The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) honored five visionaries in edtech with the coveted ISTE Making IT Happen Award at the ISTE Conference & Expo in Chicago.
The Making IT Happen award honors outstanding educators and leaders who demonstrate extraordinary commitment, leadership, courage and persistence in improving digital learning opportunities for students.
"ISTE Making IT Happen awardees are committed to transforming teaching and learning and understand the potential technology brings,” said ISTE CEO Richard Culatta. "Since its inception in 1995, more than 700 educators from around the world have received the award. We congratulate and thank all of the awardees this year for their accomplishments."
Mitchel Resnick, professor of learning research at the MIT Media Lab, develops new technologies and activities to engage people (especially children) in creative learning experiences. His Lifelong Kindergarten research group developed the Scratch programming software and online community, the world’s largest coding platform for kids. His group also collaborates with the LEGO on the development of new educational ideas and products, including LEGO Mindstorms robotics kits. Resnick co-founded the Computer Clubhouse project, an international network of 100 after-school learning centers, where youth from low-income communities learn to express themselves creatively with new technologies. He is also the author of Lifelong Kindergarten, which won the PROSE award for Education Practice in 2018.