Marina Umaschi Bers, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development and Computer Science Department, Tufts University
Marina heads the Developmental Technologies research group at Tufts University. Her research involves the design and study of innovative learning technologies to promote positive youth development. Dr. Bers received prestigious awards such as the 2005 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), a five year National Science Foundation Young Investigator's Career Award and the American Educational Research Association’s Jan Hawkins Award. Over the past fourteen years, Dr. Bers has conceived, designed and evaluated diverse technological tools ranging from robotics to virtual worlds in after-school programs, museums, hospitals, and schools both in the US and abroad. In the field of early childhood, she teaches seminars on robotics for early childhood educators and consults for toy companies. Her book "Blocks to Robots: Learning with Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom" was published in 2008 by Teacher's College Press. Most recently, Dr. Bers founded Kreativa Technologies, LLC, a consulting firm focused on developing creative approaches for sustaining and growing a sense of identity, values and purpose for children and their communities, while exposing them to the digital literacies of the 21st century. Kreativa was borne from the need to bring a new approach to teaching old principles. Dr. Bers is from Argentina. In 1994 she came to the US and received a Master's degree in Educational Media from Boston University and a Master of Science and PhD from the MIT Media Laboratory. For more on Dr. Bers, click here.
Cynthia Breazeal
Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, MIT
Cynthia founded and directs the Personal Robots Group at the MIT Media Lab and directs the Center for Future Storytelling. She is a pioneer of Social Robotics and Human Robot Interaction. Her research program develops personal robots with human-like interpersonal skills that enable them to work and learn collaboratively with people --- with application to entertainment, distance learning, quality of life, and health goals. More recent work explores the intersection of social robots and interactive characters in transmedia storytelling. She is recognized as a prominent young innovator by the National Academy of Engineering’s Gilbreth Lecture Award, Technology Review’s TR35 Award, and TIME magazine’s Best Inventions of 2008. She received her ScD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT in 2000. She is also the mother of 3 children under the age of 7.
Alice Cahn
VP of Social Responsibility for Cartoon Network US
Alice’s responsibilities include directing content and the implementation of outreach and pro-social initiatives across all of the Cartoon Network divisions. Prior to joining Cartoon Network, she served as Managing Director of the Markle Foundation’s Interactive Media for Children Program. Alice came to Markle from Sesame Workshop where she served as President of the Television, Film and Video group. From 1993-1998 she was head of children's programming for US Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
Alice did her Master’s work in Educational Technology at San Francisco State University and holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from New York University. She and her partner live in Maplewood, NJ and have three children.
Alex Chisholm
Executive Director, Learning Games Network
Alex is a founding member and Executive Director of the Learning Games Network (Cambridge, Massachusetts), as well as Executive Producer of Generation Cures at Children's Hospital, Boston. In recent years, Alex has developed and managed several projects with NBC Universal, including iCue with NBC News, and the online games for NBC Olympics. He serves as the Software and Video Gaming Judge for the National Parenting Publication Awards (NAPPA). As a media research and development consultant during the past 10 years, Alex has collaborated on research, product, and program development with Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Sony Pictures Imageworks, LeapFrog, and the Hewlett and MacArthur Foundations. Alex holds a B.S. from Cornell University.
Carla Engelbrecht Fisher
Children’s Game Designer and Researcher
Carla is a children's technology developer, game designer, educational researcher, and author. She is a doctoral candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she studies technology and its relationship with human cognition and development, particularly as it applies to children and games. Through the course of her career, she has worked for Highlights for Children, PBS KIDS Interactive, Sesame Workshop, and a host of other children's media groups to produce and consult on interactive content that includes a wide variety of games and Web sites. In 2007 and 2008, she held a Teachers College Rose Fellowship in partnership with Sesame Workshop. Carla also holds a master's degree in media studies from the New School University and has, on occasion, been known to make balloon animals and hats.
Terry Fitzpatrick
Executive Vice President, Distribution, Sesame Workshop
Terry manages distribution strategy and partner relationships to deliver Sesame Workshop content through multiple media platforms. He oversees three divisions at The Workshop: Digital and Interactive Media; Media Distribution; and Themed Entertainment.
Terry was most recently Senior Vice President, Business Operations at The Workshop. He was responsible for managing all business activities for the content division, including creative development and production. He joined the Workshop in 1996 as Vice President Finance for Television, Film and Video.
Prior to joining The Workshop, Terry spent nine years in programming at Showtime Networks rising to the level of Vice President, Programming Finance. He began his career as Controller of the Joyce Theater, where he also created and produced The American Theatre Exchange which bought theatrical
productions from throughout the United States to New York City. He holds a MFA from the Yale School of Drama and a BBA from the University of Wisconsin.
Nick Gnat
Filmmaker, Technology Consultant, and Next-Generation Broadcast Journalist, MOUSE
Nick is a budding journalist, television producer, and documentary filmmaker. He spent his past two summers working at WNET/Thirteen as a Production Intern for the award-winning NATURE program. His last four years have been largely dedicated to excelling in the ultra-competitive Bard High School Early College in New York City, where he will graduate with an Associate of Arts degree. He recently directed, produced, wrote, edited, and filmed We Are BHSEC!, a short documentary that was submitted to The White House as part of the Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge. He is also a core member of MOUSE, a non-profit organization that seeks to foster youth through technology, where he is actively developing programs to bring refurbished hardware to New York City public schools and empower novice users to fix their own computer problems. Nick is a Linux enthusiast, passionate advocate of free and open-source software, and a staunch opponent of Digital Rights Management. A computer user since the age of two, Nick has lent his experience and expertise to small companies and individuals as a technology consultant. Nick is 17 years old.
Lisa Holton
Founder and CEO, Fourth Story Media
Lisa founded Fourth Story Media in January 2008 to explore the intersection between traditional children's book publishing and digital media.
Prior to launching the new media start-up, Lisa was President, Scholastic Trade Publishing and Book Fairs. During her tenure at Scholastic, she managed the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling, initiated development of The 39 Clues, and published award-winning books including The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick and Mommy! by Maurice Sendak.
Previously, Lisa ran the Disney Global Children's Books division at The Walt Disney Company for nine years where she built the Hyperion Books for Children division, and developed a number of bestselling series and properties, including Tinkerbell and the Quest for the Golden Egg, which introduced the world of Disney Fairies; the Baby Einstein books; and The Cheetah Girls. Lisa also founded Jump at the Sun, an imprint devoted to African-American culture.
Henry Jenkins
Provost's Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California
Henry has written and edited more than a dozen books on media and popular culture, including Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide (2006). His other published works reflect the wide range of his research interests, touching on democracy and new media, the “wow factor” of popular culture, science-fiction fan communities, and the early history of film comedy. As one of the first media scholars to chart the changing role of the audience in an environment of increasingly pervasive digital content, Jenkins has been at the forefront of understanding the effects of participatory media on society, politics, and cultture. His research gives key insights to the success of social-networking Web sites, networked computer games, online fan communities, and other advocacy organizations, as well as emerging news media outlets. Prior to joining USC, Jenkins spent nearly two decades at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the Peter de Florez Professor in the Humanities. While there, he directed MIT’s Comparative Media Studies graduate degree program from 1999-2009, setting an innovative research agenda during a time of fundamental change in communication, journalism, and entertainment.
Justin Johnson
Justin is one of the founding members of the Webby-award winning Indy Mogul network. He was also one of the first video bloggers, as well as an early pioneer of sketch comedy on the Net. His short political satire, Hillary in Bosnia, has over 2.4 million views, and was featured on Fox News and other TV outlets. In 2006 he created the number one site on the Internet for finding and submitting to video contests, OnlineVideoContests.com. Justin is currently Creative Services Lead at Next New Networks, an Internet television start-up created by the minds behind cable juggernauts Nickelodeon, Sundance Channel, Hanna-Barbera, and MTV.
He also really really really really likes pizza.
Alexandra Kennedy
Executive Director, The Eric Carle Museum of
Picture Book Art
Alix sits at the helm of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts, a national educational center dedicated to
the enjoyment and study of picture books for all audiences. Before that, she launched FamilyFun magazine, Wondertime magazine, and several other
publications and brand extensions from Disney Publishing Worldwide, where she served as Vice-President, Editorial Director. Alix has a B.A. from Colgate University and a
Master of Fine Arts in poetry from the University of Massachusetts. She lives in Northampton, Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.
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Eric Klopfer
Associate Professor, Director of the MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program, Director of the Education Arcade
Eric is Associate Professor and the Director of the MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program ( http://education.mit.edu) and the Director of the Education Arcade ( http://educationarcade.org). His research focuses on the development and use of computer games and simulations for building understanding of science and complex systems. His work combines research and development of games and simulations, from initial conceptualization through implementation, piloting, professional development and end-user research. He is the creator of StarLogo TNG, a platform for helping kids create 3D simulations and games using a graphical programming language, as well as several mobile game platforms including location-based Augmented Reality games, and ubiquitous casual games. He is the author of “Augmented Learning,” a new book on handheld games and learning from MIT Press, and is co-author of the book, "Adventures in Modeling: Exploring Complex, Dynamic Systems with StarLogo." He is a founding member of the Learning Games Network ( www.learninggamesnetwork.org).
Barry Kudrowitz
Ph.D. candidate, Mechanical Engineering and Instructor, Toy Product Design, MIT
Barry is a Ph.D. candidate in MIT’s Mechanical Engineering Department studying the relationships between humor and creativity in hopes of developing better idea generation tools for designers. He is the course instructor and co-creator of a project-based class at MIT, Toy Product Design (2.00b), where he uses play as a means of getting students excited about engineering and product design. In the class, teams of students take their own toy ideas from concept to alpha prototype with the help of interdisciplinary mentors and industry representatives.
Barry co-designed a toy currently on the market called the Nerf Atom Blaster; an elevator simulator that is in operation at the International Spy Museum in Washington DC; and a ketchup dispensing robot that was featured on the Martha Stewart Show. Barry’s design, music and art can be found at www.wonderbarry.com.
Stacey Matthias
Founder and co-CEO of Insight Kids and Insight Research Group
Stacey, a developmental psychologist by training, is an expert in uncovering insights from kids, from preschool through college age. Kids are her passion, and she believes strongly that they deserve exciting, high quality, enriching experiences of all kinds. She sees research as a muse to inspire great products and content and build powerful business strategies for her clients.
Her research and strategic consulting company is dedicated to catalyzing its clients to develop innovative, impactful, and inspiring experiences for kids and families. For over 10 years, Insight has been an industry leader, helping to shape some of the most respected kids’ and family brands in the world, including Nickelodeon, Noggin, Crayola, PBS Kids Sprout, MTV, Scholastic, Classic Media, Chorion Silver Lining, CBeebies, American Museum of Natural History, National Geographic Kids, and The N.
After a childhood bouncing from city to city, Stacey is now happily settled in Manhattan with her husband and two research subjects – er, daughters.
Scot Osterweil
Creative Director of MIT's Education Arcade
Scot is Creative Director of MIT’s Education Arcade, and leads the design of a number of games about math, literacy, science, history and language learning, including Labyrinth and iCue. Before coming to MIT, he was the Senior Designer at TERC, where he designed Zoombinis’ Island Odyssey, winner of the 2003 Bologna New Media Prize. Scot is the creator of the Zoombinis, and co-designed the multi-award winning Zoombinis’ Logical Journey, and its first sequel, Zoombinis’ Mountain Rescue. He is the also the designer of the TERCworks games Switchback, and Yoiks! Other software designs include work on the educational products InspireData, Tabletop and Tabletop Jr., and The Nature of Science. Previously, he worked in Public Television.
Mitchel Resnick
Professor of Learning Research at the MIT Media Lab
Mitch, Professor of Learning Research at the MIT Media Lab, develops new technologies to engage people (especially children) in creative learning experiences. His Lifelong Kindergarten research group developed the "programmable bricks" that were the basis for the LEGO MindStorms and PicoCricket construction kits. Mitch co-founded the Computer Clubhouse project, an international network of after-school learning centers for youth from low-income communities. His group recently developed a new programming language, called Scratch, which makes it easier for kids to create their own interactive stories, games, and animations -- and share their creations on the web.
Peter Reynolds
Author, Illustrator, and Founder of FableVision, Inc.
Peter is a NY Times best-selling author and illustrator. His numerous children’s books, published in over 20 languages, inspire kids of any age with messages about authentic learning, creativity, and self-expression. The Dot, Ish, and The North Star are read in classrooms around the world. Peter also lends his charming illustrations to Alison McGhee’s Someday and Megan McDonalds’ Judy Moody series. His newest book, Rose’s Garden, is dedicated to the late Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy.
In 1996, Peter founded FableVision, Inc., an award-winning multimedia company dedicated to helping all learners reach their true potential. Now encompassing two divisions, FableVision Creative Studios and FableVision Learning, the company provides educational websites, games, software, and services.
Peter’s film and television work have garnered him an Emmy, the Carnegie Medal, and the Christopher Medal. He also travels the world as an inspirational public speaker, sharing his Five Challenges: Be Brave, Be Original, Be Inspired, Be Inspirational, and Be ACTIVE.
Peter lives in Dedham, MA, where he founded The Dedham Square Circle, a downtown revitalization group. He is co-owner of the Heart of the Square Gallery and The Blue Bunny, his family-run children’s book and toy store.
Laura Seargeant Richardson
Principal Designer, frog design, Inc.
Laura specializes in the emotional, social, participatory and future design of products and environments. She has been involved in game design for adolescents, participatory “game” creation with teens, emotionally meaningful medical identification with eight-year olds, the role of technology in classrooms and has written on “Design from the Inside/Out” (Interactions Magazine) following a project on next generation play sthatpaces. Laura’s most recent projects involve future projections – from the future of identity to the future of digital signage; from the future of social to the future of electric vehicles; as well as the future of play. Laura’s latest thinking appears in frog design’s critically acclaimed design mind magazine on “Seeing The Future Synaesthetic” in which she advocates for a scent alphabet and learning in 3D. Laura has also contributed to GOOD, Gizmodo, Forbes, Innovation and China’s Global Entrepreneur and is currently writing a book on training the brain to see innovation. She is the proud mom of six-year old, Grayce, who already considers herself a “designer.”
Eric Rosenbaum
Ph.D. candidate, MIT Media Lab
Eric is a Ph.D. candidate in the Lifelong Kindergarten group headed by
Mitchel Resnick at the MIT Media Lab. His Master's Thesis explored reflective
learning in the Scratch programming environment for children. He has made
software for painting with light, improvising with musical sounds, and
creating interactive behaviors in 3D virtual worlds. He has also worked on
augmented reality and molecular dynamics simulations for science education.
Eric has degrees in Psychology and Technology in Education from Harvard University. He also plays the funky trombone.
Brigid Sullivan
Vice President for Children's, Educational and Interactive Programming WGBH Boston
Under Brigid Sullivan's leadership, WGBH has won every major award for children's television, educational programming, and interactive content including multiple Emmys, the International Emmy, the Peabody, Prix Jeunesse, and Television Critics' Awards.
Brigid is responsible for the creation and development of numerous children's series broadcast nationally on PBS, including current on air, critically acclaimed Arthur, Curious George, Emmy and Peabody award winning Design Squad, Peep and The Big Wide World, Postcards from Buster, Between the Lions, and others aimed at enhancing vocabulary, cultural diversity, and science challenges.
She initiated educational programming at WGBH with the telecourse French in Action, followed by The Western Tradition, Discovering Psychology, Destinos, English for Speakers of Other Languages, Fokus Deutsch, A Biography of America and, Misunderstood Minds. She additionally oversees departments that produce online professional training courses for K-12 teachers and Teachers' Domain, a web-based multimedia library tied to national and state curriculum standards. She also launched WGBH's Interactive department, the single largest producer of content on pbs.org, one of the most-popular dot-orgs in the world. Beyond children's programming, Brigid also served as executive producer of Justice: A Journey for Moral Reasoning and Poetry Everywhere, in association with the Poetry Foundation, a project whose mission is to increase poetry's presence onTV and online.
Ms. Sullivan holds an MBA from Harvard University and a BA from Thomas More College of Fordham University.
Constance Steinkuehler
Assistant Professor, Curriculum & Instruction, University of Wisconsin – Madison
Constance is an Assistant Professor in the Educational Communications and Technology program in the Curriculum & Instruction department at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her research is on cognition, learning and literacy in massively multiplayer online games (MMOs). Current interests include “pop cosmopolitanism” in online worlds and the intellectual practices that underwrite such a disposition, including collective problem solving, digital & print literacy, informal scientific reasoning, computational literacy, and reciprocal apprenticeship. Her work is funded by the MacArthur Foundation and she is currently a Spencer / National Academy of Education Post-Doctoral Fellow.
She is happily married to Dr. Kurt Squire, also a games researcher. They live in Madison with their two sons Walt and Warner.
Ben Vershbow
Digital Producer, New York Public Library, Strategic Planning
Ben is a Digital Producer at the New York Public Library, where he works on cultivating new forms of librarianship and patron engagement around collections and programs. Before coming to NYPL, he was Editorial Director of the Institute for the Future of the Book, a small Brooklyn-based think tank dedicated to exploring the future of reading, writing and publishing in the digital age. At the Institute, Ben collaborated with authors on a series of "networked book" experiments exploring new methods for writing and interpreting texts in online communities, and wrote frequently on the 'if:book' blog. He is also a theater director and actor, and Associate Artistic Director of IRT Theater in the West Village, NYC. |
