ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN 2009

Reflecting recent developments in classrooms and lecture halls, interactive and informal knowledge exchange is a key part of ONLINE EDUCA. We want to hear from you! Tried and tested ONLINE EDUCA formats include demonstrations and best practice showcases, discussions and debates, as well as knowledge exchange sessions. This year, these will feature prominently.

Gerard Cunningham from UNEP in Kenya will be discussing ICT- and technology-supported learning to address the major environmental challenges, while Jay Cross from the Internet Time Group (USA) and Kevin Wheeler from the Future of Talent Institute (USA) invite you to a debate on the “Future of Talent”. These are only a few of the debates likely to catch your attention. To promote exchanges and interaction yet further, the conference offers a host of new formats such as Learning Cafés, promoting collaborative learning and OEB Lab sessions, allowing participants to take part in real hands-on training in the use of different types of tools and applications. Furthermore, you will be able to sign up for OEB Learnshops, where experts will lead discussions in several small groups and come up with conclusions and recommendations on a specific topic. Michael Auer from the Carinthia Tech Institute in Austria will be leading one of the OEB Labs this year and Paul Bacsich from Matic Media Ltd (UK) will discuss benchmarking in one of this year’s Learnshops. You can sign up for these and other formats at the start of the conference.

What is the optimal use teachers can make of different media such as video, animation, graphics, photographs, audio and text? Several compelling sessions will address the role of video for learning purposes, with input from experienced practitioners such as Päivi Hakkarainen from the University of Lapland (Finland), who will present “Student-Generated Video Cases as a Learning Tool for Higher Education”, and also from Ilkka Tapio Kukkonen from the University of Joensuu (Finland), who will describe a fascinating case of first life and second life classroom integration in “‘Teach Local – Teach Global’: Integrating the Physical and Virtual Learning Environments”. That ‘silver surfers’ can benefit from a mix of media tools too, is illustrated in a study on e-learning for Generation 60+ which will be presented by Andrea Dobida from Common Sense Training and E-Learning Consultants GmbH (Austria).

Meet the future of learning! The choice of themes for this year’s ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN reflects the rich and varied content of the wide range of presentations. Next Generation Learning Strategies deal with exemplary instructional design strategies, including gaming and informal learning approaches. Christopher Murray from the University of Leeds School of Medicine (UK) presents his students’ rich multimedia narratives; the digital stories of their experiences of patient visits.

How to apply effective technology-enhanced learning for learning? Michael Power from Laval University in Canada presents “Online and in the Game!: Serious Gaming & Geomatics”. The educational issues to be addressed in this presentation involve learning motivation, peer-to-peer collaboration, computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), as well as serious gaming strategy and narration-building. We will see several international examples of how to get teachers to adopt modern media in the classroom, for instance by Inge Peeters from the School of Education in Belgium, as well as by Tinko Stoyanov from the Technical University of Sofia in Bulgaria.

In this Year of Creativity and Innovation we will take a closer look at Innovative Technological Solutions to Support Learning. What about multi-user tabletop computers, netbooks, roomware and ubiquitous computing: are we moving from smart boxes to smart worlds in a far more radically connected environment than ever before? Alex Haig from NHS Education for Scotland brings us an interesting presentation entitled “An ePortfolio for All Health Professions? – Lessons from a Scottish Medical Pilot”. Harri Ketamo from the Satakunta University of Applied Sciences (Finland) provides an innovative solution in his presentation entitled “Suffering from Information Overload? Try Teachable Media Agents”. We will also be looking at the latest developments in semantic tools and data intelligence, as well as at platforms and environments, for instance with Davide Taibi from the Italian National Research Council, who will discuss the use of a semantic web “Using Ontologies to Support Learning in a Web 2.0 Environment”.

This year we will also be looking at the impact of technological tools for learning. What does 21st century assessment look like and who is it for? The changing nature of learning calls for a change in assessments, both in the educational and the corporate world. 

In order to predict learners’ needs, we need to measure what they know and how they use technological applications, such as VLEs. Robert Cosgrave of the University College Cork (Ireland), presents the findings from a multi-institutional, multi-year comparative study “How We Really Use Virtual Learning Environments and Technology” and tries to find out the impact of VLEs, how they are used and why. Or – why not?

The current economic crisis may provide the e-learning community with a unique opportunity to show just how effective technology-supported learning can be in providing great learning opportunities in a cost-effective manner.  Kenny Henderson from Sky (UK) will present “Cloud Learning – Get Up to Speed with Sky”, an interesting showcase of how organisations can use the economic downturn to ‘do things differently’ and improve learning provision. More forward thinking comes from Kees-Jan van Dorp from EADTU (The Netherlands), who offers us strategies for coping in the crisis, with his presentation on “Strategic Challenges for Open and Distance Learning Institutions in the Post-2010 Decade”. Nick van Dam from Deloitte (USA) will present examples of courses and programmes that were developed in response to restricted budgets, with a case study entitled “Delivering Learning to a Global Workforce in Volatile Times”.Another showcase on learning in the workplace will be presented by Inge Reubzaet from CINOP (The Netherlands) entitled “Competence-Based B-Learning at the Dutch Tax and Customs Organisation: Active and Innovative Learning of Vocational Competences”.

In this year of innovation and crisis we will also be taking a closer look at what impact open source strategies have on the viability and sustainability of online learning services. Udo Scharf from Marwi GmbH - elsa24.de (Germany), discusses the future of e-learning business and will take a closer look at “E-Learning with Open Source: The Future of E-Learning Business”.

Under the heading Learning Futures of a Different Kind, a wide variety of speakers will discuss the shape of future learning and what organisational learning models work best to support learners in a networked world. Bob Barrett from the American Public University (USA) paints the future of teacher training in the USA and how to prepare teachers for transitioning to online delivery.

Nick Kearney from Andamio Education and Technology (Spain) offers brand new insights into just what constitutes digital literacy, in “Orion's Belt – Constellations of Literacies in a Digital World?” And, from ‘Down Under,’ Marc Niemes from the eLearning Industry Association of Victoria brings us “The Australian E-Learning Experience: Remote, Distant, Harsh and Quick, How this Benefits the World”. More inspiring examples from all over the globe come from Abigail Mann from the University of Hertfordshire (UK) who asks us “How Personal Is Your Computer: Does It Answer You Back?”, and from Martine Rey from the Institut Polytechnique Lasalle Beauvais (France) who knows “How to Engineer a Community of Language Learners: A 300 Year Old Approach Revisited”. Sakari Saukkonen from the University of Jyväskylä/Finnish Institute for Education Reseach (Finland) will explain how Virtual Guidance Environments can support the transition from university to work. Tiana van der Merwe from the University of the Free State (South Africa) will share her experiences with inclusive community learning in her presentation “Changing Students – Changing Communities: A South African Perspective of Integrating Technology in Community Service Learning”.

A growing number of educational institutions embrace social media, with Web 2.0 leading to informal, collaborative and social learning. Again this year various compelling cases of Learning 2.0 are discussed at the conference: Ria Jacobi from Leiden University / ICLON (The Netherlands) will present “How Can E-Learning Assist with Acculturalisation Processes of Foreign Students?”; Helen Keegan from the University of Salford (UK) will go from “Formal to Informal” with her presentation “Education to Industry; Easing the Transition Through Social Media”.

Back by popular demand this year is the Battle of the Bloggers. This open platform, chaired by Bert De Coutere, shall again host a range of controversial and inspiring bloggers, covering the key features and highlights of this year’s conference. Don’t miss it!

Looking at the best pedagogical practice behind the use of technology in education, the 15th edition of ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN shows a continued shift from teacher-centred to learner-centred education. Several attention-grabbing presentations will establish how learners learn and try to determine the most reliable theoretical basis to use in the dynamic world of web-based learning.  Per Skafte Hansen from NeoConsult A/S (Denmark) will investigate a “A Personal Bildungs-Environment?”, whereas on a more practical level, Bas Giesbers from Maastricht University (The Netherlands) will offer a case study on “Learning in Virtual Teams and the Role of (a) Synchronous Communication”. In Italy, Elena Mosa and Giusy Cannella (National Agency for the Support of School Autonomy) have created the ‘biggest e-learning laboratory in Europe’.  They will highlight the shift from technological to didactical aspects in teacher training, whereas in the UK, Russell Stannard from the University of Westminster is very successful in “Using Screen Recorder Software (Camtasia) to Provide Training to Students and Staff”.

Also this year we have some very interesting Special Focus Sessions. The shift towards learner-centred education is on the agenda of Guus Wijngaards from INHolland University (The Netherlands) and Kathryn Moyle from the University of Canberra (Australia) who have been “Listening to Students’ Voices”. Based on an analysis of the views, experiences and expectations of students and early career teachers, they investigated how learning with technologies transforms education. Another Special Focus Session will be hosted by the European Commission, DG Education and Culture. This 90-minute session will provide a coherent overview of all the work done under the European Year on Creativity and Innovation 2009 around the topic “Learning, Innovation and ICT”.

Creating, reusing and managing content is an important aspect of this conference, looking at content repositories and learning objects, and the current status of the Open Educational Resources (OER) movement and the increased availability of free objects, free programmes and free courses. Samuel Nowakowski from Nancy Université - TICE (France) shares his experiences with “P2CeL – Collaborative Knowledge Construction and E-Learning: An Approach Based on Semantic Wikis”, whereas Uwe Spangler from the IE Business School (Spain) will be “Tearing Down the Walled Garden of Online Content in a Business School”. Andy Beggan from the University of Nottingham (UK) will present “The BERLiN Experience: Exploring Institutional Attitudes to Open Learning”.

Increasingly, learning is on the move – mobile learning provides just-in-time and just-in-case learning opportunities for anyone interested in having access to learning when and where they need it. We will showcase great examples of mobile learning, such as the one by Kirsten Veelo from SURFnet (The Netherlands), who will highlight three remarkable showcases of learning by using mobile technologies in “Anyplace & Anytime Learning Using Mobile Technologies” and by Niall Winters from the London Knowledge Lab (UK), who will be presenting “A Framework for Designing Mobile Learning Experiences”.