Powering the Possible in Primary/K-12 Education

Students want more modernized technology in their classrooms. They want teachers to incorporate digital learning more thoughtfully in their lesson plans, according to a study commissioned by Dell, and they think this can help personalize their experience and provide a more effective education.

We discussed digital learning and more at two events hosted this week at MIT, produced by NBC and sponsored by Dell. Students have a lot of ideas about solving today’s biggest issues in education. At Dell, we know we can give them the power to realize those possibilities.

That’s why I’m so thrilled to announce the Dell Education Challenge — a spotlight challenge extending our partnership with the Dell Social Innovation Challenge managed by the University of Texas at Austin. This fall, we will identify and invest $30,000 in promising projects by university entrepreneurs working to transform learning in today’s primary/ K-12 schools. Solutions can be for-profit or nonprofit; they can address anything, from systemic policy issues, or out-of-school learning, to the classroom environment.

Twenty semi-finalists will receive 1:1 mentoring to help polish their ideas, and finalists will travel to Dell World this December to pitch their ideas to the spotlight’s judges. Students with transformative, highly scalable innovations can submit their ideas at www.dellchallenge.org/k12 by October 24.

Participants will also be eligible to compete in the broader Dell Social Innovation Challenge next spring. In 2012, we received nearly 1,800 projects from teams in 105 countries that presented ideas addressing issues such as environmental sustainability, poverty, education, youth development, health and women’s rights.

Want some inspiration? See how last year’s finalists hope to change the world with the support, funding and mentorship they received through the challenge.