PANEL: Education — Cognitive and Digital Tools for the Minds of the Next Generation
Master of Ceremonies: Dr. Howard Gardner, Harvard University psychologist
Keynote: Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha
Panelists:
Johann Koss, CEO of Right to Play
Dr. Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, NYU globalization and education professor
Jorge Pardo, sculptor
Dr. Stephen Kosslyn, Harvard University psychology professor
Dr. Fred Mednick, Founder, Teachers Without Borders
Allan E. Goodman, President, The Institute of International Education
Mark Inglis, Founder, Limbs4All
Dr. Larry Stone, teacher and sommelier
Panel summary by Josh Sanburn, World Policy Journal
The topic of education and how it relates to new technologies brought a diverse group of people together—a former Olympic speed skater, a sculptor, a sommelier, a mountaineer, and (to top it off) the prime minister of Albania.
Sali Berisha addressed technology in Albanian schools in his keynote address, saying he began working toward Internet access in every school in the mid-90s. “Now, my country’s totally different,” he said.
“There is Internet and a computer lab in every school. But in the digital age, you never run with the speed of time. Time is faster than you.” 
Prime Minister Berisha said he eventually wants the Internet in every Albanian household. He believes it will empower his country and that it is the “best tool for the global march of people.” While online access was a running theme, Dr. Stephen Kosslyn suggested there was too much emphasis on technology itself. “It’s like an emphasis on canvas and wooden frames,” he said. “There should be more of an emphasis on what you do with technology.”
Dr. Marcelo Suarez-Orozco spoke convincingly on the role of women, noting that the investment in the education of girls worldwide tends to be one of the most powerful forces for good. He congratulated the Albanian prime minister on his efforts in girls’ education.
“Never before in human history has education been so important for mediating the fundamental global problems that will be with us moving forward,” said Suarez-Orozco, noting that young people have an increasing awareness of global interconnectedness. “If we live in a global world, the face of globalization is movement of capital, movement of technologies, movement of people,” he said. “Managing the human face of globalization is the fundamental challenge of the high-income countries.”