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Next up on my Austin agenda is SXSWInteractive – from March 13-17, 2015. The annual SXSWInteractive Festival is an incubator of cutting-edge technologies and digital creativity, featuring the best new websites, video games, and startup ideas the world has to offer. SXSWInteractive has definitely become the place to preview the technology ideas of the future and the people who invent and execute them well. This year, there was a special section on gaming and learning. I joined Erik Martin (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology), Gary Hoover (CEO, Bigwig Games) and Lonny Stern (Senior Director of Business Development, Skillpoint Alliance) on stage for the panel, “Gaming in Education, Education in Gaming” to talk about the effects of adding game design and coding to schools’ curriculum, and how it can be integrated into traditional and nontraditional educational settings. It was a great talk with fantastic feedback. My SXSWInteractive experience was enhanced especially by my colleagues at the M.I.T. Media Lab Lounge, featuring this year the theme of Synthetic Biology. Here are some tweets from my SXSWInteractive experience. Can’t wait for next year.
@Idit #gaming in #education panel @SXSW2015 #SXSWGaming @globaloria pic.twitter.com/8gawCS9Xyj
— EdTech Action (@edtechaction) March 15, 2015
It's time: Moving from #SxSWedu to #SxSWinteractive & #SxSWfilm it's getting more sunny & fun by the minute! pic.twitter.com/gPs4U7sZlZ
— Idit Harel (@Idit) March 12, 2015
My company, Globaloria, co-sponsored the Austin Education Game Jam (March 7-14), a professional game development contest inspiring the creation of high quality and commercially viable video games for education. It was inspiring to see game developers make mobile and online games with education focus. This competition continues the White House Game Jam and President Obama’s vision that education should be fun, interactive, and always evolving with students’ needs. Scott Lipton (Network Director of South/Central, Globaloria) organized it in collaboration with Erik Martin (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Education Technology), Sean Duffy (Founder, EdTech Austin), Chelsea Biggerstaff (STEM Programs Coordinator, Skillpoint Alliance), Drew Scheberle (Senior Vice President, Austin Chamber of Commerce) and their fellow colleagues. The Austin Game Jam launch at Capital Factory. After a week, finalists and winners were announced at the Geek Stage of the Gaming Expo at SXSWInteractive. The Austin gaming community came together to participate in the development of new, high-quality games for education. Sharing events from the week that started at SXSWedu and ended at SXSWInteractive.
Good day #austin! Getting ready for #austineducationgamejam w @eriklaes of @OfficeofEdTech & @slipton of @globaloria pic.twitter.com/7YKvOQwNoe
— Idit Harel (@Idit) March 7, 2015
Digital Learning Day is here! Globaloria schools, educators and students will be joining the Digital Learning Day 2015 celebration on March 13, 2015!
Started in 2012, Digital Learning Day has provided a powerful venue for education leaders to highlight great teaching practices and showcase innovative teachers, leaders and instructional technology programs that are improving student outcomes. This grassroots effort blossomed into a massive nationwide celebration as teachers realized that Digital Learning Day is not about technology, it’s about learning. Digital Learning Day promotes the effective use of modern day tools afforded to every other industry to improve the learning experience in K-12 public schools. I’m happy to be celebrating this nationwide event and re-confirm the Globaloria’s mission to engage millions of students in digital learning! My congratulations to Bob Wise (President, Alliance for Excellent Education) and his team for putting on a great celebration.
.@Globaloria students in Tygarts Valley Middle & High School, WV participating in Digital Learning Day! #DLDay pic.twitter.com/c1z8ibK0pA
— globaloria (@globaloria) March 13, 2015