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Lawmakers, news media and other interested friends are cordially invited to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy's
SEPTEMBER 16 ISSUES & IDEAS FORUM
"Virtual Learning"
Featuring:
Michael B. Horn
Executive Director, Innosight Institute
Susan Patrick
President, International Association for K-12 Online
Learning
DATE: Thursday, Sept. 16, 2010
TIME: Noon - 1 p.m.
LOCATION: Michigan Room, Radisson Hotel,
111 N. Grand Ave., Lansing
COST: Lunch is provided at no charge with reservation.
Compared to other sectors of American life, public schooling hasn't changed much over the last century. That is changing, however, with the advent of online learning. More students than ever are logging on to complete their school work, and this trend is expected to grow.
Online learning is attracting students and parents for a number of reasons. Students are no longer limited to the course offerings of their local school; they can literally search the globe to find the right course. Moreover, online courses can be completely individualized, recognizing and responding to the fact that not all kids learn in the same way or at the same pace. Finally, online instruction is proving to be just as - if not more - effective than traditional face-to-face instruction, and at a lower operating cost than conventional brick-and-mortar schools.
Michael B. Horn is the co-founder and executive director of Innosight Institute, a not-for-profit think tank devoted to applying the "theories of disruptive innovation to problems in the social sector." He is the coauthor of "Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns" with Harvard Business School Professor and bestselling author Clayton M. Christensen and Curtis W. Johnson, president of the Citistates Group. BusinessWeek named the book one of the 10 Best Innovation & Design Books of 2008.
Horn has been a keynote speaker at numerous conferences including the Virtual School Symposium and Microsoft's School of the Future World Summit. Tech&Learning magazine named him one of the 100 most important people in the creation and advancement of the use of technology in education. Horn earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB from Yale University.
Susan Patrick is the president and CEO of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, an international K-12 nonprofit association representing the interests of practitioners, providers and students involved in online learning worldwide.
Patrick is a former director of the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education. In addition, she co-chaired the federal government's Advanced Technologies Working Group for Education and Training and served as a member of the Secretary's Rural Education Task Force.
In 2008, Patrick was named by eSchool News, a leading national education technology journal, as one of the top 10 national leaders who "have had a profound impact on educational technology." While working on government technology policy and legislation under Arizona Gov. Jane Dee Hull, she received the 2001 Governor's Spirit of Excellence Award.
Patrick holds a master's degree from the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and a bachelor's degree from the Colorado College. She has published articles and appeared in a variety of national news media, including CNN, Newsweek, USA Today, ABC News, CSPAN, Computerworld, Forbes, NPR, Education Week, The New York Times and London Times.
The luncheon begins at noon. To make reservations, please call the Mackinac Center at 989-631-0900 by 5 p.m. on Sept. 13, 2010.
The nature of the legislative process is such that public policy debates are often framed by specific constituencies and political pragmatism rather than by sound principles. By offering a forum for wide-ranging discussion, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy hopes to broaden the debate to include theoretical and philosophical ideals - and how to achieve them. The best interests of Michigan residents can be served only when legislation incorporates our best understanding of legal, economic, psychological, moral and scientific principles.
