Brigid Barron, has been a faculty member of the School of Education at Stanford since 1996. Her research examines processes of collaborative learning in informal and school settings. She studies how individuals work together to create joint products and how what is learned and created through their interactions is fundamentally related to the quality of the dialogue that takes place rather than being determined by the talent of individual members... more

Fernando Carcache has worked at Puntos de Encuentro, in Managua, Nicaragua, for 17 years. He is head of Technology and Communications, and a member of the Puntos de Encuentro General Coordination team. He has an MBA and a Master’s degree in Sociology. He works with young people on Sexual and Reproductive Health through communications technology. He enjoys movies, music, and being with friends. He is a little hyperactive and loves his work.

Jennifer Corriero is an innovator and leader, bringing tremendous insight into understanding, reaching and motivating youth. Jennifer's experience includes developing and driving youth programs related to technology, collaboration and entrepreneurship. Jennifer has been selected by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader (2005) and Global Leader for Tomorrow (2002).

In 1999, Jennifer co-founded TakingITGlobal, a non-profit social venture which connects and supports... more

Lone Dirckinck-Holmfeld is research professor on ICT and Learning at Aalborg University, Department of Communication. Ph.D. from Roskilde University in computer-mediated communication and learning. Scientific Leader of E-learning lab and several research projects on virtual learning, and computer supported collaborative learning. Scientific Leader of the Postgraduate Research School on Human Centered Informatics, and programme coordinator of Master on Information and Communication Technology and Learning (MIL)... more

David Dufty is a researcher at the Institute for Intelligent Systems at the University of Memphis. He holds a Ph.D. in psychology from Macquarie University, Australia. Dr. Dufty is currently working on Coh-Metrix, a new system for evaluating the quality and difficulty of school texts. He has also worked on projects such as Autotutor, a conversational agent developed at the University of Memphis, and iStart, a project to develop online tools for teaching high school students deep comprehension strategies.

Amir A. Dossal is the Executive Director of the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships. He oversees the partnership between the United Nations system and the UN Foundation for programmes and projects financed by the $1 billion contribution from Ted Turner.

Amir is responsible for developing alliances with corporations, foundations and philanthropists for implementing the Millennium Development Goals... more

Léa da Cruz Fagundes is Senior Profesor of Developmental Cognitive Psychology at the Institute of Psychology - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil - Research Coordinator in Cognitive Studies Laboratory (LEC / UFRGS) - Porto Alegre RS Brazil - Expert Consultant in Education and New Digital Technologies, and in Social Digital Divide. She is also President of Digital Think Foundation.
e-mail: leafagundes@uol.com.br

Ms. Fonseca is Founding Director of the Costa Rican Educational Informatics Program created in 1988 in Costa Rica by the Omar Dengo Foundation and the Ministry of Public Education, a program that has reached over one and a half million children and teachers during its seventeen years of work. She has been Executive Director of the Omar Dengo Foundation from its founding in 1987 to 1994 and from 1996 to date... more

Michael Furdyk is the Co-founder and Director of Technology for TakingITGlobal.org, a global online community for young people, engaging hundreds of thousands of youth in over 200 countries and territories. In the past, he has turned his interest in technology into a series of successful online companies, co-founding MyDesktop.com in 1997 (later sold to Internet.com in 1999) and BuyBuddy.com in 1999 (which closed a $4.5-million round of funding in late 2000)... more

Peter A. Gloor is a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Coordination Science at MIT's Sloan School of Management, exploring Collaborative Innovation Networks. He is also a Research Fellow at Dartmouth Tuck's Center for Digital Strategies and was a partner and European e-Business practice leader with Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers. His most recent book "Swarm Creativity - Competitive Advantage through Collaborative Innovation Networks" will be published by Oxford University Press this fall, a prerelease version is available online at http://www.swarmcreativity.net.

Vivian Guilfoy, senior vice president of Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) and director of its Education, Employment, and Community Programs. Built on the idea that equity and excellence are inseparable, the Center's mission is to work differently with educators, employers, labor, and community to create environments where the natural talents of people grow, learners achieve, workers advance in careers, and people contribute to the growth of their communities. At EDC since 1971, Ms. Guilfoy brings more than 30 years experience in designing... more

Cindy E. Hmelo-Silver is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at Rutgers University. She received an M.S. in Educational Technology from SUNY at Stony Brook and a Ph.D. in Cognitive Studies from Vanderbilt University and served postdoctoral fellowships at Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Pittsburgh's Learning Research and Development Center. Her research interests include problem-based learning, knowledge construction, particularly in the area of complex systems, computer-supported collaborative learning, and software-based scaffolding... more

Birgitte Holm Sørensen has from 2001 been Research Director of the Research Programme on Media and ICT in a Learning Perspective, The Danish University of Education and she has been Director of Department of Aesthetic and Media Education, The Danish University of Education 1995-97. She has together with five other researchers from five universities created a virtual master education, MIL, Master in ICT and Learning started from 2000 and she has initiated and been in the development group of LAB, Language Across Boarders, a research based virtual... more

Don Knezek is recognized nationally as a leader for technology in schools. Dr. Knezek's experience includes K-12 classroom, district leadership, regional center, state department, and organization leadership for technology on national and international levels. Don is CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), Director of The National Center for Preparing Tomorrow,s Teachers to Use Technology (NCPT3), Co-Director of ISTE,s National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) Project, Director of the Technology Standards for School Administrators Project, and Co-Chair of the Educational Technology Advisory Committee to the Texas State Board of Education.

Joyce Malyn-Smith, Ed.D., is the Director of Strategic Initiatives in Workforce and Human Development for Education Development Center 's Education, Employment and Community Programs (EEC), in Newton , MA. Since 1992 she has been involved in the development and implementation of standards-based education to employment systems, and has worked to help policy makers and practitioners develop and implement models and programs that translate technology skills/concepts learned in schools (k-20) into skill/knowledge “currency” valued by employers...more

Bria McElroy is the Director of University Initiatives for the Center for Women and Information Technology (CWIT) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She leads two of the Center's major initiatives to attract more young women into the fields of information technology. The CWIT Scholars program, under her direction, maintains a 93% retention rate and with the next incoming class will include 32 students pursuing degrees in computer science, computer engineering, and information systems...more

Dr. Mitra works in the areas of Cognitive Science, Information Science and Educational Technology. He has been working on these areas as well as on Physics and Energy for more than 20 years.

His contributions include a number of inventions and first-time applications. Among other applications, he is credited with having started the database publishing industry (particularly the Yellow Page industry) in India and Bangladesh, as well as having implemented the first applications of digital multimedia and Internet based education in India. His experiments (often referred to as “The Hole In The Wall” experiments) with children and the Internet have been reported worldwide since 1999... more

Jeroen Ooijevaar studied sociology at the University of Kent at Canterbury, United Kingdom, and the Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. He is currently a freelancer for EDC-Europe.

Jeroen's area of expertise lies in quantitative socio-scientific research and online surveys. With research agency 101 Research, he conducted an online survey on Power Users of ICT... more

Thomas Ryberg is a PhD candidate at the doctoral school of Human Centered Informatics but is physically located in E-learning lab Aalborg. He holds a Master in Human Centered Informatics, from the Department of Communication, Aalborg University. He participates in both European and international research projects and networks. Also he is engaged in development projects in South East Asia and Latin America... more

David Saedi is CEO of CERTIPORT. During his six-year tenure with Certiport, David has been instrumental in helping grow the company from start-up to the leading provider of global, performance-based certification programs and services. David has played an integral role in cultivating the company's relationship with Microsoft, working jointly on strategy planning and implementation of Microsoft Office Specialist certification. He also has headed Certiport efforts to diversify into new markets... more

Olman Segura-Bonilla is the newly elected Rector of the Universidad Nacional (UNA) in Costa Rica and Director of the International Center for Economic Policies for Sustainable Development (CINPE in Spanish), Universidad Nacional in Costa Rica. CINPE is active in researching ICT Literacy issues and policies related to impact and economic development in Latin America. Dr. Segura-Bonilla is considered an international expert in Ecological Economics, Innovation and Technological Change. Since early 1990 he has worked as consultant for private business and to national governments in the Central American region.

Dr. Vargas currently coordinates CINPE’s research sector on energy, the environment and poverty. He specializes in energy sector reform in developing countries and links to environmental issues. He has published diverse publications in the field of renewable energy, electricity market reforms and institutional innovations... more

Janet Whitla is President and Chief Executive Officer of Education Development Center, Inc. She has played a significant role in shaping EDC's philosophy and work in education and health promotion, and has been instrumental in bringing EDC programs to national and international attention.

She has been engaged in recent years in leading EDC's world-wide efforts to increase opportunities for sustainable livelihoods for young people and to address the range of development issues related to this global challenge.

Wendy Matamoros Zambrana describes herself as fun, dynamic, and proactive, and she loves challenges and creative work. She studied Social Communication, has worked at Puntos de Encuentro since she was 19, and has worked in diverse communications programs within the organization. She participated in the planning of Sexto Sentido TV (a weekly Nicaraguan soap opera addressing youth issues), as well as in design, casting, and acting. She was co-producer and DJ on Sexto Sentido Radio. She is currently the Web administrator in charge of materials production, and is a writer for the “La Boletina” magazine.