Tag Archives: white house

I started working at the Cooney Center out of college and grew to be the Research and Program Manager for the National STEM Video Game Challenge—a role that took me from Pittsburgh to the White House. As the Challenge grew, so did I. I was determined to understand how to guarantee positive outcomes from kids’ technology use. After lengthy conversations with my mentors at the Cooney Center, I pursued a dual PhD/MBA between Oxford and Yale focused on technology and…

It’s not every day you get an invitation to The White House. (I’ll admit it: I’m definitely going to put my invitation in an acid-free, archival album for my children and grandchildren to see.) So it was an absolute honor to be able to attend last week’s Early STEM Learning Symposium at The White House (STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). But this experience had particular personal significance for me. I attended graduate school at Georgetown University’s Department of Psychology,…

On December 10, 2014, President Obama hosted the White House Summit on Early Education. Michael Levine was invited to participate in a panel on Equity and Excellence in the Earliest Years hosted by Megan Smith, Chief Technology Officer of the United States and Shannon Rudisill, Director of the Office of Child Care. The following are his remarks:   Good afternoon colleagues, I’m Michael Levine and I run the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop.  The Workshop—now over four decades…

From a water filtration system powered by a stationary bike to a writing system that aids those afflicted by neurological hand tremors, the White House was brimming with the creations of young innovators at the third annual White House Science Fair. One hundred students from 40 different states attended the event, proudly accompanied by their teachers, parents, and mentors. It’s hard to overestimate the excitement of being invited to the White House by President Obama. I’m not sure who was…

Every parent and concerned citizen in the U.S. has been following the national conversation about the need for an urgent and balanced response to the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.  One area of concern that the President and Vice President highlighted in the action plan they presented on this week is the role that media portrayals of violence may have on vulnerable children’s well-being.  Our leaders will urge the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to…

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center and E-Line Media were at the White House today, where  U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the launch of the new Digital Promise Initiative. First established as a non-profit organization created by the President and. Congress through the Department of Education as an effort to promote breakthrough technologies  to transform teaching and learning. The 2011 National STEM Video Game Challenge is one of the new initiatives that the Administration hopes will spur research and…

The final version of the National Education Technology Plan was unveiled on Tuesday, outlining the transition from digital classrooms to other platforms–long overdue.  Read Fred Belmont’s HuffPo piece, Obama’s New Digital Learning Plan: A Killer App. A few excerpts are shared below:  Education Secretary Arne Duncan unveiled the final version of the National Education Technology Plan on Tuesday — proposals to use social networking, data collection and multi-media to get U.S. kids to learn more. According to Duncan, the plan…

On Wednesday, the White House announced the winners of the Apps for Healthy Kids competition ― part of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! campaign. Our Executive Director, Michael H. Levine, was honored to be involved, as one of the judges. Congrats to all the winners and runner-ups! Earlier this month, White House CTO Aneesh Chopra also launched Challenge.gov, a one-stop-shop where entrepreneurs and innovators can follow in the footsteps of the Apps for Healthy Kids winners to compete for prizes…

  President Obama is announcing our National STEM Video Game Challenge today at 3:15pm EST. Tune in to the LIVE Webcast. Inspired by the “Educate to Innovate” campaign, President Obama’s initiative to promote a renewed focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, the National STEM Video Game Challenge aims to motivate interest in STEM learning among America’s youth by tapping into students’ natural passions for playing and making video games. The first annual competition is being held by…

Reprinted from the January 2010 Cooney Center Bits Newsletter: Supporting President Obama’s call for a renewed focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center and partners, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the Information Technology Industry Foundation (ITIF), the MacArthur Foundation, Games for Change, and E-Line Media are developing a variety of initiatives that harness the engagement and educational potential of video games to advance children’s learning. The Early Childhood STEM Game Challenge is co-funded by…