U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will deliver remarks at the launch of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's 4th Annual Digital Media and Learning Competition on Thursday, Sept. 15 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. Duncan will discuss the important role technology can play in life-long learning. Under Secretary Martha Kanter and Director of Educational Technology Karen Cator will join Duncan for the event and Kanter will participate in a panel discussion.
The Digital Media and Learning Competition is designed to find and inspire the most novel uses of new media to better support learning. This year's competition will explore ways digital badges can be used to help people learn and demonstrate their skills and knowledge. Badges are a new assessment tool that will help identify skills mastered in formal and informal settings, virtually and in physical spaces, in schools, workplaces and communities.