Microsoft Plantation

Leaving for Seattle in a few hours. Off to the Working Session for the Mid Tier Grantees (Alabama Work).This years Working Session is going to be at the Microsoft Executive Briefing Center in Redmond Washingon.
Our team was one of the few selected to do a panel presentation on our work. After the presentations we will be going to a reception with members from Microsoft's National Advisory Council at the Microsoft Visitor's Center followed by dinner with the other US Partners in Learning and Chris Dede.

National Advisory Group Members include:

1. Gene Carter, Executive Director - Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)

2. Dan Fallon, Chair of Education Division - Carnegie Corporation of New York

3. Tom Houlihan, Executive Director - Council of Chief State School Officers

4. Tim Waters, President and CEO - Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning

5. Brenda Wellburn, Executive Director - National Association of State Boards of Education

6.Blake West, Vice President of Kansas NEA - National Education Association (NEA)

7. Anne Bryant, Executive Director - National School Boards Association

8. John Bransford, Co-Director - College of Education, University of Washington

9. Kathy Klock Persing, Council Co-Chair

On Tuesday we will listen to a presentation by Dr. Dede and Trish Millines Dziko, a former Microsoft employee (8.5 years) who has now switched to non-profit work. She runs an organization called Technology Access Foundation (TAF) which prepares underserved students of color for success in a technology-driven world by providing technology and life skills training. She uses business strategies in her non-profit to create success. I am quite excited about hearing what she has to say.

We will be collaborating with the other teams and discussing evaluations of our projects. All in all, it sounds like a pretty interesting couple of days. I'll let you know how it goes.