DigiCamp Counselors

Camp Counselors were selected from creative and educational leaders in Ohio. They are best practitioners, the early adopters, and innovators who are developing and promoting powerful ideas for improving teaching and learning. They will work with you to share their successes in learning environments that have been transformed by devices like iPad, iPhone and Mac and the endless potential for learning with access to thousands of apps and engaging digital content.

2012 DigiCamp Counselors

Jim Harmon graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1992 with a degree in photojournalism. Realizing that something was missing from his career, he began to tutor high school students in journalism and photography, and earned his English license from Cleveland State University in 1996, and later an M.Ed from Cleveland State University in 2001. Jim’s focus was on Computer Uses in Education, and he has served in the role of video production teacher, English teacher, and technology resource teacher for the schools in which he’s worked. Jim enjoys using technology in his professional and personal life and finds it rewarding to "pass it on" to other teachers; so much so that he works as an adjunct instructor in educational technology at Baldwin-Wallace College. Jim is an Apple Distinguished Educator and Google Certified Teacher.

Dr. William (Bill) Bauer is a Visiting Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of Florida. During the 2011-2012 academic year he is on leave from Case Western Reserve University where he's an Associate Professor of Music Education and teaches undergraduate and graduate level classes in instrumental music education, the applications of technology to music teaching and learning, music cognition and learning, and music education research. He served as the University Director of Teacher Licensure at CWRU from 2004-2007 and the Director of Music Education from 2008-2010. From 1997-2001 Bauer was on the music education faculty of the Ball State University School of Music, where he was also the Co-Director of the Music Technology Resource Laboratory. Previous to his appointment at BSU, Bauer was the Director of Music Education at Radford University in Radford, VA. A native of northeastern Ohio, he taught instrumental (band and orchestra) and general music for eight years in the Ohio public schools. Bill is an Apple Distinguished Educator.

Lori Vargo is the Associate Director of the Center for Literacy at The University of Akron. She designs and coordinates projects that blend literacy and technology and provides leadership in planning and implementing professional development for K-12 educators. As a resource teacher, Technology Coordinator, and implementation director for a statewide literacy program, Lori has built her career on working with teachers in their classrooms. Lori has Master degrees in Elementary Education and Educational Administration and is a doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction. Her research interests are online teaching and learning and Q Research Methodology.  Lori is an Apple Distinguished Educator.

Jeremy Brueck serves as the director of the Digital Text Initiative at the University of Akron’s Center for Literacy where he provides strategic direction and coordination of services in the design of professional development for pre-K-12 teachers across Ohio. Prior to that, he spent 5 years as a curriculum & technology specialist in Green Local Schools with a focus on designing standards-based integrated lessons for grades K-3. He has also worked as a 3rd grade classroom teacher in Columbus Public Schools. Jeremy is a licensed teacher for grades 1-8 and holds a Masters degree in Educational Administration. Jeremy is a PhD student who is researching the use of eBook and mobile devices in literacy learning. He has presented on a wide variety of education and technology topics to audiences both nationally and internationally. Past conference presentations include the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting (AERA), Society for the Scientific Study of Reading (SSSR), National Educational Computing Conference (ISTE), eTech Ohio Educational Technology Conference and other regional educational conferences. You can learn and grow with Jeremy at his blog, Raised Digital, or by following him on Twitter (@brueckj23).