Have you registered for the upcoming 2nd Annual Google in Education Summit to be held at Dainfern College on 3rd and 4th July this year? This Summit is a not-to-be missed event and we urge you to take advantage of the Early Bird Rates that close on June 2nd.  The event is being presented by the EdTechTeam in partnership with SchoolNet South Africa and Dainfern College. We are also pleased to announce that there will be six distinguished presenters in addition to our local teachers who are having success using Google in the classroom. Please visit the Conference website at http://za.gafesummit.com to find out more. We would also like to draw your attention to the Pre-conference workshop that will be held on 2nd July – the program is displayed on the conference website. Places for these workshops are limited so early sign-up is recommended. The pre-conference has its own pricing as stipulated on the conference website. In this post we focus on some of the distinguished presenters to date. We're in for a treat!

ANTHONY EGBERS

As Head of Technology at Dainfern College Prep School Anthony has had the opportunity to run a BYOD programme over the past two years. He is a firm believer in the opportunities that technology provides teachers in terms of personal development and classroom opportunities. As an Apple Professional Development Trainer he is always looking for ways to use Google and Apple in the classroom. He teaches ICT, Design and Technology and Economic and Management Sciences at Dainfern and uses Google Apps extensively in these lessons. Dainfern College also uses GAFE to manage all email, calender and facilities for the school. He loves to play with new ideas for using tech in teaching and is constantly looking for better ways to engage students in the learning process, while still making them effective digital and global citizens.

@ajegbers on Twitter
Blog: http://technoschooljourney.blogspot.com/

WENDY GORTON

Wendy Gorton is an enthusiastic Google Certified Teacher, Google Apps EDU Certified Trainer, and lifelong learner. Currently, she is a 5th grade social studies teacher and technology developer in New York City. She has taught 4th graders in Los Angeles, and has been an elementary technology coordinator, a university technology specialist, an online teacher, a curriculum developer, and a research assistant. She is passionate about project-based learning and using technology like Google Apps to open her students up to collaboration and to the world! She is particularly passionate about international education, and was recently based out of India as a secondary technology integrator at an American school. She loves working with international teachers to find out how technology can make learning come alive for their students. She has been a conference and webinar presenter for ISTE and CUE, and she has lead  educational workshops in Canada, the US, Jamaica, Austria, and the Czech Republic – on topics such as Google Apps, iPad applications in the classroom, professional development, curriculum development, project-based learning, grant-writing, and global collaboration.

Twitter: @WendyGorton
Google+: Wendy Gorton

TIM LEE

Tim Lee is an IT and EdTech Consultant based in Virginia. After 8 years of years leading  infrastructure re-design projects and laptop rollouts across public sector clients in the UK for BT, Microsoft and a number of other leading IT consultancies, Tim moved into the Education space.  Tim has focused on Google Apps since 2009 when he lead the first adoption in Higher Ed (University of St Andrews) in Scotland. After moving to Virginia in 2010, he's been providing a Virtual CIO service to help schools re-design their infrastructure. As a Google Apps Edu Certified Trainer and part of the  Google Chromebook Crew for Education, Tim has assisted numerous schools adopt Google Apps and rollout ChromeBooks. Tim is the founder of Amplified IT, a Google Apps Consultancy and Meraki Reseller company based in Hampton Roads, VA. Amplified IT is excited to be the first Authorized ChromeBook Reseller in the South!

Twitter: @Amplifiedit
Website: www.amplifiedit.com

MOLLY SCHROEDER

Molly Schroeder is a Global Digital Learning Specialist, Google Certified Teacher and Google Apps for Education Certified Trainer. She presents nationally and internationally at conferences, workshops and conventions on how to integrate Google Apps and other emerging technologies into learning. She tries to model Moonshot Thinking and Living in Beta to transform learning for teachers and students. Her background is in Elementary Education and she also holds a certificate in Educational Technology and Gifted Education. She is the Director of Staff Development and Programming with the EdTechTeam.

Twitter: @followmolly
Website: FlippedEducation.com
Blog: FollowMolly

 JIM SILL

After almost a decade in the video and television industry, Jim Sill hung up his producer hat and embarked on a career in education. Using his industry experience, he created an award winning video production program at El Diamante High School in Visalia, CA. By involving students in real world video projects, they garnered awards and recognition at the local, state, and national level. With experience producing local television and industrial videos for non-profit organizations, many of his former students now work in the industry. 

As a Google Certified Teacher, Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Apps Certified Trainer and Apple Certified Trainer, Jim travels the world leading professional development workshops on topics that include Using Video for Social Change, Cinematic Narrative Techniques, Encouraging a Creative Student, Google in the Classroom and much more. Today, Jim is an Educational Technology Consultant and works with educators around the world. In 2012, Jim was featuredon Edutopia and their Teach2Learn series for his work in Building Career Skills in Video Production. He was also awarded The Computer Using Educator (CUE) Outstanding Teacher Award in 2009 and nominated for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Outstanding Teacher Award. 

Twitter: @mistersill
Google +: +JimSill
Website: mistersill.com

KAREN WALSTRA

Karen Walstra – Masters in Education, Educational Technology (Wits).Accreditted ETD Assessor and Moderator. Author. Attended Leadership course at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Successful, passionate teacher. Educational Consultant: Programme Director Thandulwazi Rokunda Teacher and Leader Development Programme. Now Google Education Go Digital programme manager.

We look forward to seeing you at Dainfern College in Johannesburg on 3rd and 4th July…