GS03 KEYNOTE: Technology and Storytelling: Making a Difference in the Digital Age
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Thursday, October 26
Grand Ballroom
Storytelling is a major conduit through which we learn. We’ve learned via stories for all of human history, but technology continues to transform the ways in which we tell stories and connect with one another. Join actor, director, and producer LeVar Burton in this keynote session as he shares the powerful impact that his mentors, technology, storytelling, and science fiction have had on his life and how each has helped shape his incredible life’s work. Be there as Mr. Burton concludes the session with a personal demonstration of how he employs today’s latest technologies in his efforts to educate and enlighten—a world-premiere peek at his latest project, the Reading Rainbow App.
LeVar Burton
Actor, Director, Producer
In the past 30 years, LeVar Burton has done it all—from acting to directing and even producing. He has appeared in numerous television movies, films, and TV series. Mr. Burton is probably best known for his roles as Kunta Kinte in the award-winning miniseries Roots and Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge in the Star Trek franchise, as well as being the host and executive producer of the long-running PBS children’s series Reading Rainbow. The latter series earned Mr. Burton 13 Emmy Awards and five NAACP Awards. Mr. Burton has directed numerous episodes of four Star Trek series, in addition to episodes of Las Vegas and Charmed. He also directed the popular Disney Channel original film Smart House and the critically acclaimed Showtime television movie The Tiger Woods Story.
