Recommendations: Derek E. Baird

Derek Baird > About > Publications > Portfolio > Recommendations

 

Dervala Hanley, Senior Strategist, Stone Yamashita Partners:

"Derek and I collaborated on an ambitious project for Yahoo. My innovation firm hired him as a specialist advisor. Derek is an extraordinarily able educational media technologist and adviser. He doesn't just observe the ed technology and media space, he lives it—and as a result, he has a deep understanding of how social media is shaping education and youth culture.

He gets what's really taking root and what's vaporware. And he understands the complex factors that influence adoption. His commitment to clients is such that he ended up driving the project for more than two years, working side by side with a client team. I recommend Derek highly and would love to work with him again.”

Bill Scott, Netflix.com:

“Derek is the most passionate guy I know about the intersection of education, youth, social media, technology & tech for good. Derek & I worked together on Yahoo! Teachers/Gobbler. Totally amazingly really connected in this space with a solid knowledge of what goes on in the space.

 Anastasia Goodstein, Founder, Ypulse.com:

“I have had the pleasure of working with Derek to help promote both the 2007 and 2009 Totally Wired Teacher Award presented at the annual Ypulse youth marketing conference. I don't know anyone better versed or connected in the ed tech space who also gets youth media and marketing.

Derek is thoughtful, articulate, responsive one of the best partners I've ever worked with on a project.”

Samantha Murphy, Founder, SMtv Music/The Highway Girl:

“As any founder of a start-up knows, finding someone who believes in you and your company is challenging to say the least. Derek Baird not only believes in unproven ideas, but he throws his heart and soul behind what he believes in. He is truly a visionary.

There are many people claiming to know social media and very few who actually understand it inside and out. Derek has a deep understanding of how the Internet plays an integral part in any company.

He has an incredibly keen knowledge of how to leverage social media to bring a company its target market. I wouldn't hesitate to have Derek on any team where I wanted to see success.”

Tanna Drapkin, Senior Product Manager, YackPack.com:

“As a member of YackPack's Education Advisory Board Derek brought a keen insight to educational technology and social media as well as a passion for how the landscape is evolving. If ever there were a question about what was happening in educational technology, Derek was our top resource. He was consistently in the know and on the cutting edge of events in this space.

Always generous with his time, knowledge, and connections, Derek was without a doubt one of the best advocates for YackPack in the educational media arena. We couldn't have asked for more from one of our board members. In addition to being an outstanding resource and advocate, Derek is also an exceptional human being. I feel very fortunate to know him.”

Mercedes Fisher PhD, President, Interactive Learning Design:

"Derek Baird is a dedicated scholar in educational technology media as applied to the improvement of online environments and communities of practice. He has designed and developed instructional materials and developed online communities in both corporate and non-profit sectors. From his earliest days as a graduate student, he has striven to push the envelope of what we know about educational media.

In sum, Derek Baird has generated a good amount of original and creative work that has received serious attention from scholars and practitioners in his field. Derek’s research is high caliber; and, positively, asks as many questions as it answers.

In this manner, his contribution is two-fold; he not only increases the knowledge of the field but he also provides a platform for the research of others. Derek Baird’s record of research and publication demonstrates a passion for contributing knowledge to the field of educational technology. He has produced both articles and book chapters on such subjects as social and mobile media, Gen Y, youth media and education technology.

Lance Wilcox, Senior Manager Design & Development, J.D. Power & Associates

"Derek's UED guide is very good--frankly, the best I've seen. I love the screen captured examples--in contrast, most of the guides I've had to wade through are nothing more than bullet-pointed lists of specs.

From a vendor's perspective, the guide is very clearly written and quite thorough; for example, the section on global CSS templates and hex colors provides great information, just what designers and programmers want to know. Clearly, the guide was written by a real instructional designer."

Amy James, CEO, Knowledge Essentials Media:

“An impressive grasp of educational technology, social media and technology and an "get it done" attitude make Derek a pleasure to work with...Highly recommended and I am looking forward to working with him again soon!”

Kimberly Greene, CEO, EdTech 21:

“I was a professor in the Graduate School of Education and Psychology for several years before Derek officially joined our faculty.

He was a wonderful addition. His enthusiasm and ability to communicate is unmatched. He has the rare gift of being able to deconstruct complex issues and share them with others in a relaxed, open fashion that makes the information easy to comprehend."

Quinn J. Sutton, Executive Director, Digital Alliance Foundation:

“Derek is a social media specialist who always seems to be on the inside track of the latest in technology...He is a professional of particular instructional acumen and possesses the rare ability to "cut-through" the data and focus on the most salient and relevant points to get things done.

Derek is a seasoned strategist and an asset to any team with which he works.”