As former director of Schools Without Walls - SWOW and Hot Springs Technology Institute – HSTI, Don has worked for many years to bring quality technology education to the state of Arkansas. He works to provide current information for different grade levels and content areas with emphasis on educational technology tools and resources.  Don is always willing to share his knowledge with others.  The members of various organizations have enjoyed his presentations on a variety of educational infusion topics for many years.  Even now he can be seen in his new role of “Professor,” where he is making an impact on higher-ed in the field of Educational Leadership.  Don has received the honor of Arkansas Association of Instructional Media - Technology Leader of the Year two times in 2002 and in 2013 for his work with educational technology throughout the state of Arkansas in K-12 education.

 

With technology ever-changing, Don and some of his colleagues recognized the need for quality technology professional development throughout the school year.  After getting input from multiple technology stakeholders around the state, he founded “Schools Without Walls - SWOW” which is a team of professional experts that give educators opportunities to share what’s going on with technology in their classroom with resources for mobile technology integration emphasizing the Common Core State Standards – CCSS, Teacher Excellence Support System – TESS, infusion of iOS Apps and Google Apps in K-12 and Higher Education.  During November the Schools Without Walls Leadership Conference is held in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

 

Don Benton, Ed.S., is the Assistant Commissioner of Research and Technology for the Arkansas Department of Education and continues to serve as an adjunct Assistant Professor in Educational Leadership at Henderson State University as an educational technology subject matter expert.  He is the former director of the Hot Springs Technology Institute – http://hssd.net and formerly directed the Schools Without Walls conference held each fall in November – www.schoolswow.org by bringing professional development experts together to prepare more than 1800 educators annually for the future of education and technology integration.  Mr. Benton has previous work as an E-rate specialist serving the needs of private and public sector entities.  Don is a graduate of Henderson State University with a B.S.E. in Vocational Business Education - 1994, M.S.E. in Educational Leadership - 2003 and an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership - 2013.  He is currently pursuing his doctorate (Ed.D.) in Educational Technology at Boise State University.  Don has been involved in the field of education his entire life and career.