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How do public service broadcasters like the BBC or PBS survive - let alone fulfill their role as "dedicated instruments of deliberative democracy" - in the face of ever more powerful private platforms? This new open-access paper draws on extensive industry interviews to answer this question.
The White House hosted its first-ever competitive gaming event, bringing together a handful of Twitch streamers and professional esports players for a live-streamed evening of gaming and healthcare.
A few old links
Archived White House OSTP blogs:
Helping Gamers Get Health Care Coverage (An Epic Win) - Blog announcing the first White House eSports game-a-thon to get gamers signed up for healthcare.gov.
A New Prize Challenge for Virtual and Augmented Reality Learning Tools - Blog launching the EdSim challenge in the Obama Administration to support development of VR tools in education.
Building the Next Generation of Assessments in Education - Blog post discussing how technology and innovation can reduce and rethink standardized testing.
White House Hosts the First-Ever Meeting of Kid Science Advisors. True story, a kid came to the white house and asked the President to create a new advisory council of kids, and we made it happen.
A few old projects

As the Department of Educations New Media Specialist I worked with the Office of Educational Technology to hold the Department's first summit on the use of video games for learning, in partnership with Games for Change and the Entertainment Software Association. 250 developers, researchers, educators, and officials convened to chart a path for the future of games in education. Video credit to the ESA.
The Student Bill is a mechanism for empowering students in schools across the nation to voice their opinions and needs, driving holistic educational progress.
"Department of Education Believes Video Games are the Future of Learning. Teachers and developers join forces to help revolutionize education."

I spoke at TEDxRedmond about two years ago, just beginning to form my ideas about education, technology, and the real stakes in our education system. There's a few things I'd change in the talk looking back, but the heart of it is a personal story from my own schooling and some pretty epic twists.
While at the U.S. Department of Education I worked with the Office of Science an Technology Policy at the White House to hold the first White House Game Jam. We brought over 100 top developers together from across the games industry with some of the best educators in the country to build 20 new video game prototypes for education. Video credit to Ubisoft Redstorm.