August 2008

Delegates are invited to contribute to the Showcase to the future sessions which will run across breakouts 1-5. Each session will comprise of 7 x 10 minute presentations. If you have ONE or more good idea/s which you are excited about, come and share the stage with the other 6 presenters during the session.

New innovations and future technologies, new and innovative use of software, totally stunning websites, web 2.0 applications that everyone just has to know about, transformative classroom strategies that work … you have the ideas we want to see!

Email Sherry sherry.chrisp@core-ed.net in the next week with your name, contact details and, of course, your “idea”, with showcase in the subject line.

Our seven spotlight sessions feature recognised leaders in education and will be held during each breakout in the Christchurch Town Hall Auditorium. This year we have invited presenters from Australia and New Zealand.

• Julia Atkin, from Australia, returns to provide some clarity on collected and distributed leadership in relation to the curriculum.
• Westley Field, from the MLC School in Sydney, will talk about the Skoolaborate initiative, emerging technologies, and their implication for learning.
• Greg Gebhart, from IT Vision in Australia, will focus on the shift from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 tools, highlighting a range of free and engaging applications that can enhance student learning.
• Nicola Yelland, Research Professor of Education at Victoria University in Melbourne, will discuss what it means to be literate in new times and the ways in which teachers can provide relevant contexts that support children to become multi-literate by extending their modalities of learning. This spotlight is particularly relevant for early childhood educators.
• Mark Treadwell, from Dataview in New Zealand, will take you on a nationwide tour looking at innovative practices surrounding curriculum, including school and centre management, assessment, the use of ICT, and transformational leadership.
• Cheryl Doig, from Think Beyond, will round off our local contribution by asking leaders to “walk the talk!”.
• Joan Dalton, from Australia, returns again to focus on 21st century learning in a digital, networked world, and asks us what this shifting landscape will mean for teachers.

ULearn’s very first unconference will take place on Friday 10 October during breakouts 6 and 7. An unconference is a conference where the content of the sessions is created and managed by the participants during the course of the event. It is a BYO session in which delegates can introduce a topic, discuss an opinion, or share a viewpoint about a subject.

The principles of ‘Open Space’ unconferences are:

1. Whoever comes are the right people.
2. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have.
3. Whenever it starts is the right time.
4. Whenever it is over it is over.

And, finally, the Law of Two Feet is a guide to people attending an unconference: “If you are not learning or contributing, it is your responsibility to respectfully find another place where you are.”

Remember that whoever comes to your session will depend on who is present at the time, and whatever happens on the day is meant to happen! So, think about what you might like to talk about and be ready to share your ideas at the unconference.