Imagine you are creating universal basic education for children around the world, so every child can read, understand other cultures than their own, do basic math and science and relate to themselves and other people. How would you design such a system, with videogame intensity, film-like production value, smart enabling technology with an open source approach and cognitive science informing the learning theory? Learning Friends has created prototypes and models for achieveing this goal and welcomes you to join us.
You will participate in 2 scenarios with demos, one about an urban teen; another about a family with young children. We'll consider 5 questions; you are invited you to help answer these and to pose more as well. The topic is transforming education for all children for the cost of one videogame.
About the speaker:
Ann H. McCormick, Ph.D. founded the Learning Company in 1978 with grants from Apple Computer, the National Science Foundation and with venture capital from Melchor Venture Management and New Enterprise Associates. She began her career teaching and conducting research in poverty area schools from Tchula, Mississippi, East Buffalo and East St. Louis to Oakland, where she wrote her doctoral dissertation on Black Dialect, Teaching Style and Reading in First Grade. McCormick has consulted and given invited presentations to telecommunications and hardware companies (Apple Advanced Technology Group, HP Advanced Lab, ATT Schools of the Future, Northern Telecom, Pacific Bell), toy, book publishing and web companies (Viacom, Gravity/Frog Design, Leap Frog, TP Kidz). She has given invited presentations at Harvard, Stanford (Design, Education, Business, Computer Science), Yale, the University of Washington, Ohio University, and U.C., Berkeley, where she gave the 100th Anniversary Commencement Address for the School of Education. McCormick conducted research in poverty area schools to find effective ways of teaching basic skills, and applied this research to software design. Ann shaped the design of 17 national prize-winning software titles for children, many best-sellers for years, working with outstanding authors, including Rocky's Boots, Reader Rabbit and 3D Castle Creator (Best Creativity Title, E3). Ann currently consults to web companies, tutors children at her local public school, and is forming alliances for the full launch of Learning Friends, where she recently completed the Miranda's Math Project, funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
For further information:
http://www.learningfriends.com
http://www.hewlett.org/Programs/Education/Technology/K-12+Sector/More+Miranda+Math.htm
Contact information:
Ann H. McCormick
13800 Skyline Blvd. #40
Woodside, CA 94062
650 851-2836
ann@learningfriends.com`