Redesigning Learning Spaces

Bring hope, joy, and positive energy back into the daily work of the classroom. In this book, learn to design brain-friendly learning environments that foster engagement, productivity, and achievement while allowing for seamless integration of educational technology. Discover how flexible, welcoming, and comfortable learning spaces can prepare students for the future. In this book you’ll:

• Find resources for redesigning spaces on a sustainable budget
• Support technology integration through blended and virtual learning
• Hear from teachers and schools whose successfully transformed spaces have increased student achievement

Dr. Robert Dillon serves the students and community of the Affton School District as Director of Technology and Innovation. Prior to this position, he served as a teacher and administrator in public schools throughout the Saint Louis area. Dr. Dillon has a passion to change the educational landscape by building excellent engaging schools for all students. He looks for ways to ignite positive risk taking in teachers and students and release trapped wisdom into the system by growing networks of inspired educators. Dr. Dillon has had the opportunity to speak throughout the country at local, state, and national conferences as well as share his thoughts and ideas in a variety of publications. He is supported by his wife, Sandra and two daughters, Emily and Ellie. Dr. Dillon is also an avid runner, reader and cyclist.

Ben Gilpin is the principal at Warner Elementary in the Western School District. Warner Elementary is located in Spring Arbor, Michigan. He is a student-centered educator that is focused on collaboration, teamwork, student engagement and leadership.  

Ben is all about the Whole Child; he cares deeply about all of his students and he always tries to foster caring and impactful relationships. Ben began his career teaching 5th grade. After nine years in the classroom he accepted a position as principal in the Western School District.  

He has taken an active role in sharing his school′s story. He understands the importance of spreading a positive message to the entire community.

Ben is viewed as an innovative leader throughout Jackson County and the State of Michigan.  Ben was recently named one of the Top 100 Influential Voices of 2014 by Bam Radio.  He has also presented and consulted on numerous educational topics. Most recently Ben led sessions on Twitter, Professional Blogging, Personalized Learning, and Redesigning Learning Spaces.

Ben earned his Elementary Education degree from Tri-State University, his Masters in Education from Spring Arbor University and his Educational Leadership Certificate from Eastern Michigan University. To learn more about Ben’s work, visit: http://colorfulprincipal.blogspot.com, or www.BenGilpin.com or connect with Ben on Twitter at @benjamingilpin.

A.J. Juliani is the Education and Technology Innovation Specialist for Upper Perkiomen School District and co­founder of the ClassroomCribs.com site. Juliani is the author of Learning By Choice and Inquiry and Innovation in the Classroom. Learn more about A.J. on his blog at ajjuliani.com.

Erin Klein is an award winning educator, national keynote speaker, author, and mother who has been twice selected to serve on the Scholastic, Inc. Top Teaching Team based in New York. Her recent publication Amazing Grades was a collaboration with experts from 13 countries around the world. She travels the country speaking about the power of student voice, how meaningful technology integration can enhance learning experiences, and the impact  classroom design has on today’s learner.

She is certified in Brain Gym, Educational Kinesiology, and has studied under consultants from The Center for Effective Learning to understand how design affects cognition and learning. Klein serves as a classroom design consultant and creative partner for the publishing company, Carson­Dellosa. Some of her articles and interviews on design for education and technology tools for the classroom can be found on Smartblogs for Education, MindShift, Scholastic, Edudemic, Edutopia, EdSurge, and EdReach.

Klein served for the past three years as the state’s technology chairperson for the Michigan Reading Association and is the 2014 recipient of the MACUL Pre­K ­ 12 Teacher of the Year for Michigan. In 2013, Klein was also awarded her district’s Teacher of the Year award. She currently serves on the advisory board for Remind101 in San Francisco and is an organizer for the EdCamp Detroit Annual Educational unConference. Among Klein’s accomplishments, she was also recognized as a SMART Technologies Exemplary Educator, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) 2012 Social Media Influencer, a National Association of Independent Schools Teacher of the Future, ASCD Emerging Leader, and a member of The National Writing Project. This past summer, Klein was accepted into The Teacher’s College at Columbia University to advance her studies in reading and writing workshop.

Klein has also hosted webinars for The United States Department of Education to share her perspective on Future Ready Schools. Most recently she was one of nine professionals selected to be a featured speaker on Future Ready Schools at the national Digital Learning Day in Washington D.C.

For the past two years, Klein has been invited to Washington D.C. to represent the BAM 100 Influential Voice in Education. In 2014, Klein was selected to serve on the state of Michigan’s Voice Fellowship, through America Achieves. Through this initiative, she was invited to be a part of the national Teach to Lead summits through The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the United States Department of Education where she continues to work on shaping teacher leadership across the country.

She has her Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, currently teaches at the elementary level, and lives in Michigan with her family. Her work can be found on her award­winning educational blog, Kleinspiration.com, and you can follow her on Twitter @KleinErin.