| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 17, 2013 . |
Contact: Press Office |
BOSTON–The Foundation for Excellence in Education today hosted two panels on digital learning at its National Summit on Education Reform, bringing together state and education leaders to discuss how technology can help equip students with the knowledge and skills to succeed in this 21st century economy.
“A Customized Education: Extreme Choices through Digital Learning” highlighted how students in an increasing number of states, including Louisiana and Utah, are benefiting from expanded choice in education. By providing options down to the individual course level, course access allows students to tailor their education to their own learning style, interests and schedule. The session included the following participants:
Moderator: Michael Horn, co-founder and executive director of education at Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation
Panelists:
- Ken Bradford, Assistant Superintendent, Louisiana Department of Education’s Office of Content
- Susan Patrick, President and CEO, International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL)
- Howard Stephenson, Utah State Senator
Bradford provided an overview of the Louisiana Course Choice program. Patrick spoke of student-driven instruction and success measures. And Senator Stephenson shared his experience in passing course access legislation in Utah. Also in attendance, a full-time high school student from Florida Virtual School shared her experience with online learning. She spoke of the added flexibility an online education has offered her, with personalized courses allowing her to advance at her own speed and learn from any location.
“Education’s New Normal: Mass Access to The Best Courses and Teachers in the World Through Technology” explored how massive online open courses (MOOCs) are changing the way students of all backgrounds and across the world are learning through free online courses. These courses offer the same quality of teaching found in America’s Ivy League schools, including Harvard, MIT and Berkeley. Attendees heard about the untapped opportunities and policy challenges related to the use of MOOCs in public school settings. The session included the following participants:
Moderator: John Bailey, Executive Director, Digital Learning Now!
Panelists:
- Anant Agarwal, President, edX
- Erin Knight, Senior Director of Learning and Badges, Mozilla
- Hadi Partovi, President and Co-founder, Code.org
Dr. Agarwal discussed the revolutionary ability to bring high-quality content to students in every country across the world. Partovi talked about the need to increase vital skills for 21st century jobs and Code.org’s work in encouraging states to offer computer science courses in schools. And Knight shared Mozilla’s work in developing badges that would give students the ability to increase their public display of skills and talent through verified, portable credentials.