It is my mission to transform education through the close collaboration of teachers, students, administrators, and industry.
Outdoor education, hiking, biking, snowboarding, kayaking, water-sports, life-long learning, film, film-making, film discussion, creative commons.
"His tireless efforts, including many hours of his own time each week, make this network a quickly-growing and far-reaching voice for education and educators across the world. I currently co-host two of the EdReach programs, one with Dan as a co-host and one with Dan as a behind-the-scenes producer, and these experiences have given me great admiration for Dan as an individual and as a passionate leader in the field. He is really making change happen, especially when it comes to how the general public views our profession and our significance in society. His focus on the positive, while also exposing and highlighting those needs for change in our field, prove him to be the kind of insightful thought leader we need in today's education climate. I welcome every chance I get to work with Dan, and I whole-heartedly recommend him for any role in education leadership."
-Diane Main, San Jose, CA, President - Silicon Valley CUE"From the moment I first met Daniel Rezac, I admired him not only for his integrity but for his willingness to go the extra mile to help others out. He has proven, both online and on his campus, to be both an encourager and a leader. Through his website, EdReach, he has created a vibrant, helpful community to assist teachers in making their classroom an effective and enriching learning environment for students."
- Jen Wagner, San Diego, CA, jenuinetech.com
"Dan has to be one of the most creative and deep thinkers in education that I have come across in my career. Dedication, hard working, and passionate all describe Dan’s best qualities and why he is such a good educator. Dan is a go to person in his field because of his knowledge and because of the personal learning network that he has built. Finally, Dan is simply a good person who cares about his fellow co-workers and the culture within he works."
- Scott Meech, Chicago, IL, Apple, Inc
"Dan Rezac is one of the most dedicated, intelligent, inspiring, and capable people working in education today. Dan sees challenges and rises above. He views obstacles as puzzles to solve and is more than capable of doing just that. Dan has created a powerful brand (EdReach) which resonates with educators around the world as being a trusted name in educational thought leadership and insight. Dan has wrangled some of the biggest names in the industry into a network that he designed and runs to help make positive change in education. Some recent successes Dan has had is the viral positive marketing campaign around the concept of the "EduWin". I have also been lucky enough to see Dan's passionate and well-crafted presentations both in-person and online. I can't say enough good things about Dan, his ability to lead positive change, and the quality of his character. Any organization would be at a loss not to have Dan as a valued member of their team."
-Adam Bellow, New York, NY, Edutecher.com
"I have been fortunate to travel all over (and beyond) the United States to help teachers learn to use technology, and I can say that Daniel Rezac is one of the top five creative communicators about technology's possibilities for teaching and learning I have met. His work building EdReach clearly shows his ability to take dynamic ideas to a very large audience, but even in a small conference session, he shows a creativity in his stage skills, insights, and encouragement that make him the kind of presenter every teacher needs to experience."
- Rushton Hurley, Nextvista.org
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Mr. Rezac was very helpful in making this process easy for me to understand and use. Daniel got me set up and started within minutes. I was even able to problem solve some issues myself with the confidence that he gave me in using the google docs program."
- B. Burger, Band Teacher, FMS
"Mr. Rezac was absolutely instrumental in getting this accomplished. When presented with the challenge he set up a meeting and enthusiastically and patiently instructed me on how to get it done."
- M. Moon, P.E. Teacher, FMS
"Mr. Rezac not only presented google docs to teachers during a staff meeting, but also took the time to explain Google Forms and Spreadsheets to me on an individual basis. Without his help, I would have spent my weekend hand scoring two hundred paper surveys. Using google docs was efficient and a time effective way to collect large amounts of data."
- A. Schwartz, Social Services, FMS
"Daniel Rezac has been very helpful throughout the year. He is always sending me information and websites that I am able to use in my classroom. In addition, he takes the time to help me with any questions I may have."
- J. Orgon, ESL Teacher, FMS
"Mr. Rezac is knowledgeable in many areas and is an excellent first resource when you have a problem. He'll take the time to either email or meet with you to fix the issue, or help you plan out a new idea."
- K. Snow, Social Studies Teacher, FMS
Mr. Kohl is my current supervisor, mentor, and Technology leader at District 30.
Do Not Contact
Scott and I have been colleagues for 2 years, whether part of ICE or with EdReach. We have been sharing resources and supporting each other in our positions in numerous ways. I count on Scott for creative ideas to problem solving.
Scott Meech is the former Director of Technology at Downers Grove District 58, as well as the fellow founder of EdReach.us. He's been a colleague and mentor for 6 years. He currently works for Apple, Inc.
Diane Main, is a Tech Integrator in California, as well as a contributor the the EdReach.us network. She's the host of the Google Educast, and his heavily involved in the Computing Using Educators in California as well as the President of SVCUE.
Recent Appearances:
CoSN 2014: Visibility Matters. Sharing Your District Success Stories With The World
SXSWedu 2014: More Than Making a Difference, EdNews is Evolving
----------
Past Talks:
ISTE 2012, San Diego, CA
Learning TECH 2012, IQPC, Wyndham Chicago, April 23, 2012- Featured K12 Speaker and Panelist
Illinois Computing Educators 2012
What is the missing ingredient in building an effective learning organization? If you ask me- it’s enthusiasm.
We are currently in a learning revolution. However, when integrating technology or rolling out 1:1 device programs, you can’t be deterred by “naysayers.” A leader isn’t brought down by those who fear change; they are, in fact, motivated by all the voices in the crowd.
Administrators bring leaders together, and I’ve spent the last 8 years of my career seeking out the best leaders’ advice, their best suggestions, and their best strategies. It’s my turn to put that experience to the test.
Rather than building networks to improve teacher development in technology, I think that it’s important to be the network, the hub, that joins all of the innovators together. As a Technology Administrator, I want my school district to be the hub of classroom innovation, crossing the bridge into STEM education, creating the world’s brightest thinkers, innovators, and building a community of lifelong learners. That kind of community can exist when you have a leader who is forward-thinking, isn’t afraid to ask big questions, and takes the lead when implementing new strategies.
The people who will guide us into this new century are good listeners who can make well-researched decisions, and people who have their hand on the pulse of the future. I believe my experience in technology integration, as well as my experience building an education network that is EdReach.us, puts me in the driver’s seat as a leader in the field of technology education.
Responsibilities at D30:
iPad 1:1 Environment Planning:
Teaching and PD:
Student Run District Technology Support:
Building off of constructivist principals, I spearheaded a program to create student-backed tech help for the district. In the elementary schools, we call them the Tech Deputies. In the middle school we call them the Tech Avengers. In both schools, we trained a group of students to do Level I help desk solving problems like:
Also, students in the middle school have begun to make a database of tutorials that will help the students and teacher when time is factor and help isn't always around. Check out their channels here:
Learning Channels:
Administration Duties:
Awards and Recognitions:
I have a proven record of advocacy, and have written and received grant money for almost every year I've been in education, totaling over $10,000 in awards. Here's my most recent:
As Press Director of Illinois' most prestigious education conference, The ICE Conference, I use my influence and contacts with the Chicago Media, as well as through my company EdReach, to publicize the ICE Conference, and highlight the amazing stories that will be told from Illinois educators and students.
Duties include:
Drafting Press Releases
Calling media contacts
Designing press materials
Successes brought newspapers to cover our event:
The Personal Learning Network Plaza Coordinator:
As the coordinator of the Personal Learning Network Plaza (PLN Plaza), my skills as a community builder are put to a state-wide test. In my tenure us the PLN Chair, I worked to create a space, where vendor furniture and hardware would be shown off and used in an authentic way. We want the PLN Plaza to be a place where all of the conference goers would have a comfortable place to meet, talk, and share ideas found at the conference.
My duties include:
ICE Planning Coordinator
As a member of the planning team for the ICE Conference, I have an integral part in deciding many of the conferences venues, themes, keynotes, and presentations that are at the conference. ICE has put me in a great position of understanding how an education conference is put together.
The EdReach Network started out of a passion for rewriting education’s story. While originally conceived as the “TechCrunch for education,” EdReach’s podcasts began taking off, as educators embraced Google Hangouts, and having discussions. Recently, embraced by TechCrunch, EdReach has been on a mission to capture the voices of the many specialists and “explainers” in education today.
In almost two years, The EdReach Network is an explainer network that boasts dozens of education channels, is reaching 25,000 unique downloads per month, and brings in the words of education’s best qualified teachers and speakers from Apple Distinguished Educators, Google Certified Teachers, Golden Apple Distinguished Educators, Microsoft Certified Teachers from all across the globe.
Daniel Rezac, Founder and Editor, not only hosts shows and produces 30-odd channels on EdReach, he works with each individual podcaster to craft a brand around each show. This includes creating titles, graphics, banners, Twitter handles- everything related to each show. In that vein, Daniel also works as a marketer and PR agent for these shows and educators.
The EdReach Network also covers live education conferences and events, and uses its contributors as on-the-field reporters. You can see some of this coverage at EdReach.us/events our Instagram Channel or atYouTube.com/edreach.
In addition Daniel and EdReach have begun working with the Google+ Team to create Virtual Field Trips with its outdoor education channel, The Wilderness Classroom. Titled Dogsledding Through Glass, the first of these premiered on Tuesday, February 4th at 10am CST, and was hosted by Daniel. Daniel and EdReach are currently working with the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Indiana Speedway to host their next VFTs.
The EdReach Mission:
The EdReach Network is an education broadcasting network. Its mission, to Take Education Forward, seeps through every show and podcast we do. By continuing to put out quality content from the world’s most qualified educators, we stand to re-brand education in the media as innovative and forward-thinking. We also have an advertising mission, designed to bring together and highlight the most innovative brands in education today. You can read more about that at EdReach.us/advertising.
Daniel's Responsibilities at EdReach:
Content and People Management:
As Editor in Chief, Daniel creates unique media campaigns for EdReach, that includes 100+ contributors. Each channel on EdReach has their own specialty, so Daniel can mobilize many of the EdReach contributors to create content at many of the US, Australian, and European ed tech conferences. Each contributor is mobilized to:
Running the EdReach Executive Team
Daniel oversees a Business Manager and a Chief Innovation Manager, that help EdReach produce content, while also connecting EdReach to some of education's most influential players.
Daniel is individually responsible for producing and designing:
TechSmith’s Chalkstar to Rockstar
Professional Development Workshops and Presentations
Teacher Integration Projects
Classroom Initiatives
Grants and Awards:
As owner and operator of Redfern Fitness Personal Training, I employed 2 people and guided my Chicago clientele through personal regimens of health, nutritional, and exercise science.
Living in Vermont and with my first degree, I felt I was now able to pursue my own interests. This experience is what helped me become a life-long learner.