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News and Background Information on the Conference | |||
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Online Educa Berlin 2007 - The HighlightsOpening plenary: keynotes and presentationsConfirmed speakers for the open plenary session include Prof. Sugata Mitra, Professor of Educational Technology at Newcastle University, UK, Chief Scientist Emeritus with NIIT Limited, India, and originator of the “Hole in the Wall” experiments; the Ghanaian Minister for Education, Science and Sports; Andrew Keen, author of The Cult of the Amateur: How Today's Internet is Killing Our Culture; and Prof. Roberto Carneiro, former Portuguese Minister of Education and Dean of the Institute for Distance Learning at the Portuguese Catholic University. E-Learning in corporate contextsE-Learning can and is playing an important role in supporting business transformation as shown in presentations to be given on behalf of companies such as Thales in the Netherlands, eBay in Germany and real,- one of Germany’s leading self-service discount department stores. Also, Nick Van Dam, of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, USA, will describe how online learning is being used to build learning capabilities globally and Paul Landers, Ericsson, Sweden, will be speaking about mobile e-learning in the telecommunications industry. Web 2.0 Applications, Second LifeThe application of emerging Web 2.0 technologies is generating a great deal of interest, and this year’s agenda will present a great deal of practitioner experience: Martina A. Doolan, University of Hertfordshire, UK; Paul Sweeney, Languagelab.com; Anne Fox, CV2, Denmark; and Paul Westeneng, Andries en en Partners, The Netherlands. Also, Second Life will continue to feature in a discussion about the potential and pitfalls of Multiuser Virtual Environments (MUVEs) in teaching and learning, led by a panel of speakers including Graham Attwell, Dai Griffiths, Steven Warburton, and others. Video learning: vodcasts, and streamingThe use of video in learning is on the increase, with a heightened use of vodcasts and streaming by organisations such as the Swiss Banking Institute and the Hasso-Plattner-Institut, Germany, who will present examples. Olivier Sebastien, University of Reunion, France, will explore the value of mixed media approaches, while Dr. Joe Peters, National University of Singapore, will offer case studies to illustrate best practices in audio-visual applications in e-learning. Training in public serviceAs part of the track on how e-learning is being used to support the training of those in the Public Service, presentations will be made on behalf of the United Nations describing developments in technology-enhanced learning in the UNHCR, WHO, UNDP, UN Staff College and others. Mobile LearningAnother “hot” topic - online learning opportunities for mobile users in all sectors - will be featured prominently. There will be presentations from Christopher Dennett, University of Wolverhampton, UK about creating content for mobile students via Bluetooth; and Stella Lee, Athabasca University, Canada about creating M-Literacy in university faculty members. Higher educationHow to serve digital students of the future is a theme discussed by speakers like Gilly Salmon, Leicester University, UK; Ene Tammeoru, Estonian e-University; Steven Verjans, Dutch Open University; and Eric Clarke, Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland. Led by Prof. Michel Arnaud from University Paris X, France, the agenda will also include a session focused on Interoperability and the Implementation of Standards. GamingSerious gaming approaches are also in the line-up at OEB 2007. Presenters will include Karin Vavatzanidis, NAVS Interactive, Greece, showing the use of simulations in language learning, and Prof. Thomas Bremer, FHTW, Germany, presenting educational applications based on the virtual reconstruction of fragmentary objects common in museums and archeology. Nick Zieltjes, e-BLS, New Zealand, is sure to provoke discussion when he questions whether any real learning takes place in educational gaming, while Euan Mackenzie, 3MRT, UK, will provide an overview of games-based learning in the United States. Lifelong learningHow “open” do learning architecture, infrastructure, and tools have to be to support lifelong learning? This question will be discussed by three leading European projects, TENCompetence, APOSDLE, and PROLIX. Creating and using digital contentCreating and using digital content will also be featured, with speakers including Dr. Wim De Boer, SLO, The Netherlands, talking about labeling digital learning resources for teachers; Dr. Giovanni Fulantelli, Italian National Research Council talking about Open Learning Objects; and Ruth Rominger, Monterey Institute for Technology and Education, USA, talking about sharing of learning objects in online social networks. Innovative approaches to pre- and in-service teacher training will be presented by Ingemar Svensson, Swedish Agency for Flexible Learning, Petra Fischer, Free University, The Netherlands, and Giovanni Adorni, University of Genoa, Italy. AccessibilityBob Barrett, American Military University, USA, will describe how universities are addressing accessibility while Anton Knierzinger will highlight how the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education is using laptops and cameras to support the education of hospitalised children. Open initiativesVijay Kumar from MIT, USA, will focus on the many open educational initiatives that have sprung up in recent times. This gathering is based on the outcomes of a Carnegie Foundation collaborative project and panelists will include Toru Iiyoshi, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Learning; Diana Laurilard, London Knowledge Lab; Stuart Lee, University of Oxford; and Andy Lane, the Open University, UK. New FeaturesA new feature on this year's agenda will be the inclusion of small Knowledge Exchange sessions for people wishing to discuss specific topics. Themes selected so far include Outcomes of Joint European Study Programme Projects, Practices, Challenges and Prospects of E-Learning in Africa, the Future of E-Training Al-Quds Open University in Palestine, and the use of various Student Success Models for measuring progress. There will be a dedicated streamlined demonstration area featuring some of the latest developments to emerge from R&D activities. Among the joint initiatives, tools and services to be shown are ABC pc and MathsAid from Vox, Norway; CNS:VP from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden; and the E-Learning Guide and Diagnostic Tool for SMEs from AWT, the Wallon Telecommunications Agency, Belgium. The agenda will also feature a rich array of networking, discussion, and debate opportunities aimed at stimulating interaction and knowledge exchange. The agenda will be available in August.
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