LM October 2015

Dr. Karen Beerer

The keynote speaker for the first general session was Dr. Karen Beerer, Discovery Education's vice president of professional development. Her topic was "Leading the Learning in a Digital Age: Why Now?" Using a school classroom photo from the early 1900s to emphasize the point, she noted "This is not our classroom of today, this is not our teacher of today...and these are not our kids from today. Students today come to us with different skills." She noted a survey showing that employers rated digital literacy as 91 out of 100 in importance - higher even than education. She used the acronym LEAD as the centerpiece of her presentation:

 L - Let change begin with you, and model that change.  E - Ensure instruction comes first by leading with pedagogy, not technology - and provide professional development for teachers.  A - Assessments are critical, but are yours purposeful? She noted how virtual reality is being used in some places to help close the education gaps.  D - Demand a culture of "yes" - not only yes they can, but yes they will.

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