November 2005 — THE at the Show
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CELT National Education Summit ’05
The Center for Education Leadership and Technology’s October Cape Cod forum focuses on bridging the gap between education reform and technology.
INNOVATIVE LEADER. Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s keynote speech addressed the threat that globalization brings to the US economy. Romney stated that a strong education system with a focus on math and science could catapult the United States back into the position of innovation leader. Many of Romney’s proposals for Massachusetts’ education system provide incentives for math and science teachers, as well as a laptop—the prototype of which is under development at MIT—for every student in the state.
eLEARNING BENEFICIARIES. Harvard University (MA) Professor Chris Dede, who is also a member of T.H.E. Journal’s editorial board, discussed virtual learning environments in a breakout session. His research shows that robust, interactive, virtual learning environments provide powerful results for the “whole child,” including not only increased academic knowledge, but also measurable increases in confidence and leadership.
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION. Tom Carroll, president of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, facilitated a discussion among a small group of summit attendees that included state legislators, superintendents, and technology coordinators, as well as librarians and teachers. Each session gave participants from all levels of the education system the opportunity to listen to a brief panel discussion and then interact in response to the panel, a set of guiding questions, and the experiences of the participants.
SETTING AN AGENDA. Each breakout session was launched by a panel briefly discussing their thoughts and experiences about a specific topic. Topics were decided prior to the summit by the attendees, who took a Web-based survey on the areas of interest of the greatest importance to them. Once the agenda was established, participants then signed up for sessions they could learn from and/or contribute to throughout the summit. For more info about CELT, go to http://www.celt.org.
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