We Know What To Do: Gary Stager at TEDxNYED

“Some people think outside of the box. Gary is unaware of the box’s existence.” – Futurist, Dr. David Thornburg Gary Stager is an internationally recognized educator, speaker, journalist, consultant, and founder of the Constructing Modern Knowledge summer institute. Since 1982, Gary has helped learners of all ages on six continents embrace the power of computers as intellectual laboratories and vehicles for self-expression. He led professional development in the world’s first laptop schools (1990) and has taught students from preschool through doctoral programs. His new book (written with Sylvia Martinez), Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering and Engineering in the Classroom, will be available in Mid-May. When Jean Piaget wanted to better understand how children learn mathematics, he hired Seymour Papert. When Dr. Papert wanted to create a high-tech alternative learning environment for incarcerated at-risk teens, he hired Gary Stager. This work was the basis for Gary’s doctoral dissertation and documented Papert’s most-recent institutional research project. In 1999, Converge Magazine named Gary a “shaper of our future and inventor of our destiny.” The National School Boards Association recognized Dr. Stager with the distinction of “20 Leaders to Watch” in 2007. The June 2010 issue of Tech & Learning Magazine named Gary Stager as “one of today’s leaders who are changing the landscape of edtech through innovation and leadership.” CUE presented Gary with its 2012 Technology in Learning Leadership Award. A popular speaker, Dr. Stager has been a keynote speaker at major conferences around the world. Gary was the new media producer for The Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project — Simpatíco, 2007 Grammy Award Winner for Best Latin Jazz Album of the Year. Dr. Stager is also a contributor to The Huffington Post and a Senior S.T.E.M. and Education Consultant to leading school architecture firm, Fielding Nair International. Gary also works with teachers and students as S.T.E.M. Director at The Oaks School in Hollywood, California. Dr.Stager’s blog may be found at http://stager.tv/blog.