She Snoops for Scoops: The Personal Side of the EdNET Community
She Snoops for Scoops: The Personal Side of the EdNET Community
Vicki Smith Bigham — Friday, August 27, 2010
Whoosh! Another week flew by, and can we really be closing out another month in a few days? Summer is gone, and we look now forward with optimism and anticipation of good times in the coming months for our schools, our businesses and our careers and personal growth. And, as always, we remain a community, and I am privileged to be in a position to help keep us connected. So please read on for this week's scoops....
Jessie Woolley-Wilson, who has been President K12 of Blackboard Inc. will soon be joining Dreambox Learning as CEO. Jessie reports that Dreambox is an exciting adaptive learning technology company that currently provides engaging and individualized math curriculum to K-3 students. It is located in the Seattle area, so she and her husband, Dave, will soon relocate out West. She says that she has enjoyed the last three years at Blackboard and was gratified to witness the launch of release 9.1 which represented the largest investment in K12 functionality in the Blackboard's history. She is confident that companies like Dreambox and Blackboard will continue to engage students and help them be more successful in school. You can send her congratulations on her new position after Labor Day, when she officially joins Dreambox, at jessie@dreambox.com.
Look who's coming to EdNET....
Since I promised to update you each week on who is coming to EdNET 2010, scheduled September 26-28 in Boston, let me fill you in on the search I did this week on the password-protected directory of registered attendees. This week I searched for those who indicated they want to meet others in the 9-12 MARKET at EdNET - here is what I found:
A Pass Educational Group
Agile Education Marketing
Atomic Learning
Avery Dennison
AWC - Ann Watson Consulting
Benchmark Education Company
Bigham Technology Solutions, Inc.
BrainPOP
C. Blohm & Associates, Inc
Calypso Systems
Century Consultants
Cherry Tree & Associates
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council & Business Performance Innovation (BPI) Network
Clarity Innovations, Inc.
Cuesta Technologies
Education Networks of America, Inc.
Education Talk Radio
Educational Insights
Educational Solutions LLC
Educational Testing Service
Educational Tools, Inc
EDUMETRIX
edWeb.net
Egremont Associates
Emantras, Inc
ePals Inc.
eSpindle Learning aka LearnThatWord.org
Follett Software Company
Gaggle.Net, Inc.
Global Publishing
IESD Inc./EDRoom
infosnap, inc.
Inspiration Software, Inc.
Instructional Resources Corporation
Intand
Intrinsic Strategy
ISTE
JES & Co
Knowledge Delivery Systems
Learning Media
LightSPEED Technologies, Inc.
Madison Equity Associates
Magic Software
MarketingWorks, Inc.
MDR
Measured Progress
National School Boards Association
netTrekker
Northwest Evaluation Association
Paw Paw (MI) Public Schools
Pearson
Peter Li Education Group/Today's Catholic Teacher
PR with Panache!
PrepMe
Q2AMedia
Quia Corporation
Rawitsch Consulting
Realityworks, Inc.
RedRock Reports
RM Education
Rosetta Stone Ltd.
Ruppelt Consulting
Scientific Learning Corporation
Search Institute
SEG Assessment | SEG Research
Sensible City
Software & Information Industry Association
Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Teachscape
Technology Based Learning & Research/Arizona State University
TERC
Texthelp Systems Inc.
The Douglas Stewart Company
Troxell Communications
Varitronics, A Brady Business
VARtek Services
Vernet, Inc. (Virtual Educational Resources Network)
Vocab Network LLC
VPG Integrated Media
WordWise Tech
Yolink
Wow - our numbers are looking to exceed last year's, and we are anticipating a great conference! Check the EdNET website to view the complete list (updated weekly) of firms already registered.
Be sure you are registered to attend and that you have completed your own profile in the online password-protected directory of registrants (I have done mine!) so EdNET attendees can connect with you! Remember too that to have your profile included in the printed directory for attendees onsite, you must complete it by TUESDAY, AUGUST 31ST - once you have registered, login using the email address and confirmation number on your registration confirmation email to access the directory. The online directory will continue to be accessible for searching and editing your own record throughout the year.
Goodbye to a researcher, teacher, innovator, mentor and friend....
I know many of you will be so sad to learn that Terence (Terry) Ronald Cannings, or "TC" as his good friends called him, passed away on August 13th at the age of 66 of a degenerative muscle disorder. Terry was born in Australia, and as an 18 year old, began teaching elementary school, later became a Grade Supervisor, and by 1970, earned his B.A. from the University of New England, NSW, Australia. While attending the University of Sydney to earn his Masters in Education (M.Ed. 1974), he was hired as a senior research officer with the Schools Building Research for the New South Wales Department of Education. In 1974, he was granted one of three coveted Churchill Fellowships. He spoke often of his work with John Goodlad, Dean of UCLA's School of Education and his study tour of schools in Canada, the U.S. and Great Britain to observe trends in open-space and flexible building design. His publication, "Jack and Jill Out of the Box," resulted from his study tour and he learned that "the object of teaching is not so much to convey knowledge as it is to excite determination in the child to acquire it for himself and to teach him how to go about acquiring it." He steadfastly held to this philosophy throughout his career.
Terry was enamored with UCLA and in 1977 was the sole recipient of a Study Leave Scholarship for long-term study abroad. He received his Ed. D. from UCLA in 1980 and his dissertation "A Longitudinal Study of Educational Change" resulted from work on a project funded by the Chancellor's Research Scholarship. The California State Department of Education subsequently adopted much of his research. A scholar with an exceptional mind, Terry was awarded the UCLA Bronze Medallion and was named outstanding student of the year. He became a lecturer at Alexander Mackie College in 1981. Later that year, Terry was hired as an Associate Professor of Education at Pepperdine and became full professor in 1986. A gifted researcher, he published numerous papers, presented at conferences, and "networked" with and mentored his fellow colleagues. With Steven Brown, he published his first book, The Information Age Classroom in 1986. Later, he collaborated with LeRoy Finkel in 1993 to publish The Technology Age Classroom. He became Associate Dean of Pepperdine's Graduate School of Education (GSEP) in September 1993 and, over the next nine years, he reviewed and revised all GSEP programs and began a national and international online masters and doctoral program. His networking and speaking engagements took him to England, China, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Australia, South America and around the U.S. These travels enabled him to establish an international component to the Educational Technology Doctoral Program with colleagues in London. He was awarded a Gold Disk by Computer Using Educators (CUE) in 1994 for his work in promoting technology and was invited to join the International Committee for Secondary Education and Technology, which sets global policy guidelines for technology use in secondary schools.
Terry sat on the Compaq K-12 National Advisory Council, the Los Angeles County Principals and Superintendents Collaborative Committee, the Apple Computer Dean's Institute Advisory Committee, and others too numerous to mention. His greatest memory was of being asked to testify about Pepperdine's online programs before the John Glenn Commission in Washington D.C. When he returned with a picture of himself with John Glenn, he was beaming, said it went well, and was "happy that he bought a new suit!"
In 2002, Terry was appointed Dean of Education and Behavioral Studies at Azusa Pacific University and then in 2005 was appointed Dean of the School of Education at California Lutheran University (CLU). He began to establish an international component to the doctoral program at CLU and took doctoral students (superintendents and principals) on leadership field studies to schools and colleges in England and Australia (where he also made time to catch up with family - especially grandkids who happened to be living overseas). He retired from CLU in May, 2008, celebrating 46 years as an educator.
Terry's capacity to motivate people to strive for worthwhile goals was very apparent. His sense of humor and constant support and encouragement of those around him was his trademark. He believed that his greatest accomplishments were in creating a culture of empowerment and collaboration and in becoming renowned for the quality of educational leaders. This dedication to task and the desire to bring people along with him lasted throughout his career. He was a successful innovator and what he achieved had impact well beyond Pepperdine, Azusa Pacific, and California Lutheran Universities and to many of you who have been touched by his teaching, mentoring and writings.
Terry was diagnosed with CIDP (Chronic Inflammatory Demeylinating Polyneuropathy), a disease that leads to muscle deterioration, in June 2008. He began to lose the use of his hands and legs, had trouble breathing, and eventually lost his voice. He spent a month in intensive care and died peacefully with his family around him.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to a scholarship fund at one of the three schools where Terry was dean/associate dean. Please put "in memory of Terry Cannings" in the memo line. The information for Pepperdine is: Pepperdine University, GSEP, Attn: Wes Patterson, 6100 Center Drive, 5th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90045.
A funeral service will be held on Saturday, September 4th at 10:00 am at Lake Avenue Congregational Church, 393 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena, California 91101. I have been told that Terry requested that no one wear black-Hawaian shirts are allowed.
Terry's favorite quote from Winston Churchill was "We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give." Terry gave unreservedly, and he will be terribly missed by many.
Be well and enjoy your end of summer weekend. Check back here next Friday for your weekly dose of scoops! Till then...Vicki, the Snoop
