Sharpening Our Competitive Edge Through Investment in Advanced Technology Tools for Learning

In its recent report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, the National Academies concluded what many have long feared to be true — that the nation’s outdated K-12 educational system is inadequately preparing America’s youth for the jobs and global competition of the 21st Century. One of the most promising ways to remedy this is by investing in the research and development of advanced learning technologies, a.k.a. “Serious Games.” To commemorate House Innovation Week, the New America Foundation and Digital Promise, in cooperation with Congressman Ralph Regula (R-OH), invite you to a briefing and demonstration on advanced learning technologies.

This is the complement to our popular Senate briefing in May, so if you missed it, here’s another opportunity to learn about the importance of R&D into advanced technology tools for teaching and training — an essential investment to maintain America’s innovative potential and competitive edge.

Please join us and see for yourself how we can harness the power of virtual reality, high-tech gaming platforms, intelligent computer tutors and other cutting-edge technology for teaching, learning and workforce training. You will be able to see and “play” prototypes of advanced learning games created under the leadership of the Federation of American Scientists, including:

• Immune Attack! — an advanced video game teaching human immunology from the 9th grade to the college level;
• Discover Babylon — a cultural, educational and historical virtual reality of ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq);
• Mass Casualty Incident Responder — a high-stress, interactive real-time decision-making training simulation to teach firefighters and serve as a model for other first responder training.

The briefing and demonstration will highlight the potential impact of the Digital Opportunity Investment Trust (DO IT) legislation (HR.2512, S.1023) sponsored by Representatives Regula (R-OH), Markey (D-MA), Gillmor (R-OH), Holt (D-NJ), Boucher (D-VA) and Wolf (R-VA) in the House, and Senators Dodd (D-CT), Snowe (R-ME), Durbin (D-IL), and Burns (R-MT) in the Senate. DO IT is a proposal for increased federal leadership and investment in R&D for advanced learning technologies to ensure innovation and competitiveness in the knowledge-based economy. Industry representatives will also speak to the need for federal leadership in investing in research for new technologies for teaching and training.

Participants

• Henry Kelly
  President, Federation of American Scientists
• Lawrence K. Grossman
  Co-Chair, Digital Promise and Former President, NBC News and Public Broadcasting Service
• Michael Calabrese
  Vice President, New America Foundation
• Marland Buckner
  Senior Federal Affairs Manager, Microsoft Corporation
• Walter Cheek
  Vice President, BreakAway Games, Inc.
• Dexter Fletcher, Ph.D
  Senior Researcher, Institute for Defense Analyses