Access the "ALT-C 2008 - Rethinking the Digital Divide" keynote speeches remotely in real time between 9 and 11 September
Keynote speakers are:
Hans Rosling, Professor of International Health at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden - 0950 to 1100 British Summer Time, Tuesday 9 September
Itiel Dror, Senior Lecturer in Cognitive Neuroscience in the School of Psychology at the University of Southampton - 1400 to 1500 British Summer Time, Wednesday 10 September
David Cavallo, Chief Learning Architect for OLPC (One Laptop per Child) - 1210 to 1310 British Summer Time, Thursday 11 September
You can also access the first plenary session of the conference, including a brief opening address by Linda Creanor, ALT President, and a welcome from John Fisher, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Leeds - 0930 to 0950 British Summer Time, Tuesday 9 September.
(British Summer Time is Greenwich Mean Time plus 1 hour)
Abstracts and biographies for each speaker are given below and on the ALT-C 2008 web site.
Before you join your first ALT-C 2008 Elluminate Live session, we recommend that before you first attempt to join a meeting you visit the Elluminate support page and follow the 3 step process which will test that your computer and network is configured properly, as well as providing some background information on Elluminate. Should you have any difficulties with any of 3 steps then please contact our 24x7 support help desk by calling 0808-101-1432, where we will be pleased to help you with any questions you may have.
Please be sure to have a headset or built in speakers. For these sessions you will not need a microphone.
Joining an ALT-C 2008 Elluminate Live Session. Make sure your computer is connected to the Internet.
1. For the conference opening session between 0930 and 0950, Tuesday 10 September, go to:
http://elluminate.alt.ac.uk/join_meeting.html?meetingId=1220524722254
or
http://preview.tinyurl.com/6e9k94
2. For any of the main conference keynote speeches, go to:
http://elluminate.alt.ac.uk/join_meeting.html?meetingId=1220022802661
or
http://preview.tinyurl.com/6lxee7
Alternatively, visit http://elluminate.alt.ac.uk/ on the relevant day and click on the "ALT C online conference" link which will be visible.
The following sessions will be available.
Tuesday 9 September: 0950 to 1100
"A fact-based world view" by Hans Rosling, Professor of International Health at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Hans Rosling is professor of International Health at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. When working as doctor in Mozambique he discovered a formerly unrecognized paralytic disease that his research team named konzo. His research concerns links between economy and health in Africa, Asia and Latin America. He has been adviser to WHO and UNICEF and he co-founded Médecines sans Frontiers in Sweden. He started courses and published a textbook on Global Health. With his son and daughter-in-law he founded the Gapminder Foundation to promote a fact based world view by developing Trendalyzer, software that converts international statistics into moving, interactive and enjoyable graphics - www.gapminder.org. In 2007 Google acquired Trendalyzer.
Abstract. In this keynote speech on world development (which has been labeled "humorous, yet deadly serious") Hans Rosling will analyse the economic, social and environmental changes that are taking place in the world. Trendalyzer's animations clearly display how countries improve or deteriorate from the point of view of health, environment and economics. Many in the audience may find that their world view is some decades too old. Rosling's 5 main points are:
- there are no longer two types of countries in the world, with the old division in industrialized and developing countries replaced by a world with a continuum of socio-economic development;
- most Asian countries are modernizing twice as fast as Europe did;
- a new dichotomy may form between the 5 billion people moving towards healthy lives with cell phones, washing machines and human rights, and more than 1 billion people stuck in the vicious circle of poverty and insecurity;
- so far all progress towards health and wealth has been achieved at the price of CO2 emissions and an imminent climate crisis;
- there are reasons for optimism regarding the future of the world because we presently manage the world so poorly (i.e. there are enormous opportunities to improve the life of all humans and to create a secure a sustainable world).
Wednesday 10 September: 1400 to 1500
"Learning and technology: what is it all about?" by Itiel Dror, Senior
Lecturer in Cognitive Neuroscience in the School of Psychology at the
University of Southampton
Itiel Dror is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Psychology at the University of Southampton (UK). He holds a doctorate in cognitive neuroscience from Harvard University and specializes in the fields of learning, training & skill acquisition, technology & cognition, and human performance, expertise & decision making. He has received numerous awards for his research and teaching innovations, and is a recognized international leader in learning technologies. Dr Dror has conducted research and consultancy for numerous organisations, including the UK Identity and Passport Service, US Air Force, the Japanese Advanced Science Project, the European Office of Aerospace Research & Development, and for a variety of police forces in the UK and in other countries. He has also worked with a host of commercial companies, including IBM, Orange, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and B&Q. Itiel's interest and experience is in taking scientific knowledge and theoretical academic models about the human brain and mind, and translating them into practical ways to improve and affect human performance and decision making in the workplace. Much of his applied work relates to learning and skill acquisition, decision making, and how technology can aid in changing behaviours and cognition. Dr Dror is an associate editor of Pragmatics and Cognition, and is editing a five year series on Cognition and Technology. A special issue on Learning Technologies is currently in press.
Abstract. Learning is not only about acquiring information and knowledge, but also (and mainly) about whether and how these are remembered and used. To understand learning and how technology can affect it, is less about what is taught and what technology is used, and much more about what learners learn: if you want people to learn using learning technology, you need first to understand how they learn. In this keynote talk Itiel Dror will illustrate that when you know what learning is all about, then seemingly small differences in the way learning materials are designed and delivered can make a huge difference to their effectiveness. The full potential of technology enhanced learning depends crucially on those involved having an understanding of what learning is all about, and the know-how to apply it in practice.
Thursday 11 September: 1210 to 1310
"The New Maths: Multiplying by 1-to-1 to Reduce a Division", by David Cavallo, Chief Learning Architect for OLPC (One Laptop per Child)
David Cavallo is Chief Learning Architect for OLPC (One Laptop per
Child). His work focuses on human learning, designing technology to
facilitate learning, and large-scale reform of educational systems.
Through his work on "models of growth", he has focused on comprehensive
approaches to large-scale change, including content development,
educational methodology, teacher development and organizational change.
Prior to working with OLPC, He was co-director of the Future of Learning
Research Group at MIT. Cavallo has also led the design and
implementation of medical informatics as part of a reform of health care
delivery and management at the Harvard University Health Services. David
holds a Ph.D. and a Master of Science degree from the MIT Media
Laboratory and a Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Science from
Rutgers University. He has published widely on Learning and Education
for the 21st century. Cavallo has served as an advisor to national
efforts of educational change catalyzed by technology.
Abstract. Social inequalities inside and between countries exist alongside rapidly
increasing access to digital technologies. Reducing the digital divide
to enable full social inclusion is therefore not just a matter of
providing access to computers. Instead, reducing the social gap requires
access to technology that supports the development of the kinds of
agency and collective efficacy that can give users power over their lives.
One Laptop per Child (OLPC) aims to create learning environments for
children that facilitate human and social development. By providing
ubiquitous, 1-to-1 access to mobile, connected laptops, the goal is
completely to transform the educational environment, both in schools and
in the community.
In this keynote, David Cavallo will analyse the implicit assumptions we
make about learning and the organisation and processes of learning
environments. Focusing on the underlying principles of OLPC, and
providing examples of experiences to date, David will engage delegates
in a discussion about how to evolve new, more progressive, more
equitable ways of organising education and of empowering learners.
Last updated 5/9/2008 [SS]
