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ACR GCD is proud to sponsor the Inclusive Education track at the 12th annual mEducation Alliance Symposium in Washington, D.C. We are excited to facilitate and participate in several sessions and activities during this year’s four-day event.
This year’s symposium is celebrating and highlighting those individuals and organizations that help make learning WONDERFUL. The event hopes to re-energize a global community of changemakers who are advancing aspects of tech or non-tech infused learning that have left positive indelible moments in learners’ educational journeys.
The Symposium is organized by the mEducation Alliance, a consortium of the world’s largest development and donor agencies focused on education, particularly in low-resource context. The annual Symposium typically attracts a dynamic line-up of policymakers, activists, thinkers, and implementers in global education who come together to share their best and brightest tech and non-tech interventions.
Similar to past symposia, the event will showcase sessions, exhibits, gallery walks, Escape the Symposia team-building exercises, and a Wondrous Learning ed game expo.
Tuesday, November 1
mEducation Alliance Member Day (World Bank)
Envisioning an Inclusive Education Working Group | 1:45-2:45 p.m.
A roundtable discussion on the development of an EdTech working group focused on inclusive education and EdTech solutions for marginalized populations. (Please note: This event is open to mEducation Alliance Members only.)
ACR GCD and Benetech are hosting a roundtable to envision an informal working group of global social impact organizations–especially EdTech nonprofits—focused on inclusive education. What would an international working group or community of proactive EdTech organizations, whose mission is rooted in global inclusive education, look like? Come set a vision with us!
Benetech and the All Children Reading Grand Challenge will also highlight key case studies to illustrate success models for child literacy and digital literacy.
Moderators:
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Sergio Ramirez-Mena, Chief of Party, ACR GCD
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Ayan Kishore, CEO, Benetech
Wednesday, November 2
mEducation Alliance Symposium (U.S. Institute of Peace)
Session A: Engaging All Learners | 1:30-3:00 p.m. ET
ACR GCD and Benetech are facilitating a panel with four leading Edtech innovators in the field of literacy for children with disabilities and focusing on preschool children. The topics and panelists are below:
Early Childhood Education (ECE) For Deaf Learners: What Makes For a Strong Foundation?
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Anna Martin, Director of Disability Inclusive Education, ekitabu
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Georgine Auma, Director of Studio KSL, eKitabu
Streamlining Observations, Feedback, Reflection, and Professional Development: Are you Ready to be COACHED?
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Michael Kennedy, Professor, University of Virginia
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Rachel Kunemund, Research Assistant Professor, University of Virginia
Using Augmented Reality for Early Childhood Development
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Muhammad Usman, CTO and Co- Founder, WonderTree
Leveraging Technology for Inclusive Learning
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Ayan Kishore, CEO, Benetech
The panel will be moderated by ACR GCD Chief of Party Sergio Ramirez-Mena.
Wednesday, November 2
mEducation Alliance Symposium (U.S. Institute of Peace)
Session A: Engaging All Learners | 3:15-4:15 p.m. ET
Rochester Institute of Technology/National Technical Institute is facilitating a panel focusing on increasing literacy for children who are deaf and hard of hearing in low resource contexts. Topics will include:
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Building Communication Between Families: Sign Language App
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Project TREE: Improving Deaf Children’s Emergent Literacy Skills and Caregiver Collaboration with EdTech in the Philippines, Fiji and Papua New Guinea
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EdTech Open Source and Crowdsourcing: Lessons Learned
Presenters:
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Patrick Graham, RIT/NTID Associate Professor
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Christopher Kurz, RIT/NTID Professor
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Stephen Jacobs Open@RIT Director and Professor
The panel will be moderated by ACR GCD Chief of Party Sergio Ramirez-Mena.
Thursday, November 3
mEducation Alliance Symposium (U.S. Institute of Peace)
Gallery Walk | 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET
Why digital reading apps contribute to children’s wondrous early reading experience
Based on ACR GCD’s 10 years of experience, research and funding of foundational literacy work, this presentation will bring fresh evidence from key former and current innovators in the field of EdTech and digital reading games that demonstrates how simple applications and games help raise young children’s foundational reading skills through methods ranging from sound and word recognition to using rhythm and rhyme to get young learners ready for reading. The panel will explain how successfully implementing digital solutions includes promoting ways teachers and parents can engage their children in ways that stimulate foundational literacy skills. Solutions funded by ACR provide coaching support, resources, and tools to bring wondrous audio and video capabilities to promote early acquisition of reading skills. Successful solutions must include a solution (product + program) that showcases best use for a wondrous learning experience.
Presenter:
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Sergio Ramirez-Mena, Chief of Party, ACR GCD
