Keynote Speakers

Jon Kolko

Jon Kolko portrait

Design as Product Strategy
Bringing design thinking to product management in order to create educational products people love

Most companies consider strong product management to be the “glue” that holds together products as they are being conceived of and built, and most companies treat product management as either a marketing or an engineering activity. But modern startups like Airbnb and large corporations like JetBlue or Starbucks have proven that industry disruption is possible not by focusing on adding features or just improving sales, but instead by focusing on providing deep, meaningful engagement to the people that use their products or services. This engagement is achieved by designing products that seem as though they have a personality, or even a soul. These products feel less like manufactured artifacts and more like good friends.

David White

David White portrait

Cultural flips: the digital as the home of learning

What are the implications as the digital becomes the primary place where students learn - when the physical campus becomes an extension of the digital, not the other way around? In this talk I will highlight some of the ‘cultural flips’ I have witnessed as students move to the digital and explore how they have come about. Using the Visitors and Residents concept of online engagement I will discuss the implications of these shifts in thinking for art, design and communication and the possible responses we can make as teachers, technicians and facilitators.

Cindy Royal

Cindy Royal portrait

Lead, Innovate and Disrupt: Connecting Curriculum Strategies to Success in the Digital Workplace

Careers in communication and the arts are undergoing profound change, driven by the scale and disruption created by Web and mobile technologies. Graduates won’t just work, but will be expected to lead strategy, think creatively and drive innovation. Curriculum must change along with the digital workplace to foster an entrepreneurial mindset.