Computer Education Group members who have significantly contributed to national computer education activities and knowledge or who have a significant history of a leadership role in Computer Education Groups and ACCE and have been awarded Fellowships to ACCE are:
Janine Bowes 2014
Janine Bowes has given long and dedicated service to the goals and purposes of ACCE through her long service on the ACCE Board from 1995 to 2002 and through the state group TASITE from the early 1990s to the present, including ten years as president.
As national secretary Janine was one of the key players who shaped ACCE through a period of time when it began to play a major role in contributing to national government policy on ICT in education, through invited attendance at national forums, by forming relationships and partnerships with other national bodies, and by successfully bidding for government-funded projects such as the NATCOM projects. She was a major contributor to ACCE’s work on ICT teacher competencies. As national secretary she moved ACCE’s information management processes and document management into the digital age and undertook painstaking work to review and align the constitution and policy documents.
While working nationally from 1997-2003, she leveraged opportunities while travelling to promote ACCE’s agenda and to contribute the specific expertise she was developing through innovative work in online communities, to ACCE’s work.
Janine was recognised with an “ISTE Making IT Happen” award at the Cairns ACEC 2006 conference and has been a long-term advocate of keeping ACCE and TASITE connected internationally with ISTE. As President of TASITE, Janine led the organisation of the bid and subsequent planning and running of the successful ACEC 2002 in Hobart.
On a lighthearted note she added to the camaraderie of the ACCE Board by introducing the naming convention for the meetings (based on what the Board was NOT able to participate in by being at the meeting) and the tradition of new members supplying chocolate.
Since leaving the ACCE Board, Janine has made herself available as needed to represent ACCE. For example, in 2007 she represented ACCE and Australian ICT education at the National Computing Studies Summit and in June 2014 will be hosting a morning for the ACCE study tour at Teachers College Columbia University in New York City where she is currently undertaking postgraduate studies in Instructional Technology and Media, through a prestigious Hardie Fellowship.
Ralph Leonard 2012
Ralph has over 30 years experience in the application of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in a variety of settings. His work, predominantly within education and government, has involved both the formation of policy advice and strategies for the use of ICT services and the design, development and management of pioneering systems.
Ralph has been an active volunteer within ISTE-affiliated professional associations for educational technology for more than a decade. He has served in leadership roles as President (1996-2002) of the Computers in Education Group of South Australia (CEGSA), a current Board Member (since 1997) and President (2003 – 2010) of the Australian Council for Computers in Education (ACCE) and is the current Chair of the Board of the Technology Education Federation of Australia (TEFA). Ralph has been the conference convenor (1998) and financial manager (2004) for the Australian Computers in Education Conference.
In 2006 he was elected a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society for his long and dedicated commitment to the support of educational technology. Ralph was also a member of the International Judging Panel for the 2006 ThinkQuest International Competition.
In recent years, he has worked with many organisations including Australian and South Australian governments, the Australian Council for Educational Research and the South East Asia Ministers of Education Organization. These activities have demonstrated a high level of competence, not only in the applications of technology, but also in the processes associated with the development of policy, strategies and related project management. Much of his work has involved management of the design, development and ongoing operational phases of pioneering systems, and the promotion of their use through professional development programs.
A large proportion of the projects has been focused on the effective and appropriate use of online environments. He is currently a member of the National (Australian) Broadband Strategy Implementation Group.
With expertise in management, consulting, technology and education, he possesses the capabilities to fit easily into any team, using those skills to ensure a successful outcome.
Ralph has shown leadership through sound judgement, problem solving strategies, persistence and initiative, leading strongly motivated teams, focused on specific tasks, with team members drawn from a variety of backgrounds.
Ralph’s writing style has been applied successfully to consultancy reports, government discussion papers and briefings, tender specifications and bids, published papers and books. He displays confidence and enthusiasm when delivering presentations, coping equally with packed conference halls, executive management meetings or small training groups. Recognition of his expertise and presentation style has resulted in many invited appearances at conferences and expert forums.
Tony Brandenburg 2010
MEd. FACCE, is an internationally recognized educator who has
worked tirelessly for more than 30 years in the area of education and learning with a focus on technology.
He lives in Bali in Indonesia. He has taught at all levels of education both in Australia and overseas and has worked with government departments in Australia and the Middle East. At present, he works as a freelance consultant, specialising in teacher training in the implementation of technology into large education systems globally.
He is a past president of ICTEV and served on the ACCE Board from 2005 until 2008, including a year as treasurer, and then from 2010 to 2014 as President. In 2005 he was presented with the ACCE’s Australian leader of the year in Educational Technology and in 2010 was made a Fellow of the Council. He is a past member of the ISTE’s (International Society for Technology in Education) Board, is an ISTE Ambassador and wears a Making IT Happen jacket on appropriate occasions. Along with Helen Padgett, Tony was the facilitator of the sister affiliates initiative between Australia/New Zealand and the United States in 2006.
Tony has spent much of his teaching life working with technology, advocating for better resources, and challenging much of the educational status quo in relation to information and communication technology. He believes that passionate advocacy, excellent information, and clear goals and objectives are essential when dealing with system and government authorities.
Geoff Romeo 2010
Dr Geoff Romeo was a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Monash Unviersity, Australia. He had been with the faculty since 1991.
Prior to this he was a teacher with the Education Department of Victoria. He has taught in a number of schools in Victoria including Waverley Meadows Primary School, Rowville Primary School and Mossgiel Park Primary School. In 1989 he was an International Teaching Feelow and taught for 12 months at Galveston Elementary School in Arizona, USA.
Geoff was the Chair of the faculty’s Information and Communication Technologies in Education Committee, a member of the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology Faculty Board, Course Director of the Primary Program at Peninsula, the Coordinator of Educational Computing and Senior Lecturer in ICTE at the Peninsula Campus.
He was a member of Monash University’s HEPCIT (Higher Education Partnerships in Communication and Information Technology) Committee and Chair of the InterLearn Steering Committee. His research interests include the use of ICT in education (from early childhood education to tertiary education) to improve teaching and learning, online teaching and learning, the development of primary and middle school curriculum, action research and education in general.
Dr Romeo is a past President of ICT in Education in Victoria and a past member of the Australian Council for Computers in Education and the Standards Council of the Teaching Profession. He has been the editior and publications officer of the Australian Educational Computing journal for a number of years
Geoff is a respected lecturer, researcher, presenter and author, and is active in delivering and organising professional development for schools, organisations and teachers. He has presented at conferences, seminars and workshops in Australia, the United Kingdom, USA, Demark and Chile.