Centre College Teams with 10/20 Digital, Connected Nation to Launch Technology Initiative

Danville, KY (PRWEB) September 06, 2012

Centre College in Danville, Ky. is partnering with Connected Nation and 10/20 Digital to launch a partnership that will explore novel and practical ways to use technology in the liberal arts college setting. Called the Global Center for Connected Campuses, or GC3 for short, the collaboration will foster Centre’s endeavor to become a key player on the national stage using leading practices in regard to technology assimilation for effective teaching and learning.

GC3 will begin its efforts with a unique student event happening on campuses and in classrooms across the country as part of the 2012 Vice Presidential Debate, slated for October 11 at Centre College. GC3 will demonstrate how communications technology and social media can be used to excite and engage students and to expand access to high quality educational content to people and places it may not reach otherwise.

“This partnership represents a broader initiative at Centre College to embrace technology,” said President John A. Roush. “More important, it provides the opportunity to imagine and then engage ways for technology to complement the very personal education offered at a college like Centre, where we prize the art of teaching.”

Centre College, Kentucky’s premier higher education institution, is hosting its second Vice Presidential Debate. The smallest college or university to ever host a general election debate, Centre College’s success hosting the 2000 debate between Dick Cheney and Joe Lieberman was hailed “as close to flawless as humanly possible” by the Associated Press. The 2012 debate will engage K-12 and post-secondary students from Kentucky and other states in technology-enabled debate focused activities, including:

•     The creation of a debate-centered curriculum that can help guide classrooms in civics education lessons. These educational activities will prepare classrooms, teachers, and students to participate in live debate-day events, as well as other GC3-oriented debate opportunities, such as the GC3 debate webpage resources. These activities, along with a live debate-day event, will also assist GC3’S mission to highlight how technology can connect students, teachers, classrooms, and campuses to enhance and improve learning.
•     GC3 plans a student-populated round table discussion on the afternoon before the debate takes place. This event will include students drawn from high schools, colleges, and universities participating live and on-line.

“The GC3 partnership will impact the way technology is used in education across the nation, starting with these vice presidential debate activities,” said 10/20 Digital CEO and Connected Nation founder Brian Mefford. “Centre has become known as an institution that routinely ‘punches above its weight’ and we’re confident that this partnership will follow that pattern by fostering novel and practical uses of education technology that benefit teachers and learners for years to come.”

GC3 will explore innovative, technology-driven ways to enhance education for students across the nation. 10/20 Digital, an independent broadband consulting firm and affiliate of national non-profit Connected Nation, will lead the further development of GC3 by:

•     Hosting the Connected Campus Summit on the Centre College campus, which will provide a forum for national educational leaders and administrators to learn and explore leading practices with regard to technology use for effective higher education.
•     Establishing a technology laboratory at Centre that will become the operational home of GC3 and where the education community can explore new technologies and applications, providing ample opportunities for technology partners to participate.

About 10/20 Digital: 10/20 Digital is an independent broadband consulting firm that supports companies and communities expanding broadband access while working with institutions across all sectors seeking new opportunities enabled by universal access.

About Centre College: Centre College, founded in 1819 and chosen to host its second Vice Presidential Debate in 2012, is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges, at 42nd in the nation, and ranks 27th for best value among national liberal arts colleges. Forbes magazine ranks Centre 60th among all the nation’s colleges and universities and has named Centre in the top fifteen among all institutions of higher education in the South for four years in a row. Centre is also ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News for its study abroad program. Follow Centre College on Facebook and Twitter

About Connected Nation: Connected Nation is a leading technology organization committed to bringing affordable high-speed Internet and broadband-enabled resources to all Americans. Connected Nation effectively raises the awareness of the value of broadband and related technologies by developing coalitions of influencers and enablers for improving technology access, adoption, and use. Connected Nation works with consumers, community leaders, states, technology providers and foundations, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to develop and implement technology expansion programs with core competencies centered on a mission to improve digital inclusion for people and places previously underserved or overlooked. Follow Connected Nation on Facebook and Twitter