Winter 2015 TLJ

The Horizon Project, an activity of New
Media Consortium (NMC), has provided
consistent and insightful reporting on
education and the impact of emerging
technology on educational communities
and society at large. This work has given
libraries and a vast constituency of
educational groups a powerful and
longitudinal means to understand
learning in a modern technological world.
Two of NMC’s experts will discuss this
critical resource.
Larry Johnson
serves as CEO of the
New Media
Consortium and has
written five books on
emerging technology
and is the founder of
the Horizon Project,
Larry Johnson which is used by well
over a million
educators in more than 150 countries. He
is also director of the Edward and Betty
Marcus Institute for Digital Education in
the Arts (MIDEA).
S amantha Becker, director of the
NMC Horizon
Project, is lead writer
and researcher for the
Report series. She has
an expertise in digital
communications with
a special interest in
e-publishing, social Samantha Becker
media, and online
learning.
Silja Kallenbach
S ilja Kallenbach,
vice president of
World Education’s
U.S. Division, is a
tireless advocate for
adult learners and
adult education. She
has more than 30
years of experience as
an administrator,
professional development provider,
program developer, researcher, and
teacher. In March 2014, the Commission
on Adult Basic Education recognized her
for her national and international efforts
promoting literacy. Since 1994,
Kallenbach has overseen the development
of innovative projects and partnerships at
World Education, including
collaborations to create online and digital
learning opportunities.
V ailey Oehlke is
director of libraries
for Multnomah
County. A longtime
resident of
Portland, she is
pleased to lead the
library at a time of
many complex
Vailey Oehlke
changes and opportunities for discovering
new ways for libraries to engage and serve
their communities. Oehlke is a member of
the American Library Association, Public
Library Association (PLA), and the
Oregon Library Association. She served
on the PLA Executive Board from 2011 to
2013 and is currently a member of the
Urban Libraries Council Executive Board.
Additionally, she has served on ALA’s
Digital Content Working Group since its
inception, and was a member of the
advisory group for the federally-funded
initiative “The Big Shift: Advancing Public
Library Participation in Our Digital
Future.”
J erry Pinkney is one of today’s most
gifted and sought-after artists. Since 1964,
Pinkney has illustrated over 100 children’s
books and has been the recipient of five
Caldecott Honor Medals, a Caldecott
Medal, and five The New York Times
Jerry Pinkney
“Best Illustrated
Books.” He has
received five Coretta
Scott King Awards
and four Coretta
Scott King Honor
Awards. In addition
to this work,
Pinkney’s art is
included in
numerous national museums and
collections, and his works have been
exhibited around the world. His many
honors, government commissions, and
positions include his appointment to the
US Postal Services Citizens Stamp
Advisory Committee, service on National
Council of the Arts, and multiple awards
from illustrator groups around the
country.
D avid Singleton
is director of libraries
of the Charlotte
Mecklenburg Library
in Charlotte, North
Carolina. He
provides overall
management for the
David Singleton
library’s 20 public service locations,
literacy and programming initiatives, and
the library’s collection of print and digital
materials. Prior to joining the library,
Singleton was deputy state librarian for
the State of Georgia, and he has held a
number of management and director
positions in libraries in North Carolina
and Georgia. He holds both
undergraduate and graduate degrees from
the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill.
Tammy Worcester
Tang has over 25
years of educational
experience. She began
her career in the
classroom, teaching
nearly every grade
from kindergarten
through middle
school. She currently
Tammy Worcester
Tang
works for ESSDACK, an educational
service center in Kansas, as an
instructional technology specialist,
providing staff development and training
in the area of technology integration. Her
website, “Tammy’s Technology Tips for
Teachers” is a popular online resource for
educators around the world, and she is the
author of nearly a dozen best-selling
technology resource books that are
published and marketed nationally.
Jessica Yurkofsky
J essica Yurkofsky
is a creative
technologist at
metaLAB. She earned
her master’s in urban
planning from
Harvard’s Graduate
School of Design.
She is a self-reported
social researcher,
urban designer, and coder who explores
libraries, community learning, and maker
spaces through geographical and
communication frameworks. She is part
of a small team behind the Harvard Test
Kitchen, an ongoing course at Harvard
exploring library innovation through
student design. This effort builds on and
seeks to maximize libraries’ role as a
convener of key contemporary forcesknowledge,
public space, the Internet,
and education.
22 Texas Library Journal • Winter 2014