The inaugural National Education Week (#NatEdWeek) at NYU innovation conference convened yesterday at the NYU Skirball Center. Highlights included TED-like presentations from experts that covered topics such as the edtech marketplace, higher ed challenges, global perspectives, and more. In response to demand for better preparation of teacher college graduates, NYU Steinhardt launched a new residency-based online teacher education program. The yearlong graduate residency program will combine a full-time immersive classroom experience with exhaustive coursework. “We hope intensive residency will become the rule and not the exception in higher ed,” said Diana Turk, Director of Teacher Education at NYU Steinhardt. The day concluded with demos from 10 edtech startups that included Erudite Science, CoachTube, Ruckus Learning, and more.. “The startup nations will drive change,” predicted Charles McIntyre, CEO EdTech Europe, since “80% of the world’s population will be able to access mobile broadband within 5 years.” Much like last week’s news in DC, what happens next in edtech will be a group effort. – Christine Weiser, Executive Editor
