Keynote & Featured Addresses by Wesley Fryer I am a teacher, a learner, a parent, a practical philosopher, and an aspiring digital storyteller. I am intrigued by the changing definition of what it means to be "literate" in the early twenty-first century, and am pursuing my doctorate in curriculum and instruction (in part) to better equip myself for the quest of literacy in which I am and will continue to be engaged for the rest of my life. I am concerned about the quality of educational opportunities and experiences for students in our nation and across the globe. I continue to define my own educational pedagogy as a disciple of Dewey, Friere, Holt, Postman, and other reform-minded educational theorists. "Theory into practice" would be a good motto to ascribe to me. One of my favorite quotations is, "It is philosophy, not technology, that will change your classroom." I am a teacher at heart, a technologically-capable educator by accident. In our turbulent and dynamic environment, I see great opportunity but also great danger for educators, students, and netizens in general. I am concerned about educational ethics, both for teachers as well as students. It is more vital than ever that teachers, administrators, parents and students be partners in the serious (and simultaneously fun) quest for authentic literacy in our third-wave, network economy. It is vital that students in our modern classrooms learn to be independent, self-motivated learners capable of working with digital tools and communicating ideas effectively with a variety of audiences using different modalities. Experts abound, but no one knows it all. Educators as well as students are (frequently) drowning in a confusing morass of standardized tests, educational standards, and high expectations-- and amidst all this pressure, I think many of us are losing sight of some basic truths. We don't need to just work harder or do more with less-- time is zero sum, and it is one of the most precious resources we have. Kids today are growing up with too little recess and unstructured time, and (under the guidance of adults who should know better) are with disturbing regularity developing the perception that education is strictly an instrumentally valuable activity. We need lifetime learners, not just test-passers-- we need ethical, literate citizens for the twenty-first century who can creatively address and solve a myriad list of problems and challenges. I am available to provide keynote, featured address, and workshop presentations to educators and other groups nationwide. These speaking topics are not strictly limited to previous publications and writings, I am continually developing new material and am willing to adapt to the needs of a specific audience. I have published a variety of articles on issues relating to instructional technology integration in the classroom. I am currently pursuing several writing projects, including work on "Digital Discipline," "Digital Dishonesty," and "The School I Love." A list of my current and past technology workshops is also available. A comprehensive list of past presentations and publications is available on my vitae. Please use this contact form if you are interested in inquiring about specific dates and topics for keynote, featured address, or workshop presentations.   Tools for the TEKS home | Article Archive | Technology Workshops Mailing List | Feedback | Tools and Techniques | Technology Idea Exchange Contact me using this webform. Links to my blogs are also available. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.