Join Over 8,000 Educators at THIRTEEN and WLIW21's Fourth Annual Celebration of Teaching & Learning

Join Over 8,000 Educators at THIRTEEN and WLIW21's Fourth Annual Celebration of Teaching & Learning

WHO: 90+ world-class speakers - Including GOVERNOR DAVID A. PATERSON; Google Chairman and CEO ERIC SCHMIDT; actor ALAN ALDA; autistic author TEMPLE GRANDIN; prominent creativity expert SIR KENNETH ROBINSON; actress/math whiz DANICA MCKELLAR; Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, BILL GATES, SR; and education leaders DENNIS VAN ROEKEL, RANDI WEINGARTEN, JOHN WILSON, RICHARD C. IANNUZZI, JOEL I. KLEIN, GEOFFREY CANADA, LUCILLE DAVY and PEDRO NOGUERA; Sesame Workshop's new cast of THE ELECTRIC COMPANY; 100+ workshops, panels, and presentations; 150+ exhibits on the latest in dynamic resources for the K-12 classroom ... and over 8,000 teachers, school administrators, school board members, parents, business leaders, policymakers, and others who support education.

WHAT: THIRTEEN & WLIW21's CELEBRATION OF TEACHING & LEARNING, a two-day premier professional development conference, where the world's best thinkers, practitioners and more than 8,000 educators come together to play a role in shaping the future of schools.

WHY: Public Television's core mission is education. For over 40 years, public television has been there to provide the very best to students and teachers alike. THIRTEEN and WLIW21 host this annual Celebration to invest in teachers by providing them access to the most invigorating leaders in education, technology, research and the world beyond schools.

WHEN: FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2009 8:30 A.M. - 5:30 P.M.

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2009 8:30 A.M. - 5:30 P.M.

WHERE: Hilton New York 1335 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10018

HIGHLIGHTS: FRIDAY, MARCH 6: 8:30 A.M. - 5:30 P.M. -- 8:30 a.m. Dr. Francis Q. Eberle, Executive Director of the National Science Teachers Association, will share his thoughts on how to engage students in the sciences. -- 10 a.m. Sesame Workshop's new cast of THE ELECTRIC COMPANY hosts an interactive session on literacy. -- 11:15 a.m. Professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University and author of The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene, will discuss the importance of storytelling in science education. -- 11:15 a.m. Jon Bowermaster, writer, filmmaker and adventurer, will speak to teachers about the direct connection the world's oceans have on millions of people each day and how to excite students about the environment. -- 11:15 a.m. New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein and New York University Professor Pedro Noguera, in a discussion moderated by host of the PBS weekly program NOW, David Brancaccio, will examine the achievement gap. -- 11:15 a.m. Geoffrey Canada, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Harlem Children's Zone, will share his vision for the future of the Harlem Children's Zone, which now serves more than 7,000 children in a 97-block area; many of whom are showing impressive test scores. -- 2 p.m. World-renowned innovator Sir Kenneth Robinson speaks on his newly released and highly acclaimed book The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. -- 2:30 p.m. John I. Wilson, Executive Director of the National Education Association and Lucille Davy, New Jersey's Commissioner of Education, will join Paige Kuni, Worldwide Manager of K-12 education for Intel (R) Corporation's Intel(R) Education Initiative, in a conversation on what districts and schools are and can be doing to create learning environments that prepare students for the challenges of the 21st Century. The panel will be moderated by Ken Kay, President of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. -- 2:30 p.m. Richard C. Iannuzzi, President of New York State United Teachers, Ernest Logan, President of Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, and Sandra Stein, CEO of the New York City Leadership Academy will join William F. Baker, former Thirteen/WNET President, in exploring key elements of school leadership. The panel will be moderated by James Hennessy, Dean of Fordham University's Graduate School of Education. -- 4:00 p.m. David A. Paterson, Governor of New York, will give special remarks. -- 4:15 p.m. Fourth Annual Chase Multimedia in the Classroom Awards -- 4:30 p.m. Eric Schmidt, Google Chairman and CEO, shares his thoughts on the future of technology in an interview with award-winning PBS host, Charlie Rose.

SATURDAY, MARCH 7; 8:30 A.M. - 5:30 P.M. -- 9 a.m. Coffee with Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers. -- 10 a.m. Noted autistic professor and New York Times best-selling author, Temple Grandin, speaks on developing strengths and abilities in people on the autism spectrum. -- 1 p.m. Actress and math enthusiast Danica McKellar challenges the "math nerd" stereotype with topics from her new book, Kiss My Math. Dennis Van Roekel, President of the National Education Association, will host an interview. -- 4 p.m. Alan Alda, best-selling author and award-winning actor, discusses what he has learned about "The Human Spark," the topic of his new three-part miniseries on PBS.

The Celebration of Teaching & Learning is presented by THIRTEEN and WLIW21. JPMorgan Chase is the Founding Sponsor. For a complete schedule visit www.thirteencelebration.org.

To RSVP and schedule interviews please contact: Nicolle Grayson Widmeyer Communications 202.667.0901 x138 Nicolle.Grayson@widmeyer.com

/PRNewswire/ -- March 3

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Thirteen/WNET

Web Site: http://www.thirteencelebration.org/

---

Profile: International Entertainment