Invited Speakers

These speakers led the 150+ workshops available across the Learning@School 2012 programme.

Joan Dalton - Australia - Invited speaker

Internationally respected Australian teacher and educator, Joan Dalton is acknowledged for her expertise in learning, leadership and facilitation, and her long-term work with schools for transformational change.

Fellow of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) and former Director of Professional Learning Services for a non-profit organization in the USA, Joan’s expertise has been sought by schools and educational organisations in more than ten different countries.

Joan has authored several internationally successful books and current websites, (www.plotpd.com) and (www.leadingadultlearners.com).

Joan recently designed and co-facilitated the School Leaders Forum at Microsoft’s Worldwide Innovative Schools Forum in Washington DC, and co-leads the National Innovative Schools project in Australia.  

She is currently writing a groundbreaking new series of books on Learning Talk, focusing on practical ways to develop capabilities and skills to engage in powerful professional conversations.

Mark Treadwell - New Zealand - Spotlight (Breakout 4)       

Mark is an independent education consultant based in Tauranga who has presented keynote addresses to over 250 national and international conferences in the last 4 years including The International Confederation of Principals; the 21st Century Learning Conference in Hong Kong; the Irish Principals Association ; Australasian Distance Education Conference; the International Thinking Conference; British Schools Conference; NSW Secondary Principals Conference; the International Science & Technology Educators Conference.  Mark was chosen as the ACEL Australian Travelling Scholar for 2008.

Mark is also a director and business partner in the company that has developed the world's leading Learning Management System (LMS) software, the KnowledgeNET and has also developed the world's leading web safety and filtering software, Watchdog.

Mike Scaddan - New Zealand - Spotlight ( Breakout 2) 

Mike Scaddan has been exploring the link between neuro science and learning for more than 20 years. An international author and presenter, he has an MEd in neuro, cognitive and behavioural science.

Mike’s background is unique. As a teacher, principal and consultant he has actively and successfully applied brain compatible learning in schools.
Mike’s expertise has seen him employed in nine different countries as diverse as the USA and Kyrgyzstan. As well as educators, he has also worked with professional sports coaches at the highest level, including the All Blacks. He is currently the mental skills coach for two Olympic athletes.

 Mary Ann Mills - New Zealand - Invited Speaker

Mary Anne Mills is the curriculum project leader for CORE Education. From 2003-2006 she was the Ministry of Education project manager for the redevelopment of the draft New Zealand curriculum. She was responsible for liaising with every curriculum area and all the educational professional organisations. She has been a secondary school history teacher as well as a lecturer in social sciences and professional studies in secondary pre-service teacher education.

Mary Anne brought her expertise in curriculum design and school review to the CORE Education in 2008. She leads all curriculum work in schools and other institutions on a range of facilitated professional services and is part of the CORE team developing online tools and modules for school self review and eLearning professional development for teachers.

Here expertise covers...

 Derek Wenmoth - New Zealand - Spotlight ( Breakout 1)      

Derek Wenmoth is currently director of eLearning at CORE Education, and is involved with a wide range of e-learning activities from exploring the innovative use of the latest technologies and researching e-learning practices, to helping establish policy and strategies to enable the implementation of e-learning.

With a background as a teacher, principal, teacher educator and education policy advisor, Derek’s role at CORE perfectly combines his passion for teaching and learning together with his long held fascination with the use of technologies in education.

Derek is a regular speaker at conferences both nationally and internationally, and maintains a blog on matters relating to e-learning and other aspects of interest to educators; http://blog.core-ed.org/derek

In recognition of his work in this area, Derek was designated one of 2008’s “Global Six” by the George Lucas Educational Foundation’s Edutopia which recognises individuals making a difference in education.
http://www.edutopia.org/daring-dozen-2008

Pam Hook - New Zealand -Invited speaker

Hooked-On-Thinking

Pam Hook is a teaching and learning consultant (Hooked on Thinking), who works with schools to develop curricula and pedagogies for learning to learn, based on SOLO Taxonomy. She has written curriculum material for government and business and is a co-author of two secondary science textbooks.  A popular conference speaker she is also known for her educational blog, where Artichoke has been looking at the heart, leaves and thistles of teaching and learning since 2004.

 http://hooked-on-thinking.com/

 Tanya Thompson - New Zealand - Invited speaker

Tanya has taught for over 12 years in a range of settings from year 1 to year 10, and is presently acting principal at St Andrews Middle School in Hamilton.

She has taught in classrooms with low numbers of e-learning tools, as well as well resourced classrooms.

Over the past 6 years in her current role as Deputy Principal, she has been working with staff around action research. Action Research is a vehicle that enables teachers to become highly reflective on their pedagogical practices, and also their pedagogical content knowledge, with the view of impacting on student learning and achievement.

She is really passionate about student learning and making a difference to student achievement through raising teacher practice.

 Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano - USA - Spotlight (Breakout 3)   

Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano was born in Germany, raised in Argentina and currently lives in the United States.

She holds a Bachelors's Degree in Spanish with a Minor in International Relations and a Masters in Education with an emphasis in Instructional Technology. She has worked as a World Language teacher, Technology Integration Facilitator and 21st Century Learning Specialist.

Her passions include globally connected learning, technology integration, 21st Century skills and literacies,  as well as digital storytelling. Silvia is known in the international bloggersphere under the name of “Langwitches”.

To learn about her work, subscribe to the http://langwitches.org/blog/and follow her on Twitter. She is a Curriculum21 faculty member and a regular contributor on the Tech& Learning Advisor Blog. Silvia is the author of the book “Digital Storytelling Tools for Educators” and founder of the Around the World with 80 Schools project.

Silvia will be speaking on Using the iPad2 in Education and becoming a Globally Connected Teacher.