Tom Layton

Tom pioneered the use of technology to empower learning. An inspirational evangelist of instructional technology, thousands of teachers across the globe have heard him speak passionately about online learning and the future of education. Tom was one of Apple's first Distinguished Educators and named Educator of the Year by Electronic Learning Magazine well before the Web (or even multimedia CD-ROMs) existed.

Tom's unconventional approach to instructional technology has paid off. He lead a team of students to create the world's first CD-ROM yearbook (1989), fostered and advised the startup of SouthTECH, a student run multimedia production company, and founded CyberSchool (1994), the first Internet-based public school distance learning program, all within five years. Tom's students now work for companies like Pixar, Apple, or their own firms.

Besides contributing as an adjunct member of our team, Tom is also working with the YB Group to create the next generation of educational systems, the Irkutsk State Linguistic University to create online courses in Russian taught by Russian Language experts living in Siberia, and the Center for Advanced Technology in Education (CATE) at the University of Oregon to develop prototype teacher training courses in Second Life. He holds a bachelors degree in English and a masters degree in English as a second language from Northern Arizona University. He is a credentialed Oregon teacher.