TECH EDUCATION: The Future of Digital Learning
Classrooms Today, Clicks Tomorrow: The Future of Digital Learning
Discover the future of digital learning. Join the MIT Enterprise Forum, moderator Steven Conrad of MediaPro, "edupreneurs" from MediaPro, Knowledge Anywhere, Insight Schools, the Digital Learning Commons, and Lilipip, as well as a hybrid community researcher from the UW iSchool in a critical conversation about how technology is being used to address changes in teaching and learning due to economic realities, market forces, demands for quality standards, and measurable performance outcomes.
Our presenting company is Lilipip, a Seattle startup focused on delivering education for preschoolers on cell phones. Ksenia Oustiougova, CEO of Lilipip, will share her company's journey in developing pedagogy and media-based content for this platform.
We will learn what these successful companies have experienced, and how they compare and contrast with each other. Plus, we'll look at future market opportunities as they share their experiences, challenges, success, and research to use technology in education at all levels-corporate, college & university, K-12, and preschool. You will also hear why the Apollo Group, the parent company of the University of Phoenix, the largest for-profit university in the world, and a major player in online education, just purchased Insight Schools. Research related to online learning, hybrid learning communities, and learning in open source organizations will also be discussed.
Moderator:
MediaPro - Steven Conrad, Managing Director
Presenting Company:
Lilipip - Ksenia Oustiougova, Founder and CEO
Panelists:
Knowledge Anywhere - Charlie Gillette, President and CEO
Insight Schools - Keith Oelrich, Founder and CEO
Digital Learning Commons - Karl Nelson, Director of Technology & Operations
UW iSchool - Dr. Hala Annabi, Assistant Professor
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Bios
Moderator
Steve Conrad, Managing Director, MediaPro (http://www.mediapro.com/)
Steven Conrad is a founding partner and the Managing Director of MediaPro, Inc. Mr. Conrad has been involved in the production of hundreds of high-quality, innovative and fun eLearning initiatives since the company's founding in 1993. MediaPro is recognized as one of the top eLearning design companies in the U.S. and has been involved in producing many award-winning learning solutions for both business and education. Mr. Conrad is an experienced conference speaker and moderator. He has worked at the strategic level with many organizations to determine how technology should (and should not) be used to provide greater access to educational resources, improve performance, and lower cost. Mr. Conrad will guide the panel in discussing the current state learning technologies (what's working and what isn't), the anticipated future technology trends, and possible investment opportunities. Mr. Conrad will moderate our panel discussion.
Presenting Company
Ksenia Oustiougova, Founder and CEO, Lilipip (http://www.lilipip.com)
Ksenia founded Lilipip to Create educational downloadable videos for children 2 to 5 years old playable on any video device, particularly cell phones. She directs all aspects of business, including product creation, production, brand development, and strategic partnerships. Lilipip won the Best Consumer Product Idea Prize in the 2006 University of Washington Business Plan Competition (out of 61plans).
Previously, Ksenia wrote, directed and produced a children's short "The Golden Leaf" (in post-production) and a short "Walking Past" that screened at Seattle International Film Festival in 2005 and is currently on "Comcast on Demand" network.
Panelists
Charlie Gillette, President and CEO, Knowledge Anywhere, (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com)
Charlie Gillette serves as president and chief executive officer of Knowledge Anywhere since founding the company in 1998. Under his leadership, Knowledge Anywhere has grown to be recognized as one of the fastest e-learning providers in the industry through the implementation of knowledge management infrastructure for leading global corporations.
In the years before starting Knowledge Anywhere Charlie reasoned that with the enabling technology of the Internet, distance would eventually become irrelevant and knowledge would be available to everyone from everywhere. Charlie also understood that rapid delivery of customized training via the Web directly impacted performance. Acting on this idea, he assembled a superior team created to allow Knowledge Anywhere to become an industry leader.
Keith Oelrich, Founder and CEO, Insight Schools (http://www.insightschools.net)
Keith founded Insight Schools as a means to help high school students fulfill their potential. He brings unmatched experience in the K-12 virtual school market, having led several virtual school programs which collectively have educated over 900,000 students. Prior to founding Insight Schools, Keith was President and CEO of KC Distance Learning (KCDL), where he operated Keystone National High School - the largest private online high school in the United States. As part of KCDL, Keith also founded iQ Academies, a publicly-funded online high school serving the State of Wisconsin. Prior to joining KCDL, Keith was President and CEO of Apex Learning, a leading virtual high school company founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Under Keith's direction, Apex's products were adopted by 14% of the nation's school districts and served over 120,000 students annually. Keith and Apex Learning were featured in various national media, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Education Week, Business Week, and many others. Keith earned his MBA from Cornell University and his BA in Economics from the University of Washington. The Apollo Group, the parent for The University of Phoenix, just announced that it purchased Insight Schools.
Dr. Hala Annabi, Assistant Professor, University of Washington iSchool (http://www.ischool.washington.edu)
Hala Annabi is an Assistant Professor at The Information School at the University of Washington. Her research addresses the effects of information technology on learning in both the work and educational settings. More specifically she studies how the new forms of computer mediated work affect individual, group and organizational learning in distributed work settings. She is currently investigating group learning in Open Source Software development teams and organizational learning in distributed multinational engineering firm. Additionally, she is interested in the effects of asynchronous learning networks on learning in educational settings. She is currently investigating how asynchronous learning networks can be used to improve learning and student satisfaction in large lecture style courses. Her teaching interests are in the impact of information technology on organizations, organizational learning and knowledge management, and organizational behavior. Hala holds a Ph.D. in Information Science and Technology from Syracuse University and an M.B.A. and B.S. from Le Moyne College.
Karl Nelson, Director of Technology and Operations, Digital Learning Commons (http://www.learningcommons.org)
Karl Nelson, Director of Technology and Operations, combines a deep knowledge of technology from previous work as a web developer with six years of experience working in the education field. Karl is responsible for the DLC's website, communications with participants, marketing, and interactions with vendors and schools. Karl has undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Western Washington University and the University of Iowa, and a master of science in information management from the University of Washington's Information School.
