Category Archives: Conferences and Community Events

Kidscreen Summit, with 1,500 delegates representing 800 companies and 43 countries, is part conference, summit, networking event, exhibition and trade show.  With every major children’s media industry player (and everyone who very much wants to be a major player) under one roof, pre-conference iKids and Kidscreen delivered a number of highlights, recurring themes and critical questions about the past, present and future of children and digital media.  Trying to toggle between industry and academic lenses, I’ve summarized a few key…

Remember the old Bert and Ernie sketch, where Ernie, very interested in the “Man Bites Dog” article, continually reads over Bert’s shoulder? This disrupts the taller Muppet’s attempt to finish coverage of the long-awaited national pigeon show. The sketch ends with Bert suggesting they share the paper, Ernie agreeing and then ripping the paper in half, and Bert finally being driven to read over Ernie’s shoulder to finish his article. Over 80 people gathered on a rainy Monday night (January…

It has been a whirlwind few months for me as I have finished my dissertation, begun my fellowship at the Cooney Center, and, now, am writing my first blog post!  One of the big events for me as a Cooney Center fellow so far was attending the JGCC’s “Networked Participation Workshop”, which was funded by the MacArthur Foundation and Cisco Systems. The workshop brought together two dozen representatives from academia and industry who met at Cicso’s New York offices on…

It has been a whirlwind few months for me as I have finished my dissertation, begun my fellowship at the Cooney Center, and, now, am writing my first blog post!  One of the big events for me as a Cooney Center fellow so far was attending the JGCC’s “Networked Participation Workshop”, which was funded by the MacArthur Foundation and Cisco Systems. The workshop brought together two dozen representatives from academia and industry who met at Cicso’s New York offices on…

This post originally appeared in TASC’s “The ExpandED Exchange” blog. Read more to find out what our New York Action Team members have been up to! Wouldn’t you love to be a kid in one of these two new pilot after-school programs at Quest to Learn, a tech-powered public middle school in New York City? The program in green design grew out of seventh graders’ desire to invent more sustainable ways to live on this planet. The school’s multi-media news…

Two weeks ago, this blog featured a preview of Robot Heart Stories (R<3S), a 10-day transmedia learning project in which two classrooms in underserved neighborhoods in Montreal (French speaking) and Los Angeles (English speaking) used collaboration and creative problem solving to help a lost robot navigate across North America before hitching a ride back to space with NASA on a launch to the International Space Station, scheduled sometime early next year. The robot (symbolized by a stuffed animal version embedded…

Numerous technology ventures aim to improve students’ scores in an increasingly test-focused educational landscape. Challenging that, the innovators behind the Robot Heart Stories project hope that modern technology can spark students’ imagination, fueling the resources needed to inspire better scores: creativity and passion. Starting Monday, October 17, two classrooms of students –one in Montreal and one in Los Angeles —  must work together to return a lost robot to its home in Outer Space (actually, Los Angeles) by October 28.…

The leaves are changing, the air is getting crisp… and your teeth are hurting just LOOKING at all the candy stacked up in the grocery aisles. Yes, it’s October and Halloween is just around the corner! To celebrate this most playfully creative holiday, we’re very excited to announce that the Cooney Center is partnering with Mobile Learning Finalist Launchpad Toys to create a Spooky Story Contest for kids and parents to create and share their favorite Ghost Stories and Terrifying…

On Wednesday, October 5, the Washington Post Live will host “Investing in the Future through Early Childhood Education,” a conference that will focus on successful strategies for teaching preschoolers. The conference will bring together federal and local government officials, education experts, and teachers, including the Cooney Center’s Executive Director, Michael Levine. The conference will be streaming live from 10:00 am – 1:30 pm ET. View the full agenda (PDF) and submit questions on the Washington Post Live website.  

This op-ed was originally published in the Boston Globe’s “The Podium” on September 25, 2011.   For decades, America’s educational leadership has been the envy of the world. But now, in the face of globalization and economic realignment, adaptation and innovation are urgently needed. Retooling our education engine to produce better outcomes will drive our ability to compete in a complex, networked world powered by technology and efficiency. Transitioning to the digital age will define our children’s future career prospects…