CUE’s Executive Director Mike Lawrence congratulates Todd Finnell (left) on being named CUE’s 2007 Technology in Learning Leadership Award Winner.

Palm Springs, California March 5, 2007 In Friday’s General Session of the Computer Using Educators (CUE) annual California conference Todd Finnell, CEO of the California K-12 High Speed Network (K12HSN) and Assistant Superintendent of Imperial County Office of Education, was awarded CUE’s Technology in Learning Leadership (TILL) Award.  The award recognizes local, state, and national leaders in educational technology.

The presentation acknowledged Todd’s role as the leader of the K12HSN as well as earlier work to bring the schools and districts in his county technology resources delivered in effective ways. Since 1990, Todd has worked as a classroom teacher, to secure local partnerships and federal grant funding to build technology and its applications in county schools.  He currently manages the manner in which 9,000+ schools and districts reach the Internet. Todd’s leadership and teamwork have always served schools and students well. The clarity with which he addresses K-12’s needs to Legislators and other stakeholders continues to win support for providing students with the advantages available though technology.

As he accepted the award, Todd acknowledged the importance of the teachers’ role in using technology in meaningful ways to engage and educate students.  The CUE conference also included a Student Technology Showcase in which examples of student work that are enhanced by technology are displayed as models of what is possible when teachers and students work together to put technology to use in learning environments (http://www.cue.org/showcase). 

As the 2007 CUE TILL winner, Todd will be considered for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Technology in Learning Award. This honor is announced at the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in Atlanta, Georgia June 24-27, 2007.