Speaker: Reta Chaffee

Reta Chaffee is the Director of Educational Technology at Granite State College where she oversees the development and delivery of the online and hybrid courses as well as the strategic development and integration of academic technology. She has seen the online program grow from 3 courses in 1999 to hundreds of courses and all undergraduate and graduate programs available online today. Faculty development and support is a critical component of the strategic growth and success. Reta has nearly thirty years experience working in organizations promoting education and resource development in the United States and abroad. She has a MS in Internet Strategy Management from The Graduate Center at Marlboro College and a Masters in International Administration from The School for International Training (World Learning). 
 

Speaker: Steve Covello

Steve Covello is the Rich Media Specialist at Granite State College. He earned an MS in Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation from Syracuse University, with a concentration in Interactive Technology and Distributed Learning. Steve's background includes teaching online, website design and development on the WordPress platform, television commercial and broadcast post-production, graphic animation, and digital music composing.

Steve's professional work involves working with faculty to improve student engagement in online courses through the use of multimedia, Web-based interaction, and common webtools used in professional practice, and is currently leading the implementation of the Chalk & Wire e-portfolio system for GSC's Graduate Studies programs. Other projects have included designing and developing a WordPress multisite e-portfolio blog system in collaboration with GSC's Individualized Studies department for Prior Learning Assessment, designing GSC's online Faculty Resource Center, and presenting at USNH's Academic Technology Institute.


Speaker: Paula Dinneen

Paula Dinneen, a fourteen-year veteran educator turned Instructional Designer, works to support professors in their use of educational technologies, develops and designs training, and creates multimedia learning objects. She is presently an Instructional Designer at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she specializes in accessibility, just in time training, and instructional video.
Paula recently won the 2013 Videographer Award of Excellence for her video “New Blackboard Learn Updates.”


Speaker: Dede Hourican

Dede Hourican is an Academic Technology Support Specialist at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Dede is a primary front end support person for Marist College's Sakai instance (called iLearn) and assists faculty members in using the LMS and the delivery of technology-based solutions for the purpose of enhancing teaching and learning. Dede holds a B.S. in Integrated Studies, focusing on Information Technology and Communication.

Speaker: David Perkinson

David Perkinson is an educator and technologist who has worked in Higher Ed since 1994. He trains faculty to use technology in their classes, and encourages them to try new methodologies that take advantage of the amazing things we now have available in so many classrooms. With his colleagues in Academic Technology, he is lighting the fires of new ideas across the college community. He is passionate about education and technology, and is an advocate of the ‘flipped classroom’ model and learner-centered teaching methods. In addition to working at Roxbury Community College, he teaches composition and literature at Quincy College.


Speaker: Ruth Ronan

Ruth Ronan is an Instructional Designer in the Academic Technology Department at Roxbury Community College. She assists faculty in achieving their pedagogical goals through learner-centered instructional strategies and technology integration. Her Facilitated Learning blended course design received the Course of Distinction (COD) award at the Massachusetts Colleges Online 2013 Conference. She is committed to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.


Speaker: Gene Shwalb

Gene Shwalb is Senior Instructional Designer at UMass Boston where he trains and supports faculty who teach online courses in using Blackboard and other online tools. Additionally he teaches a course "Web 2.0 for Instructional Designers" for the graduate Instructional Design program of the College of Advancing and Professional Studies. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Boston University School of Management, and UMass Boston Graduate College of Education. Gene is also a professional musician.


Speaker: Ren Whitaker

Ren Whitaker has worked in Learning & Development for the past 20 years. She began her career in the corporate environment, working for a small copy & print company called Kinko’s/FedEx.

In 2002, she left her role with Kinko’s as Area Training Manager to start her own learning & development consultancy, where she had the privilege to work for such companies as Staples and Boston and New York Sports Clubs. She maintained her practice for nine years. 

During that time, Ren developed dozens of programs, courses, instructional videos and just-in-time resources to help organizations reach their people development and organizational objectives. But after so much time in the corporate world, Ren was ready for a change. 

For the past two years Ren has been working as a Senior Instructional Designer at Brown University, working closely with faculty to develop online and blended courses for participants from all over the world, from pre-college students to undergrads, from MBAs and seasoned executives.

Ren draws upon her experience as a consultant, as well as her love of helping people to succeed, to take even the most technically-terrified teacher and turn them into a online learning evangelists. She hopes her presentation will inspire you to do the same.

Speaker: Irene Yukhananov

Irene Yukhananov is a Senior Instructional Designer, E-Learning Consultant and Trainer with College of Professional and Advancing Studies (CAPS) at the University of Massachusetts Boston & an Adjunct faculty, teaching graduate level courses in Instructional Design and Multimedia.