Digital Learning Day 2019 — Nevada Technology Innovators Gather at Legislature

sienna
Clift & Co
Published in
2 min readFeb 28, 2019

Many of Nevada’s most innovative programs and companies have descended on the Nevada State Assembly building to give a taste of the ways in which they are pushing Nevada into 21st century leadership.

We’ve already previously established the strength in Nevada’s potential as a digital leader in the community, and our representatives agree. Senator Ben Kieckhefer has been quick to support much of the innovation taking place in the community.

“I think that there’s excellent opportunities for those thought leaders and those knowledge leaders to find a home in Northern Nevada and Nevada, generally. And when they do, they’re not going to want to leave.” — Sen. Ben Kieckhefer, R-Reno, in an interview with N. Nevada Business View

Student technology demonstrations, Lime scooter rides, and autonomous vehicle displays are just a few of the happenings taking place on the Digital Learning and Infrastructure Technology Day.

The day started by emphasizing the experiences of students with digital learning and the educational progress made thanks to the Nevada Ready 21 Program. Approved by the legislature in 2015, The Nevada Ready 21 Program was part of Governor Sandoval’s education package.

By providing each student in the participating school with a chromebook supplied by CTL as well as the services to aid teachers with the integration of this technology in their classrooms, they create more opportunities for digital learning in the classroom. A recent external evaluation of the program recommended that funding be continued, with 80% of teachers saying they the program has spurred better student performance on class assignments. The students from Carson Middle School who came out to the Legislature today certainly agree.

During the second half of the day, companies that contribute to Nevada’s tech scene, through stimulating the economy through job growth and helping to position the state as a leader in technology innovation. Filament, a blockchain hardware and software company based in Reno is present, talking about the projects they’re currently working on to further the , not only with their products, but with their advocacy for blockchain-friendly legislation.

During the 2017 session Filament worked on passing SB 398. Introduced by Senator Ben Kieckhefer, this bill established Nevada as a blockchain friendly state by adding blockchain as an acceptable form of electronic record under the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act and prohibiting any local government from placing a tax or fee on its use.

Transportation also plays a role at today’s Infrastructure Technology Day demonstration. Front and center in the presentation is Lime, a company offering sustainable first- and last-mile transportation solutions for individuals. Lime has brought along their scooters and allow people to take them for a spin.

Infrastructure Technology day and Digital Learning Day only continues to show Nevada’s strengths and potential as a leader in the tech space. Moving forward, we must continue to embrace these efforts as we collaborate with legislators to move forward towards a more innovative future.

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sienna
Clift & Co

Legislative Assistant at Clift&Co. Passionate about environmental conservation projects, technology with community benefit, and the occasional surfing trip.