OTTAWA, Ontario, Dec. 10, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Current and emerging technologies have a positive transformative role to play in shaping the future of education at colleges and universities in Canada and around the world. That was the consensus at the close of EdTech Summit 2014 , Ottawa's first education technology summit, presented by Kivuto Solutions Inc. , the world's leading provider of hosted, flexible and scalable solutions for complex digital distribution requirements.
Speakers, presenters, and attendees at the two-day summit took a long hard look at the role and impact of current and emerging technologies in higher education and concluded that embracing and adapting technology can improve the education process for students and teachers.
"It was a dynamic and wide-ranging summit that brought together some of North America's leading academic theorists, most innovative institutions, solution providers, and students," said keynote speaker Ken Steele, higher ed futurist, co-founder of Academica Group Inc., and editor of Canada's leading higher ed news daily, the Academica Top Ten. "We shared some of the latest developments and pilot programs in undergraduate teaching and learning, discussed the challenges to campus innovation, and speculated about the disruptive new technologies with the potential to reshape and transform higher education in the decade ahead. This was an important conversation that should continue to take place between the people who run our colleges and universities and the people who create and deliver education technology. It's the only way that positive innovation and change can happen in our academic institutions. I was happy to be a part of this event and I hope that Kivuto continues to host similar events in the future."
EdTech Summit 2014 brought together representatives from academia and the technology sector to examine how today's technologies and technology trends are disrupting and changing education across Canada and around the world. The key topics examined included the:
- Effects of the digital textbook transformation on campus
- Impact of cloud services and social learning on teaching and collaboration
- Role of Massive Open Online Course (MOOCS) options in the learning process
- Startups and Venture Capital in EdTech
- Emergence of the flipped classroom where students learn content online at home and do homework in class
In addition to Ken Steele, the summit featured presentations and discussions led by speakers and panelists from the education technology industry and academia in Ottawa and from across North America. More than 130 people attended the two-day event, representing academic organizations in the United States and Canada, as well as leading software, publishing and technology companies.
"Everyone came prepared to make each conversation meaningful and fruitful and it was interesting to see how all the issues, ideas, and perspectives put on the table were analyzed and considered," said Lucy van Oldenbarneveld, the summit's Master of Ceremonies, and Host of CBC News Ottawa. "It was obvious that a lot of thought was put into this event by Kivuto and by the speakers and presenters. I was happy to be a part of it and I look forward to the next summit in 2015."
About Kivuto
Kivuto Solutions is the world's leading provider of advanced digital distribution and management solutions that enable the secure delivery of digital goods to individuals, businesses, and organizations anywhere in the world. Kivuto simplifies the process of delivering any digital good to any market under virtually any terms and conditions. Over 60,000 academic institutions and departments trust Kivuto to manage and distribute software to their students, faculty and staff. The company distributes software in 195 countries and supports 14 languages. www.kivuto.com .
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