Parents for Choice in Education & Digital Learning Now! Host Utah Digital Learning Summit

Parents for Choice in Education (PCE), in partnership with Digital Learning Now! (DLN), hosts Utah’s first Digital Learning Summit Tuesday, October 9, 2012 with a focus on how leveraging technology can help all students reach their full potential and prepare for college and careers.
“The shift to personal digital learning is the best shot we have at boosting achievement and college preparation,” states featured keynote speaker, Tom Vander Ark.
The lines of distinction between online, mobile, blended, and computer-based learning are fading. What does this mean for education in Utah? What will school look like when students can literally carry their learning with them on a cell phone – and when their “campus” is wherever they choose to work? Policies around competency-based learning are on the rise. Learning is becoming less linear, more discovery- and interest-based, and ever more personal. The Summit will focus on the role of technology in the future of K-12 education in our state and the policies that will impact implementation.
PCE has long since believed in the power of technology to transform education and has actively advocated for policies that expand opportunities for students to engage in digital learning. The organization has partnered with DLN to facilitate this forum for Utah because of their shared belief that digital learning can serve as a tool to address a myriad of challenges faced by schools, community leaders and policymakers.
The following featured keynotes are among the premier digital learning experts and policy leaders in the K-12 digital learning movement:

• Michael Horn, Co-founder and Executive Director of Innosight Institute
• Tom Vander Ark, Executive Editor of Getting Smart
• John Bailey, Executive Director of Digital Learning Now!; and
• Matthew Peterson, Ph.D., Co-founder, Chief Technical Officer and Senior Scientist at Mind Research Institute.

Following keynotes, a panel of Utah students will share their experiences in online learning, while those with feet on the ground delivering 21st century education will provide insights into how their models are affecting student achievement.
The event, which is open to the media, will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. MDT Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at Innovations High School at 1633 Edison Street. Admissions is free by invitation only, which includes Utah Legislature, Elected Officials, Education and Business Community Leaders.
For more information, visit digitallearningsummit.eventbrite.com.
Digital Learning Now! and MIND Research Institute are Advocacy Partners.