The after lunch session I attended was with the well known Stephen Heppell. Here’s the abstract:
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Since the bankers broke the world, or perhaps more accurately made the world broke, education in many countries has been facing tough times. Largely this is because in a parsimonious world the money spent on education has moved from being seen as an investment to being seen as a cost. At the same time, we are also facing times characterised by increasingly frequent occurrences of the unexpected.
As we strive to improve our own learning, and to bring learning to the more than a billion people worldwide unable to read a book or sign their names, more uncertainty with less money might sound daunting. However, one consequence of the new world we find ourselves in, is the opportunity, the imperative indeed, to rethink some of the ways that we approach teaching and learning. Technology of course has prototyped some of that change, and is one of the keys that unlocks that new opportunities for all learners. This session explores the opportunities that such a rethink might present…
Not as engaging as the first two speakers (and he didn’t seem that prepared – jumping around files/folders on his laptops but maybe that’s his style). Stephen talked alot about school design and innovative use of school spaces. With ideas of student designed spaces, different furniture, half day and full day lessons etc I am left wondering, “how can some of these ideas in my classroom?”
Notes
- Shoeless learning.
- Imersion-Half day and one day lessons.
- ask students how they learn best-what works?
- School Building considerations
– No corridors
– Steps become lectur spaces
– 30 percent online learning
Sites
www.heppell.net
http://workshop.heppell.mobi/
Cloudlearn: Tips for mobil phone/social networking use in schools
Not school: for student who have switched off normal school
Learnovers: connect with other schools/teachers about what works in the classroom
Education.skype.com: connect with other educators via Skype (over 17, 000)
Techex2011 conference in Bangkok
Bio of presenter
Stephen founded and ran Ultralab for a quarter of a century, building it into one of the most respected research centres in e-Learning in the world. In 2004 he founded his own global and flourishing policy and learning consultancy, Heppell.net, which now has an enviable portfolio of international projects all round the world. Stephen was a founder board member for Teachers.TV – a UK public service TV and broadband channel for professional development of teachers. He is at the heart of a global revolution in learning space design, with a string of major new building projects worldwide, including a 0-21+ academy in the UK, and a complete makeover of a national education system in the Caribbean. In 2008 Stephen received the BETT for Outstanding Achievement in ICT Education. He is credited with being the person who put the C into ICT. “Money alone won’t make the Internet fly. Ultimately, its success lies with kids and other folk who don’t follow dot-com stocks. That’s where Stephen Heppell comes in. He’s a digital do-gooder, helping to bring ordinary people into the Internet age…. looking about as threatening as Santa Claus with his twinkling blue eyes and bushy beard”
