CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Hundreds of public education, higher education and state agency employees are heading to Morgantown next week for the annual West Virginia Statewide Technology Conference.

Representatives from all over West Virginia will share their expertise in using technology to make learning personal during the event, July 30 to Aug. 1 at Waterfront Place Hotel. The event is coordinated by the West Virginia Department of Education and West Virginia Network.

Former Gov. Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education, is to provide the keynote address at 1 p.m. on Tuesday. The alliance, a Washington, D.C.-based organization, works to promote digital learning and supports effective high school reform to increase student achievement.

The organization also is leading Project 24, an effort to help school districts plan for and effectively use technology and digital learning to personalize learning and to ensure that students graduate from high school ready for college and a career. West Virginia is the first state to sign up to participate in Project 24 as a statewide education effort.

Project 24 will be the topic of a panel discussion immediately following Wise's address and moderated by West Virginia Board of Education member Lloyd Jackson. Panel members include Wise, state Superintendent Jim Phares, as well as state board members Michael Green and Wade Linger.

"Technology holds the potential to transform the way teaching and learning occur in our state," Phares said. "Technology has changed the way we do everything from shopping to reading books. It's time to take action to leverage this potential with more innovative uses of technology in our schools."

Retired Cabell County Judge Dan O'Hanlon, who is vice chancellor for technology for the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and director of the West Virginia Network, also is scheduled to speak on Tuesday during the conference. Other Tuesday sessions include Project 24 and student achievement at 3 p.m. On Wednesday, sessions include the role of technology in universal design for learning at 10 a.m. and using gaming principals to personalize learning at 11 a.m. Thursday's sessions include Microsoft's innovative educator program at 10 a.m.

For more information, visit http://www.wvnet.edu/conference, or contact the state Department of Education's Communication Office at 304-558-2699, or the West Virginia Network at 304-293-5192.

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