FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 02.04.08

Contacts:
Stephen Wakefield, Discovery Education
240-662-2893
stephen_wakefield@discovery.com

Charlene Blohm, C. Blohm & Associates
608-839-9800
charlene@cblohm.com

Educators from Around the World Attend Virtual Conference to Learn and Share Ideas about Technology Use in the Classroom

Hosted by Discovery Educator Network, Free Event Incorporating On-Site and Online Sessions Attracts Global Audience

Silver Spring, MD(Feb. 4, 2008) – Approximately 500 educators from the United States, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Israel, Peru and South Korea recently attended the first-ever, virtual conference hosted by the Discovery Educator Network (DEN). Held on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008, the free conference provided educators around the world a unique opportunity to experience high-quality professional development either online or in-person at one of many regional events hosted in the United States by local DEN Leadership Councils.

The day featured keynote presentations from educational technology experts Hall Davidson and Lance Rougeux that were broadcast to each of the regional gatherings. In between keynote presentations, participants attended breakout sessions presented by local STAR Discovery Educators. Educators who were unab le to attend an in-person event had the opportunity to participate virtually in the full-day conference, attending special online breakout sessions presented by Discovery Education’s Matt Monjan, Mike Bryant and Steve Dembo.

During the conference, educators participated in seminars and shared ideas about how to teach digital immigrants, how to use engaging technologies such as Discovery Education streaming, Google Earth, wikis, and blogs, as well as digital storytelling techniques to enhance lesson plans and reach out to their technology-savvy students on their level.

“The Web 2.0 Internet offers more than just cool tools. The ‘new’ Internet provides exciting ways for educators to redefine the boundaries of our classrooms, as well as our professional development,” said Heather Sullivan, a science teacher and technology facilitator for Manalapan High School in New Jersey. “That is what this event and the Discovery Educator Network is all about – redefining how we learn from each other in a global network.”

Educators from schools and districts in 28 regional areas in 15 states, including Arizona, California, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin participated in the program. In addition, international participants from six nations on five continents joined the virtual portion of the conference. Attendees and volunteer, on-site coordinators serve in a variety of educational positions, including classroom teachers, technology coordinators, school administrators and technology support providers.

“The educators that attended this conference are very passionate about using technology in the classroom to improve student achievement,” said Scott Kinney, Discovery Education Vice President of Outreach and Professional Development. “They recognize that as the pressure for students to master 21st century skills continues to grow, the use of technology in the classroom becomes even more important. These educators have volunteered to offer their colleagues and students access to and training on the latest educational technologies no matter where they are, and Discovery Education is grateful for their support.”

Continuing, Kinney pointed out the benefits of this training to school administrators. “Finding budget and time to educate teachers about the latest educational technologies can be difficult. Free resources like the Virtual Conference help administrators fill their training needs with little or no budgetary impact. We are thankful for the support administrators have given this event and are confident local communities will benefit from their effort to empower teachers to improve student achievement through educational technology.”

Discovery Educator Network is a global community of 26,000 active educators, who are passionate about integrating media into classroom curriculum. Th rough the Discovery Educator Network, educators have free access to a wide range of technology training, as well as a resource library of teacher-generated projects and tools to create their own educational blogs.

For more information about Discovery Education and the Discovery Educator Network, visit www.discoveryeducation.com.

About Discovery Education
Discovery Communications revolutionized television with the Discovery Channel and is now transforming classrooms through Discovery Education. Combining scientifically proven, standards-based digital media and a dynamic user community, Discovery Education services empower teachers to improve student achievement. Already, more than half of U.S. schools access Discovery Education digital services. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com..