We have already had an exciting showcase to the future session, and the second one is now underway!
If you have seen an idea you like and want to find out more about it, check out the Presenters’ knowledge base on the ULearn08 website. There is a special category for the showcase to the future.
Just a reminder that the showcase to the future runs in the James Hay Theatre during each breakout on Wednesday and Thursday at the same times as other workshops (and not at the times incorrectly shown in the programme). Each presentation in a ten minute snapshot of a new idea or innovation. You can come and go as you please and don’t need to register beforehand, which is perfect if you’re looking for something else to do during a breakout.
We are pleased to be welcoming back Mark Treadwell to ULearn. Mark will give a number of presentations, starting with a pre-conference workshop, then a spotlight, a series of presentations, and a featured presentation. Mark’s combination of intelligent dialogue and a sharp wit mean that his sessions are always both thought-provoking and entertaining.
Mark’s bio and abstract for his spotlight presentation are as follows:
“Whatever!” The conceptual era and the evolution of School v 2.0: A new paradigm and a new renaissance in learning
New Zealand leads the world in so many aspects of innovative education practice. In this session Mark will take you on a nationwide tour looking at innovative practices surrounding curriculum, school and centre management, assessment, use of ICT and transformation leadership. Schools and centres highlighted range from early childhood, primary, middle school, and secondary.
Our next challenge as a nation is to learn from this exemplary practice and integrate these practices across the board. Mark will briefly speak on the central nature of school and centre culture as the driving force behind systemic change within schools and centres, given that the iterative approach to professional development is simply not applicable in a time of exponential rates of change across almost every aspect of education.
Mark Treadwell has been lecturing, providing teacher seminars, and speaking at national and international conferences for over 15 years. Mark speaks on a wide range of topics including curriculum information and communications technology, thinking, teaching pedagogy for the 21st century, authentic assessment, competencies, wisdom and values.
Mark is a director of Dataview, a high-tech company which focuses on developing technology solutions for companies as well as for education authorities and schools. Dataview is involved in several MOE projects which centre on the interoperability of Student Management Systems (SMSs) and Online Learning Environments (OLEs).
Our second spotlight presentation will be given by Westley Field. Westley is Director of Online Learning and Manager of IT at MLC School in Sydney. He is also is Director of the ‘Skoolaborate’ Initiative.
Skoolaborate is a global initiative which uses a blend of technologies including, blogs, online learning, wikis, and ‘virtual worlds’ to transform learning. These tools are combined to provide collaborative blended learning experiences which make learning more meaningful and engaging. The projects integrate curriculum and digital technologies into collaborative global actions. This video provides an introduction to Skoolaborate:
Westley’s spotlight is about emerging technologies and their implication for learning and the abstract is as follows:
Technologies change the way we work and live. The rate of change with technology and the types of technologies that are emerging have tremendous implications for the future of education. Schools will need to adopt new practices including new skills for teachers if they are to remain competitive.
In this presentation, participants will explore new directions with emerging technologies as well as learn the strategies that worked in establishing a successful global collaborative initiative in teen SecondLife - from admin to practice.
This presentation will explore the learning and subsequent heuristics used to make this project a success. Participants will learn about practical strategies and administrative considerations that make these projects work. Participants will view video footage of student experiences as well as interact with students and partners during the presentation.
Westley Field presents around the world on topics such as education in virtual worlds, making 1 to 1 work, heuristics of implementing e-learning, educational technology, connecting students in a web 2.0 world, and leading in a flat world.
In 2008, Westley received the ASLA John Lee Award for innovative us of IT in learning. Westley has previously received a Churchill Fellowship, Computerworld Honours (Smithsonian), Apple Distinguished Educator, Macromedia Ed Leader, and Adobe Ed Leader for his work with schools and communities. Westley is also on the Board for the NSW and Sydney branches of the Australian Council of Educational Leaders.
Westley will also give two interactive presentations during breakouts 3 and 4. One-to-One: 10 years of ideas will allow participants the opportunity to work collaboratively to develop a vision for learning, then explore strategies and successful working models and for a one-to-one learning environment.
Who would have thought! Believe it or not! Have you seen….?
I didn’t know you could! What do you think of that?
Well, for goodness sake!
Really!!
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:
Whoever comes are the right people.
Whatever happens is the only thing that could have.
Whenever it starts is the right time.
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.
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