Work With Me

Writing this blog has given me the opportunity to work with some great people in the education community. I cannot accept every invitation that I receive, but I do give serious consideration to all invitations. If you are interested in having me speak at your school or conference please use the contact form below or email me directly at richard (at) byrne.media


Services I offer:
*Workshops for your faculty. We will roll up our sleeves and get immersed in learning about ways to use technology in our classrooms. You can choose from the list of topics at the bottom of this page or I will work with you to develop a custom day of workshops for your faculty.

*Keynotes for your conference. If you’re looking for an up-beat start to your conference to get people excited about the opportunities technology provides for students, let’s talk.

*Webinars for your faculty. This is a cost effective way to have me work with your faculty. We can schedule webinars at time that is convenient for your faculty to participate. Webinars are recorded for those members of your faculty who cannot attend live. I can present webinars on any of the topics listed at the bottom of this page.



About Me
High School Social Studies Teacher
Google Certified Teacher
MERLOT Classics Award Winner
 ACTEM Educator of the Year – Finalist
Tech & Learning Magazine named me one of 30 to Watch for the Future of Ed Tech.
5x Winner of Edublog Award for Best Resource Sharing Blog
2x Winner of Edublog Award for Best Individual Blog
Nomination for Edublogs Lifetime Achievement Award
Monthly contributor to School Library Journal.
Past contributor to Teacher Librarian journal.
Contributor to What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media

What do you get when you hire me to speak or lead a workshop? 
Click here for a sample of one of my keynotes. 
1. A presenter who truly understands the challenges of teaching in today’s public schools. I speak from an “in the trenches” perspective.

2. A Google Certified Teacher.

3. My focus is on free web-based tools that teachers and administrators can use to improve the learning experiences of their students. A list of presentation topics that I have covered in the past is available below.

My framework for using technology in education can be summed-up in three words; Discovery, Discussion, and Demonstration. I use that framework for explaining the purposes of the tools that I introduce to teachers.

4. My goal in every presentation I give or workshop that I lead is to have everyone, regardless of the content area or grade level taught, leave with at least one immediately actionable idea they can use.

5. Web-based and downloadable supplementary materials to support teachers after they leave my presentation/ workshop.

Places that I have presented in the past:
The American School in Switzerland
Southeast Missouri State University
Boston College
City University of New York
ISTE Annual Conference
Pima County Arizona Tech Camp
Alaska Learning Network
MOREnet Instructional Technology Conference
Teacher 2 Teacher
iPad Summit USA
Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference
Texas A&M University


Presentations I’ve offered in the past. 
I will work with your organization to create a presentation/ workshop that best meets your teachers’ needs.

1. “Leading Students In a Hyper-connected World”

*From phones to tablets to televisions today’s students are more connected to the world than ever before. With a few keystrokes and a click students can discover new information and challenge more old information. What does this mean for our roles as teachers? And how do we lead students to become conscientious consumers and producers of information? In this keynote I offer some answers to those questions and challenge you to find new ways of leading students in a hyper-connected world.

2. “Ten Common Challenges Facing Educators and Tools to Address Them.”
*This is my most popular keynote presentation designed to get the audience thinking about new ways to use technology in their schools.

3. “Built to Last – Identifying What Works in Educational Technology”
*In the last decade I’ve seen thousands of educational technology tools and programs. Some come and go quickly while others stand the test of time. In this presentation I feature not only the tools that stand the test of time, but the characteristics to look for in choosing the next educational technology tool to use in your classroom.

4. “Quick & Powerful Video Projects”
*When students create projects that are only shared in the classroom, they’ll settle for good enough. When students create videos that are shared with a global audience, they’ll only settle for the best. This hands-on workshop introduces teachers to a variety of tools that their students can use to create videos to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a wide array of topics. Participants in this session will learn about video formats and each format can fit into their classrooms. A discussion of copyright, Creative Commons, and fair use is included in this workshop. At the end of the workshop each participant will have at least one completed video to share with others.

5. “Google Across the Curriculum.” 
   * In this session participants will learn about the lesser known tools offered by Google to classroom teachers. This session goes beyond search and introduces participants to the Google Drive suite, Google Books, Google Plus, and other Google tools.

   6. “Edupreneurship – Turning Your Teaching Skills Into Extra Income”
   * It’s hard to be a good teacher when you’re worried about paying your bills. I know that because I spent two years doing that before I figured out that I had some skills that could help me earn a little extra money online while still doing the job that I loved. In this workshop I will share the strategies and tools used by me and other teachers to turn our teaching skills into extra income.

   7. “To Geography & Beyond With Google Maps and Earth”
   * In this session teachers will learn that Google Earth isn’t just for Geography teachers. The session will have a strong emphasis on using Google Earth/ Maps for digital storytelling.

   8. “Backchannels and Informal Assessment Tools”
   * Back-talk in the classroom is not good, but backchanneling is great! In this session participants will learn about free micro-blogging services, polling services, and chat services that they can leverage to improve in-classroom conversations and extend those conversations beyond the physical classroom. These techniques will get even the most shy of students involved in classroom discussions.

   9. “Best of the Web 2023”
   * This is my most requested presentation. It is a fast-paced session of sharing the best free web-based education resources. This session is guaranteed to offer something for every K-12 teacher.

   10. “Mind mapping, timelines, and collaborative brainstorming”
   * In this session participants will explore free web-based tools they can use with their students for creating timelines, graphic organizers, and other formats for recording and synthesizing information and ideas. 

   11. “Discovery, Discussion, and Demonstration.”
   *This session provides a framework for technology integration in schools. While participants will learn about a number of free tools, the focus is really on the purposes of using technology schools.

   12. “The Past, Present, and Future of AR & VR in Education”
   *This research-based presentation offers an overview of how augmented reality and virtual reality has been used in education for more than two decades. Attendees will walk away with an understanding of how to use these immersive technologies in their classrooms.

   13. “DIY App Creation”
   *Not that long ago creating a mobile app required extensive coding skills and knowledge of programming. Today, there are many tools that make it possible for most teachers and students to develop their own functioning apps without any prior programming experience. Participants in this workshop will develop an app.

   14. “Teaching With Technology and Primary Sources”
   *This workshop is designed for history and ELA teachers who want to discover new ways to have their students interact with primary sources. Teachers are also introduced to tools and strategies that can help their students become better researchers.

   15. Classroom Podcasting 101
   *Learn the nuts and bolts of podcasting. More importantly, learn how to engage kids in meaningful dialogues with classmates, parents, and community members.

   16. Using Electronics in Makerspaces
   *This hands-on workshop introduces participants to a variety of inexpensive electronics projects that can be done and modified your makerspace. This workshop includes an introduction to programming Arduino. All materials are provided.

   What people are saying.

“I just wanted to say thank you for all of your help last week. Your keynotes were spot on and your professionalism was extremely appreciated.”

Lindsay Bellino – Pearson

Thanks for coming to Indiana yesterday; it was totally worth the 2.5 hour drive from Indianapolis to meet you in person!”

Scott Dooley – Media Specialist – Christel House Academy

First of all, THANK YOU for a wonderful class at Sunday River.  On the first day, I said that I wanted to learn ways to stay organized and sane while teaching computer skills to 500 middle school students per week.  I left your class with a new outlook and a new set of tools that will help me in the fall.  – Sara Donovan

I’d take another course from you anytime. You are very knowledgeable, and your experience in the classroom “makes it real.” Thanks so much,
– Diana