(DES MOINES) – Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg, along with education, health and safety leaders, announced Tuesday that Iowa will hold a first-of-its-kind digital literacy conference Friday, November 10, in Ames. The event will feature educational and scientific leaders on digital literacy. They will share innovations in teaching with educators, health professionals and other stakeholders.
“This conference is an opportunity for Iowa to lead the way with cutting edge research and teaching tools to strengthen our children and teens by making them more media savvy,” Gov. Reynolds said. “The goal of digital literacy is to improve the behavioral health and educational outcomes of Iowa’s youth. That means minimizing the risks and maximizing the benefits of growing up in a fast-changing digital world.”
“We’ve experienced many great innovations during our lifetimes, and the pace of innovation is ever increasing,” Lt. Gov. Gregg said. “Now, we need to teach our children how to harness that power for good.”
The one day conference is being organized by the Partnership for a Drug-Free Iowa, with support from Iowa State University, Mayo Clinic, the Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy and others.
“Risk management for the digital world promises to be a major advancement in behavioral health and education. From Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) education to the arts and athletics, this conference will focus on issues affecting youth health and welfare,” Peter Komendowski, co-founder of Iowa’s Digital Literacy Project and Partnership president, said. “Digital literacy helps address attention disorders, bullying, cyber-bullying, obesity, poor school performance and substance abuse, among other behavioral risks that can be influenced by media interactions.”
For more on Iowa’s Digital Literacy Conference, including subject matter, speaker information and registration materials, go to www.trainingresources.org.
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