Second life, podcasting, mobiles, PDAs -- the technology of education

The University of Leicester has a strong presence at the premier annual conference for the international e-learning community. Presentations by members of the University will be made at the Online Educa 2008 conference, to be held in Berlin from the 3rd to 5th December.

Nine members of staff are attending the conference where they will discuss new developments in e-learning.

At the conference, Professor of eLearning and Learning Technologies at the University of Leicester, Professor Gilly Salmon, assisted by Sandra Romenska, is leading a discussion looking at the key challenges faced by universities today.

She will pose vital questions such as: Who will survive? Who will change? Who will disappear? What impact will the wide-scale use of learning technologies have on day-to-day operations? Will control shift from managers to the teachers and learners? How can we educate now those who will help to solve the global problems of the future?

Professor Salmon said: "Addressing and creating collaborative and worthwhile futures for learning is now the most urgent task facing everyone in education sectors."

One workshop, Podcasting for Learning: Design, Technology and Scaling Up, follows a proven model for helping teachers, learning designers and learning technologists understand the practicalities of introducing podcasting into courses.

Learning with Phones and PDAs will involve discussion on work-based learning in further education. It will deal with challenges of introducing mobile devices to trainee teaching assistants in further education.

The University's Multimedia Services department is participating in the VID24 Session for finalists in the 2008 Media in Education Awards. This scheme encourages the use of digital moving images and sound in education.

A Case Study of Second Life for Archaeology Education will also form part of the conference involving Leicester. This covers the experiences of both campus-based and distance learners in archaeology.

The conference will look at Customising and Personalising VLEs with Dr Richard Mobbs, Head of e-Learning Advocacy with the University's IT Services department, talking about "Putting More PLE into the VLE – Personalisation Features to Enhance Student Flexibility, Choice and Engagement".

He emphasises the rapid developments in Web 2.0 technologies, the proliferation of user-owned devices and free web-based services that present multiple challenges to universities still trying to get the best from their significant investments in centralised VLE systems.

One session featuring Leicester focuses on the dissemination of change and e-learning knowledge transfer with four other partner higher education institutions while another asks, Can Online Community Spirit Transform an Institution?

Source: University of Leicester