ASTRA and STEMconnector Release EdTech: Revolution in Education

AUSTIN, Texas, June 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- EdTech: Revolution in Education is the latest, largest and most comprehensive report on EdTech, to be released June 18, 2013, in hard copy and PDF form, from ASTRA and STEMconnector®. Call it the "Ed Tech Connector." In addition to the book's release, an interactive e-book will be available for download. EdTech: Revolution in Education tracks how technology is disrupting, revolutionizing, and innovating education. As John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, said, "I believe the Internet and education are the two greatest equalizers in life." This report is a snapshot of these two equalizers in action. The report will chronicle how "In today's workforce, access to and utilization of technology is fundamental to preparing students for their careers - particularly those in STEM fields," declares Dr. Tim Welsh, Senior Vice President at the University of Phoenix, a sponsor of the report.

EdTech: Revolution in Education contains extensive and exclusive content, including:

• 80 Contributions from leaders in EdTech
• 150+ full-color graphs and charts that illustrate the EdTech revolution
• 500+ profiled organizations, people, and products in the field
• 15 Chapters that cover everything EdTech, including primary, secondary and higher education, social media, game-based learning, MOOCs, innovation and more
• 100+ terms in the all new EdTech Glossary

Covered in the report is a wealth of knowledge, including the following fascinating facts:

• More than $3 Trillion has been spent on EdTech-related Information Technology expenditures worldwide.
• $4.4 Trillion will approximately be spent on Information Technology this year, globally.
• 83% of U.S. CEOs and small business owners believe an online degree is credible.
• There have been over 1,200 U.S. social network patent applications published and patents issued per year since 2003.
• The average entertainment software industry employee has a salary of $90,000.
• 7 computer and/or video games were sold, on average, every second of every day of 2010.

A press conference will be held in the Exhibit Hall of the US News STEM Solutions Conference on June 18, 2013, at 3:15 PM CST to release the report. Participating in the press conference will be Sajan Pillai, CEO of UST Global; Harbrinder Kang, Senior Director, Corporate Affairs at Cisco Systems; Dr. Tim Welsh, Senior Vice President, Industry Strategy Group, of the University of Phoenix; and Justina Nixon-Saintil, Director of Education Initiatives for the Verizon Foundation. All of their respective organizations are sponsors of the report. ASTRA and STEMconnector® will also thank the many contributors and editorial team, including Dr. Ronnie Lowenstein, ASTRA's Senior Advisor and Futurist.

"EdTech:  Revolution in Education is a first-of-its kind effort to map the EdTech space and create an inventory of EdTech resources that can be linked to our economy and society at large," declares Executive Editor Robert S. Boege, who also serves as Executive Director of ASTRA. Boege is joined by STEMconnector® CEO Edie Fraser, who states "this important source book confirms the explosive nature of the ongoing EdTech revolution — it captures so many aspects of how technology is driving digital and distance learning across the globe." Fraser concludes, "Learning itself has changed. Kids are online all the time or glued to one or more devices. We have no idea how this is changing the economy and society at-large and this is the first source book to start documenting these fascinating developments." Sajan Pillai, CEO of UST Global, couldn't agree more with Fraser regarding the importance of advances in this field. He affirms that the "Advent of distance learning technologies, combined with social, mobile, local, and cloud based advances in IT have fundamentally changed how we engage, educate and entertain students and practices." EdTech: Revolution in Education confirms that EdTech is advancing and changing, and validates the assertion that the field will never be the same.

Book chapters include: EdTech in K-12 Education, Higher Education, Career Education, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Innovation, Big Data, Social Media, Devices, the Maker Movement, Game-Based Learning, Lifelong Learning, the Economic Impact of EdTech, EdTech Equity & Diversity, EdTech Policy, and EdTech & Our Global Future.

EdTech Weekly™ is a weekly newsletter, released every Monday, which focuses on trends in policy, technology development and media in the EdTech realm. STEMconnector® launched EdTech Weekly™ in October of 2012. EdTech: Revolution in Education grew out of this weekly publication as a way to further chronicle developments in EdTech. You can sign up to receive the EdTech Weekly™ by going to www.STEMconnector.org/EdTech.

The report: EdTech: Revolution in Education 2013 is a "must" use resource. For more information, please visit www.stemconnector.org on June 18^th for the "One Stop" resource and "click in" as you learn more about the game-changing event known simply as the EdTech Revolution.

SOURCE STEMconnector