Great EU eLearning2006 Conference held, so…?

It’s done. I sat in the Conference two days listening various of presentations and noticed my feelings are quite two-parted after all sessions. On the other hand the atmosphere took place and I felt some enthusiasm when following those committed lecturers and their subjects. Also I observed unanimous cohesion about importance of eLearning among participants, including me. On the other hand my doubt grew during the conference because of continuous buzz-words and mantras which have been repeated already a couple of years and the Content seemed somehow empty related to the Conference’s topic which I assumed was – still is – (e)Learning. Where were real discussion of learning and particularly children and youngsters point of view? Quite casually they were passed when we think that digital literacy was one of the themes. I must remember that we adults have to take control what is happening and going on now before we can give up our little finger to others . And in my point of view I look too often things as teacher.

Okay, let”s adopt a positive attitude and take a look at some topics, which made me think and mistrust some speech or presentations. I don’t write chronologically but describe a stream of my thoughts and how them have been linked in my mind. And because the programme was so wide I scrutinize the conference on three perspective, in common:

1. What
2. How
   1. (lovely detail)
3. Could it be?

What?

First – alltogether – in plenary session presentations and speeches there were admirable consensus that EU area should have to be a superporwerful, competitive, knowledge society. The crucial factors to achieve that position are to strengthen education and training (including ability to reach LLL for all), support research, develop technology and so on. The keyword for all mentioned is INNOVATION. I think everyone agree that something has to be done systematically(in some level) and actively to achieve better and fair knowledge society.

But if I haven’t heard prof. Tapio Varis and his humane presentation from ”the Changing world”, the approach to Learning opportunities might have left a little bit cold and distant. Mr. Varis announced ”A fair globalisation” where to create opportunities for all as a one trend of 21^th Century. That means more collaboration and human-based development. Mr. Varis considered communication as the most important skill of the future. Other interesting trends to this Century he mentioned I put below as list:

• technology steps(or I understood this in this way)
• digitalization
• analog to digital
• DIGITAL LITERACY = way of thinking
• Globalisation
• New economy
• rethinking the whole education system. He pointed the changes of working skills and training.

He also remarked that :”On those trends we have the agreement of expression but not of the content.”

Secondly it still seems that infrastructure played suprisingly big role in many speeches. And I don’t mean only plenary sessions but also parallel sessions and those presentations. So it is understandable to accept the challenges. The Comissioner Ján Figel´ – and later mr Dudley Dolan in parallel session ”Digital literacy for all” – presented statistics about the situation of ICT skills, hardware and broadband situation in EU area. I didn’t write it down, but if I remember quite near almost 20 % of students still interrupt their studies in EU area!! Mr. Dolan mentioned that 50% workforce are using computers, 32% eu citizens have never used computers (or is it bad?)!! Of course situations vary widely in different countries, but digital divide seems to be still one of the main challenges.

As a matter of fact also mr. Vittorio Midoro’s study indicated to this in his presentation: ”A common european framework for teachers’ professional profile in ICT for education”. During the presentation mr. Midoro mentioned his notice that ”less developed country, more technology-oriented country is and vice versa”. In the mr. Midoro’s project UTEACHER he seeked teacher’s professional profile and identity in knowledge society. I liked his presentation framework in general. The topic must have been challenging because 19 countries joined the project. Especially the starting point of the project where curriculas of each countries were ”unpacked” for the comparison and opened the real overview of initative teacher training and continuing education in different countries.

Third topic (I want to believe) was attempts to paint the future (or signals we have already under our eyes). How will technology change the social interaction, communication and learning? How could we implement new technologies: web 2.0, blogs, aggregators, wikis, social community services like Flickr, etc as part of education? As we know, tools we have… But, actually only mr. Straub in his keynote presentation, mr. Euan Semple and mr. Teemu Arina tried to open these phenomenons.

Mr. Straub described smartly how technology have enabled Learning innovation possibilities. Web 2.0 offer important new capabilities and change teaching and learning more Learner-centric, Learner-controlled or personalized(as anyone want to describe it) by converged devices and adapted networks and new content options. And third, of course mr. Straub mentioned the possibilities(realities) of virtual realities, synthetic worlds and simulations.

Mr. Euan Semple presented concrete case how he freed knowledge and let the power to people, their professions and opened the flow of  for example tacit knowledge. The point to me actually was the trust to people and understanding the power of social interaction. Mr. Arina recorded the presentation, so listen it from there.

Mr. ”Informal Learning” Arina (not the joke) was the only presenter who approached learning from psychology and technology. He nicely connected mind, networks and theory(Vygotsky and Leontjev and George Siemens, ..) and bind gaps between nowadays hierarchial education system to non-hierarchical and on the other hand also pushed the audience away from Intormation Technology towards Interaction Technology. Pitty that there were so little participants listening to him. Don’t worry ”Tarina” recorded himself and everybody can listen or see his presentations(and listen same time) from his own blog.

One lovely detail

During the 2^nd day of the Conference all participants got possibility to interaction. Director mr. Markkula had organized the electronic vote session about EU Comission policies and propositions. That was fun, and I think both sides got something: feedback and opportunity to ”tell” own opinion. Some of you readers also notice something according to social interaction (hint: social web 2.0), I return this in the section ”Could it be possible?”.

How?

Hmm, first I noticed the EU Comission has strengthened its power to take control of fast changing world and established eight key competencies to eu-citizens(or young people?!) to reach needable skills. That means also making competency list for education and training staff. Okay, we must admit the fact is that teachers and trainers need support, not only financial but also understanding of sense of (e)learning. I don’t necessarily mean list of important concepts which start to live their own life in academic world but understanding the change of social interaction which networks have revised or made possible.

Another action I noticed was the trend to establish different kind of cross-scientific centers and institutions to develop these future challenges. Also European Comission has proposed to the European Council to ”set up a European institute of technology( EIT) to intended to be a new flagship for excellence in higher education, research and innovation. In a Communication adopted today, the Commission defined the key elements of the proposal for a EIT – originally put forward in 2005 as part of the revamp of the Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs – which is now ready for consideration by the Heads of State and government. The Commission has based its work on the results of a wide public consultation collecting more than 700 contributions”.

Another thing -interesting one – I picked up from Mr. Straub’s presentation, was ”Network of European living Lab which will be launched on November 20.

Could it be possible?

Finally, I’m wondering this development via presentations I saw in these two days and actions to take. Because we know EU Comission is the institute where innovations change to directives, we could look there. I’m pleased that I could join this Conference and also happy that so much are happening around learning and technology. But gap between comission and learning experts seems as big to me as EU to its citizens. We need coordinators and facilitators to build vision and frameworks. They we already have in Brussels. But they are there with their good plans and papers. Could it possible to use new technologies to build and revise the future, competencies, policies,etc. together, changing product-based thinking to remixing, continuosly developing approach? I think there live quite a lot professionals in EU area. Do we need so hierarchical and complicated and distance system which drive our actors away from policies, practises and understanding. If you will be heard – you participate – you commit . (electronic voting interaction in the Conference.) I believe new many Innovation would see the light on that kind of collaborative brainstorming. If I remember right learning to learn is one key competency, so we can show example and start interaction. Maybe we find what that Informal Learning means because it appeared in so many presentations.

This kind of thinking could also ecological and economical on re-thinking when building all the time new Institutes and centers. Why not put strength to social interaction and linking by using networks instead investing all the time to the walls? Could new institutes reside in networks (universities have connected for a long time ago?)

Okay, it is not that simple, I don’t speak french…or spanish.