Logistics+Team

= Logistics Team and Organizers =


 * Jim Walker** - jwalker@lpvec.org Jim has a MA in Art Education from Univ. of New Mexico and MS in Special Education from Marywood University. He has been a special ed teacher for 21 years at the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative. Jim has been integrating technology into his classrooms since Apple IIe and dial up. He developed and ran the LPVEC website for 10 years, and helped other teachers integrate technology into their classrooms. Jim developed Moodle classes for his class and taught online courses in Classroom Behavior Management. He was one of five Massachusetts teachers to complete the EDC EdTech Leaders Online course. He is now the Online Technology Coordinator at the LPVEC and is one of 50 in the US with a Moodle Course Creator Certification. This is his third year on the Logistics Team for the MA New Literacies Institute. Jim blogs at www.myvls.org. Jim and Zach wrote the original grant for the 2010 New Literacies Institute and continue to organize the event.


 * Zach Smith** - zsmith@lpvec.org Zach is the Online Learning Coordinator and Data Specialist for the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative. He has a M.Ed. in Educational Policy, Research, and Administration and a C.A.G.S. in Research and Evaluation Methods from UMass Amherst. He has researched numerous large-scale assessments, including NAEP, various AP Tests, and the MCAS, to assess everything from validity and reliability to equating and item analysis. Using his pychometric and policy background, Zach worked for the Connecticut State Department of Education to help develop the Modified Assessment System, which makes the CMT and CAPT statewide assessments more accessible to special education students. He also worked to move some of the special education classes and assessments online where technology can increase learning and understanding for this population. Now, he is coordinating the development of online courses for at-risk high school students for LPVEC and DESE that will be used statewide, training teachers to integrate technology into their classrooms and curriculum through the ITECC course, and this is his third year coordinating the MA New Literacies Institute. Recently, he joined the Pioneer Valley District School Assistance Center (DSAC) team as a part-time data specialist, but continues to work with online courses, technologies, and resources.

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