RENO - Connect Nevada and the Nevada Broadband Task Force co-hosted Learning in the Digital Space, Nevada's third annual state Broadband Summit, at the University of Nevada Reno.
The education technology themed event brought together more than 100 educators, librarians, industry leaders, community organizations, and government representatives to have a discussion on how educators, students, and administrators are integrating technology into the classroom and leveraging broadband to bring equal access to students across the globe.
The event was sponsored by CenturyLink and had a speaker line-up of state and national experts including: Dale Erquiaga, state superintendent of public instruction; Blair Levin, Aspen Institute Fellow and chief architect of the National Broadband Plan, and Anne Neville, director, NTIA State Broadband Initiative, and covered topics such as 1:1 device initiatives, social media in the classroom, and federal broadband programs.
In his speech titled, "Distributing the Future: Which Children Will We Leave Behind?" Levin spoke on the E-rate debate and said, "We know what the future looks like. It's a well-connected classroom, linked to a high-capacity physical conduit with the last connection provided by robust Wi-Fi, with kids on tablets interacting with teachers, fellow students, and digital content."
He then asked the question of how long it will take and urged the audience to get involved.
"The biggest decision the FCC will make in its proceeding to upgrade the E-rate program is whether all American school children will soon be able to take advantage of transformative digital education, or whether that opportunity will only be available to some, with millions left behind for years to come ... I hope everyone here will participate in the process," he said.
"Our goal of this summit was to challenge and inspire stakeholders to prioritize the sustainable implementation of technology in our schools, homes, and libraries so that Nevada can better prepare its students for the 21st-century workforce," said Connect Nevada State Program Manager Lindsey Niedzielski.
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