Distinguished panel set to review best and brightest apps, platforms, products and people in the edtech world.

Thought leaders, journalists, educators, entrepreneurs, technology coordinators and forward-thinking change agents are among those who will be evaluating entries in the third annual EdTech Digest Awards Recognition Program. The prestigious awards program celebrates the best and brightest apps, platforms, products and people in the education and technology (“edtech”) world. The distinguished panel of judges represents a wide variety of backgrounds and are all esteemed leaders in their various areas. Judges include:

Mark Weston. Mark has spent the last 37 years working to enhance education for all students through key positions at Dell, Apple, Education Commission of the States, at the Department of Education, and with key congressional leaders, state legislatures, governors and school leaders. He has contributed to groundbreaking initiatives in more than half a dozen states. He serves as Associate Dean, Learning Systems at Georgia Tech Professional Education.

Judy Faust Hartnett. Judy is a contributing editor to EdTech Digest. She was editor-in-chief of District Administration magazine for nearly six years. Passionate about education technology, she is a recognized leader in education journalism. Previously, she was the managing editor of the venerable ConsumerReports.org with more paid subscribers than any other publication-based website in the world.

Mark Gura. Mark taught at New York City public schools in East Harlem for two decades. He spent five years as a curriculum developer for the central office and was eventually tapped to be the New York City Department of Education’s director of the Office of Instructional Technology, assisting over 1,700 schools serving 1.1 million students in America’s largest school system.

Ted Fujimoto. Ted is an experienced entrepreneur and consultant in organizational performance, development, scaling and business planning. He has helped develop business strategies representing more than $150 million in funding. He has helped design one of the most highly regarded school networks in the country and has been a grant manager for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Carnegie Foundation.

Greg Limperis. Greg is the founder of the very popular Technology Integration in Education professional learning network, reaching thousands of educators worldwide and helping them to move their classrooms forward into the 21^st century; he’s also Supervisor of Instructional Technology for Lawrence, Mass. Schools where he was previously a technology facilitator for more than a decade.

Jennifer Corriero. Jennifer is the co-founder and Executive Director of TakingITGlobal, a nonprofit empowering youth to understand and act on the world’s greatest challenges. She’s been a presenter in over 30 countries including at TED and the U.S. National Youth Summit, and she is a facilitator, speaker, dreamer, catalyst, driver of change, enabler, social technologist and highly energetic individual.

Twitter Followers. Influence the judging process by chiming in on twitter. Your 140-character or less statement (use the #edtech hashtag) should be @edtechdigest and say something about an app, platform, product or person in the education technology world that you wish to have considered. Tweet as often as you wish.

To be considered, request an entry form and program details. Entry is easy and brief. Entrants must not contact the judges directly. The awards program is open to industry solutions providers, educators and others in and around education including K-12, higher education and lifelong learning. The program includes three broad entry categories: the Cool Tool awards, the EdTech Leadership awards, and the Trendsetter awards. Each award, in turn, has numerous subcategories under which to enter, e.g., emerging technology solutions, mobile learning applications; edtech visionary, product or service setting a trend, and so on.

“Our judges this year are giants among us, having influenced millions through their efforts at improving, advancing and modernizing education,” says Victor Rivero, Editor in Chief of EdTech Digest. “They are highly regarded leaders from a variety of experiences but what they all have in common is a keen eye for what works in education and technology.”

In just the past year alone, the education technology world has seen greater growth than ever in real numbers, real money and real attention, according to Victor.

“From dozens to hundreds of startups; from blips to billions in venture capital; and from millionaire kindergarten teachers sharing lesson plans to YouTube tutors on the cover of Forbes — the edtech world is raising the roof in terms of its sheer activity,” he says. “In fact, the walls and roof are really coming off. Decades of rumbling momentum have finally hit lift off and any remnant relics of the little red schoolhouse agrarian-to-factory seat-time one-size-fits-all models are going to be blasted to smithereens. We’re really moving into a new age, the character of which, is up to us.”

As for the awards program, “We’re very happy to help celebrate the best and brightest apps, platforms, products and people in the edtech world,” says Victor, “But what’s really exciting is the real difference it all makes for our future. In terms of talent, trends and potential — this will be the most exciting year yet.””

For details and an entry form, write to: victor@edtechdigest.blog