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Severe contest: The Economist Debate Series The Economist invites you to the floor of an Oxford-style debate on education

Round one has ended; round two begins.

The house recently REJECTED the proposition that "The continuing introduction of new technologies and new media adds little to the quality of most education".

On December 11th, the focus shifts to our next proposition: "This house proposes governments and universities everywhere should be competing to attract and educate all suitably-qualified students regardless of nationality and residence."

We challenge you to join the contest and help decide a winner.

 

Debate Moderator

Robert Cottrell pictureRobert Cottrell, Deputy Editor of Economist.com

Mr Cottrell has been deputy editor of Economist.com for the past two years, and online editor of Intelligent Life magazine since its re-launch this year. He is based in New York.

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He spent most of the preceding 25 years as a foreign correspondent in Asia and Europe for The Economist and the Financial Times. He is a contributor to the New York Review of Books, and a regular diarist for the Spectator. He was educated at King's College, Cambridge.

Proposition

Sir John Daniel pictureSir John Daniel, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Commonwealth of Learning

Having obtained his full-time university education in Metallurgy at Oxford and Paris.

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Sir John went on to complete a part-time Master's degree in Educational Technology at Concordia University over the course of 25 years. He now holds 30 honorary doctorates, fellowships and professorships from universities and professional bodies in 16 countries and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth for services to higher education in 1994. He has also authored 250 publications, the best known being “Mega-Universities and Knowledge Media: Technology Strategies for Higher Education” (Kogan Page, 1996).

Opposition

Dr. Robert Kozma pictureDr Robert Kozma, Emeritus Director and Principal Scientist at SRI International

Dr Kozma's expertise includes Information and Communication Technology policy and the use of technology to improve learning.

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He has more than 75 publications to his credit and has consulted with ministries and agencies in Thailand, Singapore, Jordan, Egypt, and Chile and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on the use of technology to improve educational systems. Previously he was on faculty at the University of Michigan for 20 years and began his career as an elementary mathematics teacher in Detroit.

Sponsor

Intel LogoOfficial sponsor of The Economist Debate Series

Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, invests $100 million annually to help teachers teach, students learn and universities around the world innovate—particularly in the areas of math, science and technology. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/educate

About sponsorship
Sponsors provide financial support for the debate series. The sponsor or its agents may participate in the debate, via comments. If the sponsor or its agents participate in the debate, the sponsor or its agents must declare their relationship for transparency. The sponsor may not contact The Economist Group editorial staff once the debate goes live. The sponsor may not influence or otherwise guide moderation. At all times, The Economist's editorial staff will retain full control of the debate. The sponsor may also put forward for publication to the debate site its own branded content, third party content, and/or links to external web sources as sponsored clearly labeled sponsored material for the debate.