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News and Background Information on the Conference | |||
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ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN – Summer Sneak Preview
The talk in the plenary on Informal Learning by Jay Cross of Internet Time Group, USA, coinciding with the publication of his book on Informal Learning, will detail how organizations are taking advantage of Informal Learning to remain relevant in the face of massive change. In a separate plenary, academics and members of the world of e-learning business will discuss how to strengthen the links between practitioners and researchers in the field of e-learning. The conference programme incorporates today’s predominant e-learning issues, featuring a dedicated Games and Simulation track. There will also be several pre-conference workshops dedicated to this topic, such as Creating Games for Learning led by Nathan Kracklauer from Enspire Learning, USA and Designing and Deploying Games for Learning led by Niall Winters and Yishay Mor, London Knowledge Lab, UK. In another, Tony O'Driscoll from IBM Corporate Learning will explore the experiential learning potential of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs). Euan Mackenzie of 3MRT in the UK will present a study of gaming software in the country’s schools. Maya Pivec from FH Joanneum in Austria will co-ordinate an open discussion among practitioners on the potential of game-based learning in universities and lifelong-learning institutions, and several Canadian companies will present case studies based on their experience in developing and marketing serious games internationally. This track will also include a Games and Simulation Lab where participants can try out an array of constructive games and simulations. The use of technology in Management and Leadership Development is attracting considerable interest in the corporate world, and Online Educa Berlin will encompass several presentations on this significant and demanding development. The presenters include Nils Jörgensen from Bridge2Think in Switzerland, Peter Carabi from Carabi and Partners in Sweden, Arthur Merkle from Lonza in Basel, as well as Eilif Trondsen from SRI Consulting Business Intelligence, USA and Bjorn Helge Gundersen from AFF, Norway. Companies continue to collaborate to put in place effective online courses, building on the individual strengths of specific centres of expertise. Examples featured at Online Educa Berlin this year will include an online course based on EC Regulations for Truck Drivers and the blended learning programme set up by the Baden-Württemberg Police Force to introduce the digital tachograph to 11,000 employees. A Special Focus Session on the potential of a Skills and Competency Open Source Framework that links efforts in Europe and the US will be led by Michael Brown from SkillsNET Enterprises in the US. Other contributors include Wayne Hodgins from Learnativity, MENON’s Nikitas Kastis and Joan Wills of US Skill Standards. This year’s OEB agenda will also comprise several sessions dealing directly with the application of technology-enhanced learning in development, part of the growing ICT4D movement worldwide. Examples of mainstream applications of e-learning in African universities will include programmes at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria, the National University in Rwanda and Kenya’s University of Nairobi in Kenya. There will also be presentations highlighting important initiatives in this field supported by a variety of donors and agencies. Long-running issues such as ICT in Schools will of course be given considerable attention on the programme. Sessions will feature examples of new technologies like the use of iPods in Scottish schools, presented by Andrew Watt from the City of Edinburgh Council Education Dept. and virtual classrooms by Roger Edmonds from the Department of Education & Children's Service in Australia. Other examples of VLEs for schools will also be discussed and there will be demonstrations of innovative tools and services for pupils. Initiatives to provide ways and means of Benchmarking Higher Education Institutions are on the increase and a session devoted to this topic will bring together some leading experts in this field, including Dr. Stephen Marshall from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, Claudio Dondi and Isabel Pérez representing the European MASSIVE Consortium and George Ubachs representing the European E-xcellence Consortium. Building on the success of its networking activities, ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN will also offer a wide selection of discussion, demonstration and show 'n tell sessions, both among the meetings and in the exhibition space. These include working group gatherings and SIG discussions, knowledge cafés and best practice sessions, as well as full agenda of accompanying events linked to product and service launches. We hope you have enjoyed this pre-conference appetizer. During the coming months, this site will keep you up to date with the latest information about the event, so please don’t forget to sign up for the monthly newsletter. We wish you all a recreative summer break and look forward to welcoming you in Berlin at the end of November! Your OEB editorial team: Beate Kleessen and Christian Auchter |
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This year’s Opening Plenary starts with one of the preeminent thinkers of our times on the subject of e-learning. George Siemens from eLearnspace and Founder and President of Complexive Systems Inc in Canada will deliver a keynote address on how to unlock the potential of e-learning. Another pragmatic point of view will be added by Jean-Michel Billaut, one of France’s Internet pioneers and a strategic adviser to several French ministerial departments, businesses, and service providers. He will share his ideas on how e-learning fits within the wider community.
