The Google-hosted, Breakthrough Learning in a Digital Age Forum in Mountain View, CA, focused on the potential of digital media in education. Paula Maylahn, an education industry consultant, attended the day-and-a-half conference virtually and highlighted for AEP the key takeaways.
Yes, another conference on the need for U.S. education reform. So, if you missed this one, you might feel you didn’t miss much. And in some aspects, you’d be right. Familiar ground was covered:
- Technology has the power to transform learning
- Learning happens 24/7
- The current system is resistant to change
- Many innovative programs show great promise
- U.S. students are falling behind globally
- Teacher quality is the problem
- Teacher quality is not the problem
- Etc.
However, there were 2 markedly different aspects about this conference:
- It was hosted by Google. When Google takes interest in a problem, it tends to get solved.
- Its inclusion of thought leaders from a wide variety of sectors was unprecedented (in my experience) and completely oogle-worthy (yes, I oogled at Google). The breath and depth of participation was invigorating with education industry experts; leaders in the Technology Sector including representatives from Apple, Facebook and Google (Co-founder Sergey Brin); Obama Administration’s DoE Secretaries and FCC director; leaders in media from the NY Times, The Atlantic, and NewsHour with Jim Lehrer; and non-profit education leaders, including Joan Ganz Cooney (Co-Founder, Sesame Workshop), as well as the crowd favorite Grover… (See full list of speakers).
Additional Highlights
- Martha Kanter (Undersecretary, U.S. DoE) set the bar for “Cradle-to-Career” education reform that will require the collective efforts of all sectors, including the general public, to make substantive and scaleable changes.
- Joan Ganz Cooney did her part, announcing at the Forum’s opening the Cooney Prizes for Innovation, for Breakthroughs in Mobile Learning and in Literacy.
- Maine’s one-to-one laptop program, the Harlem Children Zone, High Tech High School and NYC’s Quest to Learn school demonstrated there are educators already making breakthroughs. But statistics like the 30% discrepancy in at-home broadband access between free-lunch program kids (41%) and those not on the program (72%) drive home the point we all know: there’s a huge digital divide and reforms still have a long way to go.
So at the Forum wrap-up, 3 key action items were highlighted:
1. “Put together a policy platform to push efforts forward”
2. Conduct R&D, determine best practices, and then share them
3. Build public understanding of the issues
At the end of the day I felt the Forum participants were ready to translate the energy of the room into action and “push efforts forward”. And it would be hard NOT to follow the advice of Joel Kline (Chancellor, NYC DoE) and “fight like the devil” for reform.
As Jim Shelton (Asst. Deputy Secretary, Innovation & Improvement, U.S. DoE) stated, America’s education challenges don’t represent a marathon, they represent a series of sprints. We can make dramatic progress over a short period of time.
Whether the Forum’s burst of energy will move the reform dial…stay tuned.
And follow #brkthrulearning where Twitter comments are still being posted and Google will, “in the next weeks,” provide information on their notes and a Google discussion group.
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Paula Maylahn is an independent consultant serving clients in K-12 and Higher Education. She advises companies on strategies and tactics for integrated marketing, global initiatives, communications, and process improvement. Paula has been a guest speaker on topics such as Search Engine Optimization, Web 2.0 and Cause Marketing and is the co-author of “Developing a Sales Plan for Technology Products” in the Experts’ Guide to the K-12 School Market.
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