Leading Professional Learning: Tools to Connect and Empower Teachers

Thomas C. Murray serves as the state and district digital learning director for the Alliance for Excellent Education located in Washington, DC. He has testified before the United States Congress and works alongside that body, the US Department of Education and state departments of education, corporations, and school districts throughout the country to implement digital learning while leading Future Ready, Project 24, and Digital Learning Day. Murray’s experiences in K–12 digital leadership, which include implementing a 1:1 program, BYOD, blended learning, and a K–12 cyber school where he served as the director of technology and cyber education for the Quakertown Community School District in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, have been recognized nationally. A former school principal, Murray is passionate about proper digital learning implementation and personalized professional learning. He was the recipient of the Blended Schools Network Leadership Award, named one of the top 16 “forward thinking EdTech leaders in the country,” named one of the “top 100 influential voices in education,” has been featured in Tech & Learning magazine’s Leadership Profile, and has appeared on various television shows. Murray’s cyber- and blended-learning programs have been highlighted by Forbes.com, T.H.E. Journal, District Administration magazine, Project Red, Tech & Learning magazine, the Innosight Institute, and iNACOL, among others, and on Digital Learning Day in both 2013 and 2014. He also serves on the advisory board for T.H.E. Journal and Remind. Murray is the cofounder of #edtechchat, a weekly educational technology Twitter forum, where hundreds of educators from around the world discuss digital learning. As a follow up, his weekly show, #edtechchat radio on the BAM Radio Network, regularly falls as one of the top downloaded education podcasts. Connect with him on Twitter @thomascmurray or at www.thomascmurray.com. Speaking Engagements and Other Credentials: http://www.thomascmurray.com/#!2014-engagements/c1d9n

Dr. Jeffrey Zoul is a lifelong teacher, learner, and leader, currently serving as Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning with Deerfield Public Schools District 109 in Deerfield, Illinois. Prior to working in this capacity, Jeff served as a district administrator in Rock Island, Illinois, and a school improvement specialist with Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), the nation’s largest and oldest non-profit school improvement network. Jeff also served as a principal with Forsyth County Schools in Cumming, Georgia, and with North Shore School District 112 in Highland Park, Illinois. Before serving as an administrator, Dr. Zoul was a classroom teacher for 18 years in the State of Georgia, teaching elementary school, middle school, and high school English.Dr. Zoul is also the author of several books, including Improving Your School One Week at a Time: Building the Foundation for Professional Teaching and Learning and The 4 CORE Factors for School Success, co-authored with Dr. Todd Whitaker. Jeff has also served as an adjunct professor at North Georgia College and State University, teaching graduate level courses in research and assessment.Dr. Zoul earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from The University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Master of Science degree in education from Troy University. In addition, Zoul earned an Education Specialist’s degree from The University of Southern Mississippi and a doctoral degree from The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Please follow and contact Jeff via Twitter: @Jeff_Zoul