Wednesday, June 7, 2006
by: Jill Matthews

Douglas Rushkoff, Globally-Recognized Media and Technology Theorist, to Deliver Keynote Address

Douglas Rushkoff, Professor of Media Culture at New York University, will deliver the keynote address at 1:30 p.m. on June 8. Conference participants began registering early on Wednesday, June 7.

Education industry and technology experts have gathered on Seton Hall University's South Orange campus to explore and discuss learning technologies at the 9th Annual ThinkTank Conference. A global conference with participants from as far away as New Zealand, ThinkTank 06 brings together ThinkPad University, ThinkPad Academy and ThinkPad 1:1 Computing program participants and education industry experts to address everything from the instructional considerations to the infrastructure of mobile computing.

The conference began Wednesday, June 7 and will conclude Friday, June 9.

During the three-day conference, participants will:

• Receive information on, and discuss, best practices in one-to-one computing;
• Hear from key leaders in the technology and education industries, including:
• Keynote Speaker Douglas Rushkoff, Professor of Media Culture at New York University;
• • Lee Rainie, Director of the PEW Internet and American Life Project;
  • Kenneth C. Green, Founder of Campus Computing Project;
  • Carolyn Jarman, Associate Director of the National Center for Academic Transformation;
  • Alan Guskin, Co-Director of the Project on the Future of Higher Education.
• Participate in pre-conference workshops, breakout sessions, small group meetings and a post-conference workshop;
• View demonstrations of new technology tools during a vendor showcase.

Keynote speaker Douglas Rushkoff is one of today's most engaging and perceptive commentators on the impact of technology and media on society. His research explores how communications affect our values and our lives — from how to raise children in a media-driven culture to how to find and impart meaning in business, education and even religion. A globally-recognized media theorist and thought leader on marketing and Internet culture, Rushkoff is the author of ten books on technology, media and popular culture, including Coercion, Cyberia, Media Virus and Playing the Future.

Rushkoff will present his keynote address, "New Media, New Literacies: Why Johnny Can't Program" at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 8.

For more information on the conference, please contact Seton Hall University's Teaching, Learning & Technology Center at (973) 761-9554. Media wishing to attend the conference should contact Jill Matthews, Media Analyst at (973) 378-2695.

To view the full conference agenda, please visit www.lenovo.com/thinktankonline

For more information please contact:
Jill Matthews
(973) 378-2695
mattheji@shu.edu