NTEN's Amy Sample Ward shares from her experiences at the Games for Change Festival.

James Shelton, US Department of Education:

Education is probably the area where we have failed to innovate the most. This morning we talked about creating clusters of innovation, bringing in various communities, etc. But before we got there, we talked a bit about the problem. I want to frame first the opportunity: we often talk about the competitiveness frame in education, that the US used to be number one, and now we are "falling behind." The truth is that other countries are passing us by.

The 5th Annual Games for Change Festival, taking place June 2-4 in NYC, will kick off with a free workshop for nonprofits interested in social issue games. It'd be great to get some NTEN representation there:

Games for Change, the international nexus and primary community of practice for individuals and organizations interested in games for positive social change will be hosting a free day-long workshop for non-profits and public institutions new to the field of video games and "real world issues".

There aren't many spaces left at the workshop, and you do need to apply. The rest of the conference looks pretty intriguing, as well: the closing keynote will be delivered by the Honorable Sandra Day O'Conner. We hear she's wicked good at FIFA 08.