TMC7 Keynote Speaker: Chris Kennedy
Chris Kennedy is the Superintendent of Schools / CEO with the West Vancouver School District (West Vancouver, BC). He has taught secondary English and Social Studies, and been both an elementary and secondary school principal. He was appointed to the superintendency in October of 2009.
One of the most progressive voices in BC education, Chris has been featured by Macleans Magazine and his work has been profiled in various local and national publications. In 2010 he was named one of the Top 10 Canadian Newsmakers in Educational Technology, in 2011 Business in Vancouver named him to their top Forty under 40 list, in 2012 Chris was named Canada’s Top Education Blogger and in 2016 Kennedy was named Canada’s Educational Technology K-12 Leader of the Year. He completed his Doctorate in Education at the University of Kansas in 2021.
Kennedy is a writer and presenter on personalized learning and infusing technology in the classroom. Chris balances his professional passions with life as the father of four children. Visit Chris’s popular blog, Culture of Yes, and follow Chris on Twitter.
Featured Speakers
Matthew Johnson is an acknowledged expert in digital and media literacy and has contributed blogs and articles to websites and magazines internationally as well as presenting MediaSmarts’ materials on topics such as copyright, cyberbullying and online hate to parliamentary committees, academic conferences, governments and organizations around the world, frequently as a keynote speaker. He has been interviewed by outlets such as The Globe and Mail, the BBC, The Wall Street Journal, Radio Canada International and CBC’s The National.
Matthew will be working with Kara Brisson-Boivin, PhD, the Director of Research for MediaSmarts. Kara is responsible for the planning, methodology, implementation and dissemination of key findings from original MediaSmarts research studies. The focus of Matthew’s presentation will be MediaSmarts’ report, From Access to Engagement: Building a Digital Media Strategy for Canada.
Marc Crompton is a 30 year veteran educator with more than a third of that time spent working in libraries. His degrees are in music performance, education and he holds an MLIS from San Jose State University. He’s been lucky enough to work closely with David Loertscher and, with him, has co-authored Collection Development Using the Collection Mapping Technique. He is excited about the role of the Makespace in the Learning Commons environment and works extensively with his Maker Club and a STEM program as well as heading the Sr Learning Commons at St George’s School in Vancouver.
Alanna King is an instructional designer and agent of change with over 20 years of teaching, writing and design experience. She is passionate about redefining literacy; access and equity to robust digital resources; and school libraries. She sits on the Ontario Library Association’s public library book selection committee called Evergreen. She currently works on secondment for TVO as an Instructional Liaison.
Tim King currently works on secondment for the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) as Education Coordinator, Eastern Canada. He is a multi-award-winning technology teacher & pioneering cyber educator. He is also a published writer and photographer as well as a former millwright and ICT technician.
David V. Loertscher has degrees from the University of Utah, the University of Washington and a Ph.D. from Indiana University. He has been a school library media specialist in Nevada and Idaho at both the elementary and secondary school levels. He has taught at Purdue University, The University of Arkansas, The University of Oklahoma, and is presently a professor at the School of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University. He served as head of the editorial department at Libraries Unlimited for ten years and is President of Hi Willow Research & Publishing (distributed by LMC Source at www.lmcsource.com). He has been a president of the American Association of School Librarians.
Dianne Oberg, PhD, is a Professor Emerita in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. Before coming to the university, Dianne worked as a classroom teacher and teacher-librarian in the public school system. Her research focuses on teacher-librarianship education and on the implementation and evaluation of school library programs. Dianne was the editor of the international journal School Libraries Worldwide for 15 years, and she continues to be an active member of school library associations at local, national, and international levels. Recently she co-edited, with Barbara A. Schultz-Jones, Global Action for School Libraries: Models of Inquiry, a book co-sponsored by IASL and IFLA that focuses on the instructional role of the teacher-librarian.
TMC7 Facilitators
Carol Koechlin is an experienced educator who has contributed to the field of information literacy and school librarianship writing professional books, articles for professional journals, facilitating on-line courses, and presenting workshops in Canada, United States and Australia. Working with Dr. David V.Loertscher, the team has developed foundations for the transformation of school libraries and computer labs into a Physical and Virtual participatory Learning Commons. Carol is a founding member of Treasure Mountain Canada and has co-chaired TMC Symposiums since 2010. Carol was a contributing writer for Together for Learning: School Libraries and the Emergence of the Learning Commons and writing coordinator for Leading Learning: Standards Of Practice For School Library Learning Commons In Canada. She is currently vice-chair of Canadian School Libraries and co-editor of CSL Journal. Carol’s favourite saying, “Empower students to own the question.”
Anita Brooks Kirkland is the Chair of Canadian School Libraries and co-editor of CSL Journal. She is a past president of the Ontario Library Association and the Ontario School Library Association. Professional interests focus on information literacy, the virtual library, action research, and the role of the library learning commons. Anita draws on her extensive experience as a teacher-librarian and as a teacher educator, both in her previous roles as the library consultant for the Waterloo Region DSB and as an instructor in teacher-librarianship for the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.