Oct. 27, 2009 (Business Wire) -- National leaders in education, science, technology and philanthropy will assemble today for the Breakthrough Learning in a Digital Age Forum to develop recommendations for using digital media for education reform. The forum will also feature an exhibition of some of the newest innovations in education technology presently available. The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, Common Sense Media, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Google, have convened the meeting at the Google campus in Mountain View.

Building on the renewed federal investment in education, the participants will develop an action plan to use breakthrough technologies to help revitalize a school system that has fallen behind. Emphasis will be placed on key areas where technology can make a significant difference including addressing America's early literacy crisis, preparing teachers to integrate technology into classrooms, and opening new learning opportunities for youth through mobile and games-based learning.

Presenters over the two day event represent a wide range of education and technology fields including: Martha J. Kanter, Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, Reed Hastings, CEO, Netflix, former Chairman of the California State School Board, Joel Klein, Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, Geoff Canada, CEO of Harlem Children’s Zone, Marissa Mayer, VP, Search Products and User Experience, Google Inc. and Jonathan Miller, Chief Digital Officer for News Corporation. Joan Ganz Cooney, Sesame Street co-founder, and Sesame Street Muppet Grover will also make special appearances.

The full agenda, speaker biographies, forum details and instructions on how to join in and watch the live webcast are available on the forum website at www.google.com/events/digitalage/index.html.

"We're very excited to host this dynamic group of thinkers and innovators at Google. Breakthrough Learning can make a tangible difference in building a new future for our children, and will address some of the most critical issues facing our education system," said Maggie Johnson, Director of Education and University Relations, Google Inc.