At GaETC 2026 keynote Malcolm Mitchell lays out practical moves: increase access to age-appropriate books, build reading interest through game-like challenges, and connect reading practice to measurable grade-level gains.
Increase access to print: providing age-appropriate books significantly boosts reading interest within months.
Use game-like challenges to raise engagement: virtual reading initiatives can turn reading into a repeatable habit.
Link engagement to skill growth: frequent, supported reading practice aims to move students to grade-level standards and reduce academic failure.
This November 4-6, the GaETC theme of "Playbook for Progress" will inspire attendees to come together and design the next winning game plan for teaching and learning. Just like a great playbook, effective educational technology requires vision, teamwork, and the ability to pivot in real time. Someone who can run superbowl rings around other presenters when it comes to living these concepts is GaETC 2026 keynote speaker, Malcolm Mitchell.
" Our virtual reading challenges were created to inspire and encourage kids to read in a game-like environment," he says. "We want kids to engage in reading more frequently, ultimately improving their grade-level reading standards, preventing academic failure," Mitchell says. "Reading was clearly the thing that could supercharge anything." Illiteracy is a complex problem to solve, adding even more importance to summits such as GaETC.
and local University of Georgia Bulldogs star. Malcolm Mitchell) A Playbook for Literacy Progress "A strong playbook starts by identifying the fundamentals," says Mitchell. "In education, literacy is the fundamental that makes every other opportunity possible.
"The goal for today is to bring awareness so that people who come can reach out to their community and figure out, okay, who are the people in my community who do need help reading?"
Fueled by factors such as chronic absenteeism and pandemic learning challenges, students’ reading scores have been trending downward for years. A biennial National Assessment of Education Progress test found that approximately a third of eighth grade students lack basic reading skills, the largest percentage on record.
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