CT Virtual Keynote: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm*
The Ed-Tech Journey: Are We There Yet?
Josh Baron
Director of Academic Technology and eLearning, Marist College
The past several years have been witness to an unprecedented investment in and deployment of technology at all levels of education. One of the many hopes behind these efforts has been the improvement of education and the development of new 21 century workforce skills (e.g., problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration) that are so critically needed if our students are to compete in the global economy. Despite these investments and hopes, many questions remain as to the impact that technology has had in achieving new learning outcomes. Josh Baron considers some of the reasons why technology has not been the "silver bullet" that education institutions had hoped for, but more importantly, he looks at how we, as educators, can change the direction of our ed-tech journey and chart a course towards a future where technology becomes a catalyst for a true transformation of the educational experience.
Biography
As Director of Academic Technology and eLearning at Marist College, Mr. Baron is responsible for overseeing a wide range of instructional technology initiatives, including distance learning, faculty professional development, and learner support. He also plays a leadership role in strategic planning for the College in areas of academic and information technology. Mr. Baron was elected to the Sakai Foundation Board of Directors in 2008 and is also a member of the Education Dynamics Advisory Board. Before coming to Marist, Mr. Baron was the Associate Director of Instructional Technology at Stevens Institute of Technology. In this capacity, he helped lead a $10 million U.S. Department of Education technology initiative working both at the K-12 and college level. He was also a member for the Stevens Web Campus initiative and developed one of the first Stevens online graduate courses. Mr. Baron has presented at numerous higher education and K-12 conference including EDUCAUSE, NECC, Sloan-C, League of Innovation CIT, and the International Sakai conferences. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering and holds a Master of Arts degree (online) in Educational Technology Leadership form George Washington University.
*All times are Eastern