Nick’s Blog

ULearn06 is a culmination of several years of development and is focused on the notion that a conference is a part of a fully planned professional learning programme that has on its own no definable beginning or end. Conferences are a focal point of a wide ranging build-up effort and the beginning of post conference development and support.

ULearn06 is designed to focus on building capability in all aspects of the use of ICTs to support the wider development of learning, teaching, administration, cross curricular programme integration, resource development and sharing as well as whole school/cluster development. There is a strong emphasis on transformative leadership as well as “teacher for teacher” networking. This focus has emerged from research, (Ham et al, 2003) where key factors for successful implementation of an ICT development programme are seen to include a strong emphasis on leadership, ownership, fellowship and relationships (the four ships model).

ULearn will be a wide-ranging education event with a very specific leadership, learning and teaching focus. It should be predicated on transformative whole school change that enables the school to focus on the learning needs of individuals in creative new and empowering ways. It needs to provide professional development/professional learning in virtual and F2F environments, before during and after the actual 3 days of the conference.

Pre Conference ??? blogging, forums, hotseats, readings, debates, info-sessions, podcasting, audioconferences, webplanners for tracking PD strands

Pre-conference workshops ??? to leverage the advantage of having the keynotes/spotlights in town a range of half day and full day sessions

Actual Conference ??? blogging, workshops, skills, debates, discussions, keynotes, spotlights, video recording

Post Conference ??? reflection forums, conference papers as digital media, blogging, podcasting, streaming

The conference blog has been started and the conference registration is still open. Have a look…