Darryl Vidal

BACKSTAGE - Behind the Curtains with the Greatest Entertainers of the 20th Century tells the remarkable story of Marty Harrell, a professional journey that began with his rise as a teenage bass trombone prodigy and carried him to the heart of the greatest stages of his era.From the swinging days of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra to unforgettable performances behind legends like Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Sammy Davis Jr., Harrell's career placed him shoulder-to-shoulder with the most iconic entertainers of the 20th century.Told with intimacy and authenticity, BACKSTAGE is more than a chronicle of one man's musical career--it is a rare glimpse into the fun, excitement, banter and bluster behind the curtains, through the end of the big band era, the opening salvos of the British Invasion, and the height of the Rock & Roll epoch.

Active gamer Justin Turner and his friends- avid climbers Drew and Jon, mystically-sensitive LilyBelle, experienced surfers Brad and Shaina, puzzle master April, and outdoorsman Lisa-are masters at MindCraft, a global virtual reality gaming phenomenon that immerses its users in incredibly realistic environments. When the MindCraft Corporation CEO announces the Global MindCraft Universe Challenge, where the winner would become a worldwide superstar, these eight friends, also known as the Digital Mavericks, are excited to push the boundaries of the virtual gaming experience to prove to themselves they are elite Mindcraftians-all of this while also representing the United States on the global stage and acting as influencers dedicated to fostering unity and inclusion.But as the team participates in regional and national challenges on their way to the global championship, Justin finds a backdoor into the MindCraft database, accidentally discovering a sinister underbelly within the MindCraft Universe. The deeper he digs, the more he finds out that something-or someone-may be planning to use the MindCraft Global Challenge to enact a plan for world domination. As he continues to poke around, MindGuide, a new artificial intelligence setup as a chatbot in the MindCraft Universe, begins to target the Digital Mavericks with virtual manipulation and real-world threats.Now, as the bridge between virtual and reality collapses, Justin must carefully unravel this nefarious scheme and protect those who are clueless to the impending danger, all before the Digital Mavericks-and the world as we know it-are defeated once and for all.

Through the Digital Transformation Process, educators are guided step-by-step to seamlessly integrate digital tools into the curriculum, revolutionizing teaching methods and empowering students with 21st-century skills. Beyond merely enhancing learning outcomes, the digital transformation advocated by Vidal serves as a dynamic vehicle for achieving profound improvements in both student education and the overall efficiency of the school district.

Through the Digital Transformation Process, educators are guided step-by-step to seamlessly integrate digital tools into the curriculum, revolutionizing teaching methods and empowering students with 21st-century skills. Beyond merely enhancing learning outcomes, the digital transformation advocated by Vidal serves as a dynamic vehicle for achieving profound improvements in both student education and the overall efficiency of the school district.

Many books will be written about the latent effects COVID-19 and the response the pandemic will have on our community. Some of the impacts were immediate and obvious, like the forced move to distance learning, and the struggles, schools and families experienced. The most important factor is that school administrators must recognize that teachers and students need more than equipment and internet access. Fast Track to Online Learning describes, in detail, how schools and school districts must adopt a process for the development of advanced curriculum. Curriculum that focuses on critical thinking and leverages the technology to work in distance- and hybrid-learning models – what the author calls Tier 4 Curriculum (T4c).

Many books will be written about the latent effects COVID-19 and the response the pandemic will have on our community. Some of the impacts were immediate and obvious, like the forced move to distance learning, and the struggles, schools and families experienced. The most important factor is that school administrators must recognize that teachers and students need more than equipment and internet access. Fast Track to Online Learning describes, in detail, how schools and school districts must adopt a process for the development of advanced curriculum. Curriculum that focuses on critical thinking and leverages the technology to work in distance- and hybrid-learning models – what the author calls Tier 4 Curriculum (T4c).

Tools such as Blackboard and Google Classroom have seen wide-scale adoption and standardized implementation in colleges and universities. So why is K-12 a step behind? This book will not only answer this question, but it will provide the solution. This is a roadmap that will allow you (yes, you) to become the champion of advanced curriculum development for your school / district and achieve the promise of technology in the classroom.

Tools such as Blackboard and Google Classroom have seen wide-scale adoption and standardized implementation in colleges and universities. So why is K-12 a step behind? This book will not only answer this question, but it will provide the solution. This is a roadmap that will allow you (yes, you) to become the champion of advanced curriculum development for your school / district and achieve the promise of technology in the classroom.

More than 80% of Technology projects fail. What does that mean? It means the project has broken one of the "Triple Constraints", scope, time, and budget. This book is focused on project planning and project management of IT projects in the education realm.This book provides the most streamlined methods for defining, developing, documenting, and executing any Education Technology project. It provides the methods to insure integrity and accuracy in the planning phase, and control and communication in the execution phase. It defines how projects start and end, and all the milestones and control points in the middle. And it details how you can execute it all. After reading this book, you will have the methods, templates and examples, in order to deliver successful Education Technology projects, but more importantly, this book will give you the insights of how to become a successful Education Technology Project Manager.

More than 80% of Technology projects fail. What does that mean? It means the project has broken one of the "Triple Constraints", scope, time, and budget. This book is focused on project planning and project management of IT projects in the education realm.This book provides the most streamlined methods for defining, developing, documenting, and executing any Education Technology project. It provides the methods to insure integrity and accuracy in the planning phase, and control and communication in the execution phase. It defines how projects start and end, and all the milestones and control points in the middle. And it details how you can execute it all. After reading this book, you will have the methods, templates and examples, in order to deliver successful Education Technology projects, but more importantly, this book will give you the insights of how to become a successful Education Technology Project Manager.

FAIL TO PLAN, PLAN TO FAIL is a book for Education Technology professionals who understand that Ed Tech projects are complex and costly, and therefore must be planned and managed just like any other large-scale project. Oftentimes Education Technology professionals move straight from naming an initiative, such as “1 to 1 computing, or BYOD” right into implementation, without taking into consideration the necessary infrastructure, bandwidth and capacity. These requirements may double or even quadruple the overall expenditure. But in recent decades, with the massive call for classroom technology, the large-scale technology programs that have made the news have been huge failures, and have wasted millions of taxpayer dollars, taking some superintendents with them. What is the key to avoiding these failures, and how can you insure that it doesn’t happen to your school? The key is planning and project management. Education Technology Strategic Planning is the subject of this book. It provides a detailed process, called MAPITTM that guides the planner through five phases for developing your school’s Ed Tech Strategic Plan: Needs Identification, Needs Analysis, Recommendations, Feasibility and Implementation.

FAIL TO PLAN, PLAN TO FAIL is a book for Education Technology professionals who understand that Ed Tech projects are complex and costly, and therefore must be planned and managed just like any other large-scale project. Oftentimes Education Technology professionals move straight from naming an initiative, such as “1 to 1 computing, or BYOD” right into implementation, without taking into consideration the necessary infrastructure, bandwidth and capacity. These requirements may double or even quadruple the overall expenditure. But in recent decades, with the massive call for classroom technology, the large-scale technology programs that have made the news have been huge failures, and have wasted millions of taxpayer dollars, taking some superintendents with them. What is the key to avoiding these failures, and how can you insure that it doesn’t happen to your school? The key is planning and project management. Education Technology Strategic Planning is the subject of this book. It provides a detailed process, called MAPITTM that guides the planner through five phases for developing your school’s Ed Tech Strategic Plan: Needs Identification, Needs Analysis, Recommendations, Feasibility and Implementation.

Confucius in the Technology Realm is a ground-breaking new approach to the dynamic world of Education Technology. In this work, the author has decided to soften on structure and focus on art - to take a philosophical approach to the planning and management of the chaotic and ever-changing realm of Educational Technology – what would Confucius think about Ed Tech? But while providing a method of inquiry for philosophical guidance, the book is also meant to reinforce the ethereal concepts with real-world, Ed Tech examples. The ultimate objectives of impacting student learning and achievement and mastery of philosophical self-discipline becomes one and the same - thus, the Tao of Education Technology may be seen as Confucius’ viewpoint, helping identify the path to transcending the organization’s people, policies, and processes to attain a state where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts - where the education technology infrastructure and operational support structure are ingrained and embodied within the organization as a whole.

Confucius in the Technology Realm is a ground-breaking new approach to the dynamic world of Education Technology. In this work, the author has decided to soften on structure and focus on art - to take a philosophical approach to the planning and management of the chaotic and ever-changing realm of Educational Technology – what would Confucius think about Ed Tech? But while providing a method of inquiry for philosophical guidance, the book is also meant to reinforce the ethereal concepts with real-world, Ed Tech examples. The ultimate objectives of impacting student learning and achievement and mastery of philosophical self-discipline becomes one and the same - thus, the Tao of Education Technology may be seen as Confucius’ viewpoint, helping identify the path to transcending the organization’s people, policies, and processes to attain a state where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts - where the education technology infrastructure and operational support structure are ingrained and embodied within the organization as a whole.

This book provides a straightforward approach to developing a school or district’s vision to guide all stakeholders toward a common goal with educational technology. This book is intended for educational leaders to provide a structured methodology for a school or district to develop their own vision of educational technology. This book discusses educational technology in a non-technical manner and addresses ideas and concerns about 1:1 computing and bring your own device solutions (BYOD). This book will answer the following questions: - Why do we need a VISION for Technology in Education? - How do we develop our own VISION for Educational Technology? - Does our VISION for educational technology support our District Strategic Plan? - How do today’s infrastructure requirements, instructional applications and equipment impact our VISION?

This book provides a straightforward approach to developing a school or district’s vision to guide all stakeholders toward a common goal with educational technology. This book is intended for educational leaders to provide a structured methodology for a school or district to develop their own vision of educational technology. This book discusses educational technology in a non-technical manner and addresses ideas and concerns about 1:1 computing and bring your own device solutions (BYOD). This book will answer the following questions: - Why do we need a VISION for Technology in Education? - How do we develop our own VISION for Educational Technology? - Does our VISION for educational technology support our District Strategic Plan? - How do today’s infrastructure requirements, instructional applications and equipment impact our VISION?

N3xt Practices is a ground-breaking advisory book for education decision makers. Its purpose is to challenge the top trends and initiatives of the previous decade in educational technology and bring light to their short-falls and misses. It also highlights successful endeavors and strategies and details a common-sense methodology to move your school/district forward in its technology initiatives while insuring sustainability, and longevity and ultimately, success through results. Next Practices identifies technology-based initiatives, such as Interactive White Boards, Data Centers, and 1-to-1 Computing, and reviews actual implementations and case studies – both successful and unsuccessful – to provide a structure to plan and implement educational technology initiatives practical for schools and districts of all sizes. Next Practices goes beyond the examination of current best practices and redefines for educational leaders NEXT Practices for successful technology initiatives in support of 21st century learning.