Barack Obama State of Union 1/28 Close Up - H 2014
AP Photo/Larry DowningContinuing in his commitment to getting America’s students connected, President Barack Obama has announced $400 million in new private sector commitments towards his ConnectED goal.
Adobe will provide $300 million of the funds in the form of free software for students and teachers, including Adobe PhotoShop and Premiere Elements, and Prezi is pledging $100 million worth of its Edu Pro licenses.
PHOTOS: Oprah Winfrey, Forest Whitaker in the White House: Making of ‘The Butler’
The announcement is part of Obama’s commitment to get 99 percent of America’s students connected to next-generation broadband and wireless technology within five years, and are in addition to the $750 million in commitments that the president announced last month.
The White House will also be hosting the first ever student film festival and as part of the event Fox and National Geographic Channel will give finalists a sneak peek on Friday at the first episode of the upcoming Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey television series, produced by Seth MacFarlane and Carl Sagan‘s widow, Ann Druyan. The series, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, celebrates the importance of science, technology, engineering and math education.
STORY: Fox, National Geographic Channel Team With White House on Student Film Festival
Over 2,000 videos were submitted into the competition, showing how technology is used now and in the future, and separated into four groups: Young Visionaries; Future Innovators; World of Tomorrow and Building Bridges. The films will be presented by Kal Penn, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye, and AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale, with Conan O’Brien also addressing the students.
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