will recognize innovative leaders throughout the state.
Congratulations to Jillian on this well-deserved recognition!
And SETDA also announced Stanley Freeda, State Educational Technology Director and Online Learning Specialist for the New Hampshire Department of Education, as the recipient of the 2017 SETDA State Leader of the Year (SLY) Award. Stan accepted the award at the association’s 2017 Leadership Summit.
The annual SLY Award honors an active SETDA member who has exhibited exemplary national and state leadership in educational technology. The awardee actively supports districts in his or her state to improve digital learning opportunities for all students, collaborates with members and other peers nationally through SETDA initiatives and committees, and engages with the broader education and policymaking communities to advocate for the role of technology in advancing education.
Join me in congratulating Stan on this wonderful recognition!
Happy Grandma news….
Chris Willig, Chief Executive Officer at Inspect by Key Data Systems, is a grandma again. Her son James and his wife Cindy welcomed Aiden William to their family on October 23rd. He weighed 7 lbs 2 oz and is a beautiful child. Mother and baby are healthy and happy, and son Jack is excited to be a big brother. I know you join me in sending best wishes to Chris and her family on this joyful news!
Industry support for a colleague….
I know we have all been saddened by the stories of loss and suffering due to the fires that have spread across California and other states. The team at StudySync has set up a GoFundMe site for one of their own, Catlin Tucker, an essential StudySync team member, teacher, and mother of two, and her husband Darian, a teacher at Sonoma High School. Their family lost their home to the fires in Santa Rosa.
The team at BookheadEd Learning/StudySync established the GoFundMe site to help Catlin and Darian cope with their loss and rebuild their lives. All proceeds will go directly to them.
Please read Caitlin Tucker’s story—it is both heartbreaking and frightening. And then check out the GoFundMe site to witness the spirit of our incredible ed tech community in supporting her. Please contribute and help if you can. We wish their family better times ahead!
So that’s your scoops, friends. Now, off to that weekend—the Snoop plans to spend time with family and friends and hit a number of the fall markets. I have been decorated for Halloween and Fall—inside and out—for a month. I love this time of year! And I so love to decorate for the seasons, so I am looking forward to a string of them now—Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Valentines….well, don’t let me get ahead of myself. Go enjoy your weekend and the beautiful Fall season. And may I just end my column this week by saying GO ASTROS!! Till next week….Vicki, the Snoop
[Send me your scoops at bighamv@aol.com and be sure to follow me on Twitter @Snoops4Scoops #SheSnoops]
