Speaking

Speaker on learning with AI and learning technology

Talks on learning and working with AI, accessibility, and publishing. I develop and teach AI-productivity training at the M.L. Campbell Training Center, I’ve spoken at 18+ WordCamps since 2011, and I’m an MA candidate in Learning and Technology at Royal Roads University.

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Conference sessions from $3,000 CAD ($5,500 for institutions) · conference workshops from $4,500 · community events fee-waived

Talks I give

Three current talks, plus two shorter sessions for publishing and WordPress audiences. Each one can be shaped to the room, and none of them is a pitch: they teach a method, they don’t sell my services.

Working with AI without handing it the judgement

Built from the AI-productivity sessions I developed and deliver for the M.L. Campbell sales and distribution network: where AI saves time, where it quietly makes things up, and the habits that keep a person accountable for the result. For faculty, staff, and teaching teams adopting AI tools. 45 to 60 minutes.

What an accessibility audit actually catches in your library’s web systems

Written for Access 2026 in Hamilton, October 2026. The failures an audit finds in catalogues, discovery layers, repositories, and the WordPress site holding them together, and how to test for them yourself: the keyboard pass, the screen reader pass, and which automated tools help. For library, college, and public-sector web teams. 20 minutes including questions.

The right question, asked in the wrong room

EDUCAUSE’s 2027 Top 10 puts “determining where AI adds real value” at number one. None of the contributor categories it publishes is a teaching role. A talk about bringing the people who teach into that question, drawn from AI Learning, Keeping It Human, my weekly newsletter. For higher-education leaders and teaching and learning centres. 30 to 45 minutes. New in 2026.

WordPress at editorial and institutional scale

Content models, editorial workflow governance, performance under a live news desk, and the architectural decisions that look cheap at year one and expensive at year three. Past work includes Postmedia (Calgary Herald, The StarPhoenix, Canada.com on WordPress VIP) and the National Post. For editorial-technology audiences and WordCamp developer sessions.

Make a living giving it away: the open-source model, fifteen years on

An update on the talk that started at WordCamp Toronto 2011. What the give-first model looks like now that AI can generate the surface-level content that used to differentiate practitioners. Community-facing and suitable for WordPress events; not a vendor talk.

If you are booking a speaker on learning with AI, accessibility, or publishing technology, you probably want someone who has run the systems, not someone who has read about them. I have spent the working week inside the thing I will be talking about. When someone in the third row asks the question that exposes whether a speaker actually ships, I want to be glad they asked.

I give conference, campus, and virtual talks on learning with AI, accessibility, and publishing technology, and people leave with something they can use the next morning.

Delivery context: WordCamp speaker at 18+ events since 2011. Recordings on WordPress.tv. Curriculum developer and instructor at the M.L. Campbell Training Center (Sherwin-Williams). MA candidate in Learning and Technology, Royal Roads University. Based in Fort Erie, Ontario; travel quoted per event.

If you’re a program chair, event planner, or department head and you already know what you need, send a brief. I prepare each session for the room, and I don’t read slides.

Rates

Community events (WordCamps, meetups, non-profit conferences): speaking fee waived. Travel within Ontario covered by the event; further travel discussed individually.
Conference session or keynote: from $3,000 CAD for community events, associations and small businesses; from $5,500 CAD for institutions. Travel within driving distance of Niagara at no additional cost; elsewhere quoted separately.
Conference workshop or breakout: from $4,500 CAD for a half-day at community and small-business events; from $6,500 CAD for institutions. Includes curriculum design for new topics; existing sessions cost less.

For institutions the price includes a content brief agreed with the organizers, accessible slides and handouts, and a pre-event call. Travel outside driving distance of Niagara is quoted separately.

Send a speaking inquiry or email directly at hello@thisismyurl.com. Use “Speaking” in the subject line.

Recorded WordCamp talks: six sessions on WordPress.tv (2011–2023)

Six recorded talks from WordCamps across Canada and the US. The closest recorded match to the talks above is AI in WordPress workflows (Rochester 2023); the newer talks on learning with AI and accessibility are not recorded yet. The full archive is on the talks page.

See the full speaking archive →

Available formats

Conference keynote or session (30–75 min)

One clear argument, for conferences, campus events, and professional associations. Includes Q&A. Slides provided in advance on request.

Conference workshop or breakout (90 min–half day)

A hands-on session inside a conference or campus event. Participants leave with something specific they built or decided. Capped at 20 participants.

Virtual keynote, panel, or briefing

Designed for remote delivery, shorter modules, structured breakout activities, not a slide deck with a talking head on top. Full technical setup on my end, no reliance on your AV team. Recording rights negotiated per engagement.

Send a speaking inquiry.

Include your event date, format, expected audience size, and the topic area that fits best. I’ll reply the next business day with availability and fees.

Send the inquiry →

Related: Newsletter · Blog · Past talks · Public record

Common questions

How much does it cost to book you? Conference sessions and keynotes are from $3,000 CAD for community events and small businesses, and from $5,500 for institutions; half-day workshops and breakouts are from $4,500, or $6,500 for institutions. Team training runs through Lakeview Training.

What do you speak on? Learning and working with AI, accessibility, and publishing technology, with a practitioner's slant rather than a highlight reel. The talks are built for the room, not adapted from a standard deck the night before.

Do you waive fees for community events? Yes. WordCamps and community events are fee-waived. The rate card is for conferences and institutions.