Dr William Rankin has joined pi-top as Director of Learning and Research. Rankin, an award-winning educator and technology executive, will lead a global team of teachers, curriculum designers and researchers focused on the design and creation of engaging educational approaches and content to support pi-top’s ‘Learning by Making‘ initiative.
He brings 26 years of experience as a teacher and technologist in education. Previously, he was Director of Learning for Apple Inc., where he had responsibility for developing, promoting, and enhancing innovative teaching and learning in pre-K to post-20 education.
Prior to joining Apple, Rankin worked in higher education for 24 years, concluding his time as a Professor of English and Honors College Fellow at Abilene (Texas) Christian University, where he helped design the world’s first one-to-one technology program using an iOS device. This program sought to break through classroom isolation by giving every student mobile educational technologies they could use for real-world learning. As project lead for this initiative, Rankin was named Campus Technology Magazine’s 2008 Innovator of the Year for mobile learning. He has received numerous other education awards, and has presented on educational technology and emerging teaching and learning strategies at national and international conferences in more than 30 countries.
“Bill Rankin has been at the forefront of innovation and change in education for more than 25 years,” said Jesse Lozano, pi-top CEO. “As we continue to expand our educational content on the pi-top platform, Bill will play a key role in helping the company deliver on its promise of helping prepare students for success in the 21st century and the advent of the fourth industrial revolution.”