Overview   Who Should Attend   Attendee Registration   Vendor Registration   Schedule-at-a-Glance Related Links   RETN   Connect2Texas   2009 Vendor Fair   TxDLA	5th Annual Distance Learning Educator Conference  {logo}   Keynote Speaker Ben Mikaelson Finding The Heart of The Story: Stories Behind Ben’s Stories   {ben}       Author Ben Mikaelsen is known for his in-depth research and the magical worlds he creates. His research has included flying to the North Pole, going undercover with narcotics agents, living with the homeless in Mexico and with the Massai in Africa, riding a horse across the United States from Minnesota to Oregon, boating the length of Mississippi, driving overland from Montana to the tip of South America (the Terra Del Fuego), over 1000 parachute jumps and racing sled dogs in Northern Minnesota.   {ben and bear} Ben Mikaelsen is winner of the International Reading Association Award and the Western Writer’s Golden Spur Award.  His novels have been nominated to and have won many State Readers Choice awards.   These novels include Rescue Josh McGuire, Sparrow Hawk Red, Stranded, Countdown, Petey, Touching Spirit Bear, Red Midnight, Tree Girl and Ghost of Spirit Bear.  His novel’s, Rescue Josh McGuire, Petey and Touching Spirit Bear  have been optioned for screen production.  Ben’s articles and photos appear in numerous magazines around the world, and he has been featured on national TV with Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures.   {ben and bear kiss} Ben lives in a log cabin near Bozeman, Montana, with a 700-pound black bear that he saved from a research facility and has raised for over twenty five years. Join author, adventurer & speaker Ben Mikaelsen, as he shares his insights and a glimpse inside his unique and exciting world.
	Keynote speaker sponsored by Polycom, Inc.