Ed Madison, a visiting assistant professor in the UO's School of Journalism and Communication, has been named to the Apple Distinguished Educator program for the Class of 2013.

He is the only current Apple Distinguished Educator in the state of Oregon.

Every year, the prestigious program recognizes the most innovative educators in the world for their work with Apple technology in and out of the classroom.

According to the program coordinators, Madison’s determination to seek new paths and embrace new opportunities in the digital world sets him apart.

Madison gained nationwide attention in journalism education two years ago, when he spearheaded the nation’s first student-produced iPad-specific publication. His Mobile Media Production class created OR Magazine, a digital magazine for the iPad, using Adobe’s pre-release Digital Publishing Suite.

Since then, Madison created a Media Entrepreneurship course, where students presented creative ideas to media businesses in the Portland area. Madison and Professor Tom Wheeler have also collaborated on the PDX Arts Journalism Workshop, where students traveled to Portland to cover the Portland Jazz festival. Click here to see their work.

Madison says the SOJC’s emphasis on collaboration and forward thinking has played a significant role in his being able to innovate.

“Not every university allows you to experiment and do things with the support of the administration so quickly,” Madison said. “We’re able to do these things because we have a great faculty. Our people are open to new ideas.”

- from the UO School of Journalism and Communication