Minneapolis—November 5, 2007—Walden University and Newsweek magazine today hosted a panel discussion about the emerging trends of technology in the classroom. The panel discussion, entitled “Wireless and Well Prepared: The E-mergence of Technology in the Classroom,” was held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Holeman Lounge of the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The event concluded with a brief reception and discussion with the panelists.
The president of Walden University, Jonathan A. Kaplan, JD, who also gave opening remarks at the forum, said, “As a leader in online higher education, Walden University understands how important the role of technology is to students in the learning process. This was an excellent opportunity to highlight how technology in the classroom has helped administrators, teachers, and all educators better teach today’s students.”
The webcast will be archived and available for future reference at www.WaldenU.edu.
Newsweek senior editor and “The Technologist” columnist Steven Levy moderated the discussion with the following panelists
The Hon. Amy Klobuchar
U.S. Senator, D-Minnesota
Member, Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Innovation
Sen. Amy Klobuchar is an innovative leader with a proven record of championing new ideas and producing positive results for the people she represents. Elected to office in November 2006, she has already put her mark on a range of important legislative initiatives—strengthening the ethics rules in Congress, expanding opportunities for the middle class, protecting American consumers and promoting energy independence. She currently serves on four committees: Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Environment and Public Works; Commerce, Science and Transportation; and Joint Economic. Prior to her election to the Senate, Klobuchar served eight years as chief prosecutor for Minnesota’s largest county.
Dr. David Thornburg
Director, Global Operations, The Thornburg Center
Faculty Member, Walden University
An award-winning futurist, author and consultant, David Thornburg is a senior fellow of the Congressional Institute for the Future, where he conducts research and provides staff development in education, multimedia and communications. His educational philosophy is based on the idea that students learn best when they are constructors of their own knowledge. A central theme of his work is to prepare students for their future, not for our past. He is the author of Campfires in Cyberspace, which explores the true nature of the World Wide Web as a tool for learning.
Walter Bender
President of Software and Content, One Laptop per Child Foundation
In his work with the One Laptop per Child Foundation, Walter Bender is helping to develop and deploy technologies that will revolutionize how the world's children engage in learning. Previously he served as the executive director of the MIT Media Laboratory, which he also helped to found. While at MIT, Bender was a senior research scientist and director of the Electronic Publishing Group and engaged in the study of new information technologies and the field of personalized interactive media. He received his BA from Harvard University in 1977 and MS at MIT in 1980.
Mary Cullinane
Director, U.S. Partners in Learning, Microsoft Corp.
Mary Cullinane was a teacher for 10 years prior to helping establish EdGate.com, an Internet startup that developed online learning communities for schools. While at EdGate.com, she managed the user experience and helped to build strategic business initiatives. In 2000, she joined Microsoft as manager of its Anytime, Anywhere Learning program. Three years later, she oversaw the creation of the School of the Future in West Philadelphia. She is currently responsible for Microsoft’s U.S. Partners in Learning initiative, which is focused on expanding the presence of digital inclusion in the United States. She received her Master of Public Policy and Administration from Columbia University.
Steven Levy (Panel Moderator)
Senior Editor, Newsweek
Steven Levy joined Newsweek in 1995 as a contributing editor and columnist, and was promoted a year later to a senior editor and chief technology writer. In that position, he covers industry strategies, policy issues, and new trends and products. In 2004, he started a weekly column called “The Technologist,” in which he focuses on trends, news, personalities and oddities. His Newsweek columns have won numerous awards over the years, and his articles and opinion pieces have appeared in such publications as The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Harper’s, and Premiere. He earned an MA in literature at Pennsylvania State University.
Walden University has the largest fully online College of Education in the nation, with more than 15,000 alumni and more than 14,000 students currently enrolled in its master’s and doctoral education programs. Through approval from the Minnesota Board of Teaching, Walden recently launched teacher preparation programs in two of the most vital areas of teacher shortage: Early Childhood Education (Birth–Grade 3) and Special Education (K–12) in the field of learning disabilities and emotional/behavioral disorders.
About Walden University
Since 1970, Walden University has offered working professionals the opportunity to earn advanced degrees through distance learning. Today, this comprehensive, accredited online university offers master’s and doctoral degrees in education, psychology, management, public policy and administration, and health and human services, as well as master’s programs in engineering and IT and bachelor’s completion programs in business. Walden University is a member of the Laureate International Universities network, the largest global network of accredited campus-based and online universities. For more information, visit www.WaldenU.edu.
Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.hlcommission.org; 1-312-263-0456.