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Stephen Molyneux

Steve Molyneux, (born Walton, Liverpool, Lancashire, 24 February 1955) is a British educational technologist whose work as a Microsoft Professor of Advanced Learning Technology and as an Apple Distinguished Educator has led to him influencing the use of technologies across the British School system. His use of technology across public life led to him resigning as a Justice of the Peace on 25 April 2009 due to an issue over his use of Twitter in reporting the outcome of public case hearings. Whilst not forced to resign, Molyneux took the stance that Justice should be seen to be transparent and that Social Networking technologies such as Twitter was a way forward in achieving this. Three months after he resigned the Justice Secretary Jack Straw announced that the Crown Prosecution Service would publish the outcome of cases on the Internet.After spending 16 years in the multimedia and education industry working for ATARI, AriolaSoft and the German Ministry of Education and Science, Molyneux returned to the UK in 1991 when he founded, together with John Rodgers of TIME, the European Multimedia Awards. During the 1990s the EMMAs became one of the most prestigious awards in the Multimedia Industry, attracting as sponsors and judges pioneers of multimedia such as Douglas Adams.For his pioneering work he was appointed, as one of only 25 people world-wide, a visiting Fellow of the British Computer giant ICL in 1994.In 1995, whilst holding the Microsoft Chair of Advanced Learning Technologies at the University of Wolverhampton, he developed one of the first Virtual Learning Environments.In 1996, as a British Association for the Advancement of Science media fellow, he developed with Ed Briffa, Editor of the BBC Science programme Tomorrow's World, one of the first real-time online science magazines. The magazine was set up to report live from the Annual Festival of Science held at University of Birmingham and reporters included Vivienne Parry, Philippa Forrester and Craig Doyle.In 2002 he was appointed by Estelle Morris, the then Secretary of Education as a member of the Post-16 eLearning Strategy Taskforce. The taskforce was chaired by Steve Morrison, CEO of ITV. The report was published in July 2002 under the title "Getting on with IT".In 2003 he proposed and attracted funding for an "e-Innovation Centre" at the university which could combine the research and development skills of the higher education sector with that of industry to promote Internet-based start-up companies. In October 2010, UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced £200 million to develop such technology centres as part of the government strategy to enhance UK growth.In 2005 he was appointed advisor to the UK Deputy Chief of Defence Staff to monitor the evaluation of a Defence Training Review initiative.Molyneux worked closely with Cambridge University Press and Abilene Christian University in Texas on redefining the 'textbooks' and the use of technologies to support mobile learning.He is a patron of Shropshire Young Enterprise and from 2003-2007 was Mayor of Oakengates, in Telford where he currently resides. He broadcasts occasionally on BBC Radio Shropshire Morning Show on issues relating to technology and in October 2009 was elected to the West Midlands regional committee of the British Science Association.In 2012 he founded the iPad Academy, later rebranded Tablet Academy, as an education consultancy and teacher training organisation focusing on the use of tablet technology in the classroom and in 2014 took up a visiting post as Professor of Global Education Leadership in the Centre for Doctoral Studies within the Education Faculty at Lamar University in Texas.