What’s Happening Today: Wednesday, March 7

It's day three of SXSW EDU, already...where does the time go? Today's schedule features another full day of programming and events.

On the keynote stage – social media scholar, youth researcher and advocate, danah boyd, who leads Data & Society in their focus to understand the role of data-driven technologies in society. Dr. boyd also works as a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research, a Visiting Professor at New York University and has authored a number of books including “It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens” and “Participatory Culture in a Networked Age“. Her extensive exploration to better understand the relationship between technology and society lends her a unique perspective that we look forward to hearing from today. Her recent work has taken a powerful look at media literacy, the widespread consumption of fake news and the cultural implications of media manipulation. Her SXSW EDU keynote, What Hath We Wrought?, will explore this and more.

The SXSW EDU Innovation Hub, a dynamic space designed to connect education professionals across industries, is open today. With multiple programming stages, booths and lounge spaces to facilitate meetings, the Innovation Hub is a must-attend destination for the latest solutions, initiatives and partnerships in education. There is a happy hour scheduled to take place in the hub at 5:00pm today.

A Few More Highlights

• The Rather Prize, a $10,000 prize given to the best idea to improve education in the state of Texas, is back at SXSW EDU to share an updated and announce this year's winner
• Three young rock star founders of successful nonprofit and private education startups on why they started, how to pitch and land funding and how to leverage that money into impact, are speaking with Forbes' Caroline Howard on the Featured Stage at 12:30pm
• The seventh annual Launch competition, celebrating emerging innovations in learning with a fast-paced pitch competition featuring early-stage startups, is today from 4-6pm, followed by the happy hour and winner's announcement
• The film School Life screens at 7pm this evening at the Alamo Ritz