ULearn News

Showcase sessions are very quick overviews of a new technology, skill, idea that presenters have used in their own professional life or with their students. There will be 8 presenters speaking for ten minutes each within the 90 minute breakout session. This keeps presentations concise, and the interest level up.

They are to be held in Breakout One in the Christ’s College Old Boys Theatre. Covering a variety of topics they can be booked through the normal online booking method.

Take a look at what’s on offer at http://www.core-ed.org/ulearn/showcase-sessions

This year we have four world class keynotes coming to join us for Ulearn10

Lee Crockett an entrepreneur, artist, author and national award winning designer and marketing consultant from Canada. Stephen Heppell the founder of Ultralab who is at the heart of a global revolution in learning space design. Lane Clark well known to many New Zealanders for her work founded on teaching students how to learn, how to think and how to use the latest technologies to enhance their learning. Finally Steve Wheeler Associate Professor in Education and Information Technology at the University of Plymouth UK.

Their keynote topics cover :

Lee Crockett -Understanding the Digital Generation

Prof Steve Wheeler -  Transformation and inspiration through social media: Meeting the needs of the 21st Century Learner

Lane Clark – Real Learning – It’s BIGGER than Inquiry

Stephen Heppell - One decade into the new century it is a bit late perhaps to be talking about 21st century learning

Focus this week goes on two pre conference workshops being held on Tuesday October 5^th from 10.00am – 4.30pm

There are still a few spaces left. If you have already registered for the conference and want to add a workshop on, just email Gwenny.davis@core-ed.org

Jill Hammonds ( CORE Education) is running is A Realistic Approach to Literacy National Standards workshop

This is a chance to get proactive rather than reactive about national standards and to get the focus sharply on to effective teaching to raise literacy levels of all students.  National standards are a reality, but as we know, insanity is about doing more of the same and expecting a different result. Spending more time trying to write better, read better etc is not going to do it. We need to get creative and find ways to engage our struggling students in ways that provide intrinsic incentive, authentic feedback and the opportunity to read and express themselves on topics that interest them.

Nick Rate ( CORE Education) focuses on e-Portfolios in Education answering basic questions such as …

• What is an eportfolio?
• What purpose do they serve?
• What do they look like in action?

This workshop will provide opportunities for attendees to work through and discuss some of the underlying concepts and beliefs surrounding online portfolios. Common options will be explored and opportunities to view student eportfolios provided.

Sometimes people are unsure of how attending Ulearn can help them. Any conference or professional learning opportunity must provide elements which allow delegates to find solutions to the outcomes they wish to achieve, both personally and as a part of their wider school or cluster.

Ulearn10 and Learning@School11 provide:

• a forum to exchange ideas, best practices, and expertise on school cluster or national education-related issues
• a range of perspectives on global and local issues affecting education in New Zealand by offering sessions delivered by prominent speakers, ie keynote and spotlight presenters
• opportunities to engage in, and directly contribute to, the future of New Zealand education by sharing ideas with others through presenting and other discussion opportunities
• access to workshops that showcase new ideas, tools, and the resources most commonly used by NZ teachers
• an environment which encourages networking and exchanging ideas with fellow educators from around New Zealand, Australia and further abroad
• access to practical knowledge, examples, case studies, and success stories that directly impact on the teaching profession and education sector
• a forum which encourages contributions and provides opportunities to reflect, while making sure attendees feel supported by a wider group of educators, all of whom are striving for similar goals
• exposure, via the trade exhibitions, to the latest resources and tools necessary to actively engage with and meet the changing needs of 21st century learners
• a chance to reflect on progress made over the year.

With all these benefits you can’t lose!

Visit this page to find out how you will benefit by attending Ulearn:

http://www.core-ed.net/ulearn/planning-your-conference

and then visit this page to plan:

http://www.core-ed.net/ulearn/planning-your-conference/preparing-for-ulearn

Do you want to know what is happening as the conference gets closer? Join the conference blog, Twitter and Facebook page for updates as they happen.

• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ulearn
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/ULearn10
• Blog: http://blog.core-ed.net/Ulearn/

Remember to use the tag #ulearn10 in your twitter posts and tag your blog entries with ulearn10.

Prof Stephen Heppell, Damian Allen, and Elaine Ayre are bringing their expertise and experience in the design of learning spaces worldwide, to ULearn 10.

Heppel says, ‘If schools are to survive, and the jury is out, then how will they need to evolve to retain the attention of our learners, to house seductive, collaborative, ambitious, playful, engaging, tough, surprising, global learning?’

Damian and Elaine (UK) are joined by Derek Wenmoth (CORE Education) and Julia Atkin to run a two day scenario based workshop for a maximum group of 35 people who have an interest or experience of building schools for the future in New Zealand.

The focus of the workshop will be on developing deeper understandings of the approaches to building schools of the future, matching pedagogy with space and design for learning.

Places are still available – Join the experts in this one of a kind pre-conference session

http://www.core-ed.org/ulearn/pre-conference-workshops

Join the crowds – invite your friends to the biggest and best professional learning experience to happen in New Zealand.

At ULearn 10 we expect to have over 1600 delegates, 400 presenters, 47 concurrent workshops in each of the 6 breakouts across 8 venues. Add to this over 200 trade representatives from 60 companies and you have your best opportunity to LEARN.

This is the 10th Anniversary of ICT PD programme in New Zealand and we intend to make this conference a celebration of those ten years. Whether you were there at the beginning, or are just starting your journey, come and take part in this showcase of New Zealand educational talent.

The three themes of Innovation, Collaboration and Education cover areas from whole school change processes, leadership, facilitation, networking, tech issues, software, classroom programmes, cluster showcases, good teaching and learning practice, and communication skills.

This year we are receiving both refereed and non- refereed submissions so brush off those computer keys, read the submission guidelines fill in the submission form.
You have only a few days left

Be involved in one of the best educational events you will experience in your lifetime!

http://www.core-ed.org/ulearn

Key Dates

Deadline for Abstracts: 2nd July 2010

Feedback: By July 31st 2010.

Head over to the Netsafe blog to read all about their time at Ulearn …

“A few weeks ago NetSafe attended CORE Education’s annual conference for educators, Ulearn 09, held down in Christchurch.

Our approach this year was a little bit different – we actively sought out people already exploring the boundaries of cybersafety in schools and listened to how they are working to create New Zealand’s digital citizens of the future.”  Read more >>

The preparations for Learning @ School 2010 are in full swing.

The Ministry of Education sponsors this annual Information and Communication Technologies Professional Development (ICTPD) conference at the Energy Events Centre in Rotorua, to be held from 23-26 February 2010. There will be a powhiri and a special reception for all of our conference presenters on 23 February.

Today the call for presenters was made. You can read more at the Learning@School blog. Add the blog to your aggregator and you will be kept up to date with all the news in the lead up to the conference.