The ONLINE EDUCA DEBATE, which will be held on Thursday, December 2nd, 2010 has become a regular ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN highlight. It is a chance to let off steam and have your say in the high-octane atmosphere of the conference’s debating chamber, as keynote speakers debate a controversial motion with each other and the audience. Whilst a ‘parliamentary style’ format should ensure fair play, passions will be running high as two opposing teams lock horns and argue their case.

Conference participants will be invited by the chair, former British parliamentarian Harold Elletson, to air their views and, at the end of the debate, to take a vote.

This year’s motion is: This House believes that the public sector has failed to use (innovations in) ICTs effectively in education and training.

As the line between ‘public’ and ‘private’ is being continually redrawn, it is time to reflect on which has been the most successful in using technology in education. Why is educational achievement stagnating as public spending increases? Has the EU’s investment in ICTs for education been well spent? Has the private sector cheated public education by selling inappropriate hardware and software? These and other questions of fundamental importance will be raised, and hotly contested, at OEB’s fascinating and wide-ranging debate.

Under the umbrella of Learning for All, we will consider four key topics for those responsible for workplace, institutional and lifelong learning: learning about learning, learning content, learning ecosystems and learning environments.

Learning About Learning

Technology, science and rapidly changing work and learning environments all have an impact on pedagogy and learning approaches. Informal learning is increasing in importance, as ‘learning how’ becomes more critical than ‘learning what.’ We will explore the implications with speakers including Mark Russell, University of Hertfordshire, UK, who will look at: Mapping the Technology Landscape: Linking Pedagogy to the Affordances of Different Technologies.

Practical new approaches to today’s challenges will also be explored. Mar Camacho, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Catalonia, Spain, for example, will look at podcasting to Empower Language Minorities Through Technology, and in the public sector, where resources are under increasing pressure, Geoff Glover, University of Derby UK, will consider Mobile Movies to Support Healthcare Professionals.

Learning Content

Content may be king, but who rules? Issues surrounding openness, standards, rights and content creation will be discussed by speakers such as Julian Swindell, Royal Agricultural College, UK. He wants to know: Have You Read a Good Book Recently? and applies the methodology of traditional print content to the online environment. Anne Boyer, Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche, France, will talk about openness in A National Initiative to Enhance E-Learning and E-Teaching.

Learning Ecosystems

The technologies we use for learning are continuously updated with startling speed and technology, as a whole, has become an essential factor in daily life. Christien Bok, SURFfoundation, The Netherlands, will host a "learning café" with a range of experts, to discuss changes in higher education under the banner Organising Innovation in Higher Education: Success Factors for National Programmes. Erica Wadley, Microsoft, USA, will provide compelling evidence of the impact at work in Social Media and Mobile Learning – the Microsoft Case Study. Erika Soboleva, Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance and Career Development, Russia, will consider how to maintain quality in her Evaluation of Quality Assurance in E-Learning.

Two subsequent sessions on assessing learning in a digital world, organised by the European Commission, DG Education and Culture and its Executive Agency, will bring together various projects as well as best-practice examples from the Lifelong Learning programme on this topic. The projects are excellent examples of how the European Commission promotes ICT for learning, the steady progress in the use of ICT for education and training across Europe, and the supporting role ICT plays for enhancing assessment in learning.

Learning Environments

Learning environments have never before undergone as much change as now. We will consider how the classroom has evolved with speakers including Ilaria Mascitti, Università degli Studi ‘Guglielmo Marconi’, Italy, who will present The ST.ART Project: Street Artists in a Virtual Space. Snezana Scepanovic, Mediterranean University, Montenegro, will illustrate her perspective about Creating and Using an Environment for E-Learning 2.0. New learning environments will be considered by speakers such as Esko Lius, Sotunki Distance Learning Centre, Finland, who is looking at Yearning for Distance Learning: Experiential Learning of Literature in Second Life and Anna Ngoloyi, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa, who will share examples on how we should be Engaging Students in Active Learning Through Gaming on Mobile Phones.

Under the same theme John Minarcik, Destiny University School of Medicine, St. Lucia, West Indies will be highlighting his Experience in Teaching Online Medical School Pathology Courses, Lectures and Labs. Come and see how John teaches pathology online with YouTube and uses it in his classes to teach simultaneously in several continents. Wilfred Rubens from Gilde Opleidingen, The Netherlands, shows his perspective in Learning 2.0: The Gap Between Talking and Doing. Tamara Powell, Kennesaw State University, USA will talk about Building a CyberProfessor: Results from a Study of Faculty Technology Adoption. One of the many Special Focus Sessions at ONLINE EDUCA this year is called Success with Digital Media in Teacher Education Through Innovation in Education, on innovative teacher training methods, by Jeroen Thys and a range of experts, from GROUP T – Leuven Education College, Belgium.

We will explore practical ways of supporting changing workplace needs. Sarah Lindsell, Price Waterhouse Coopers, UK, will showcase Learning Technology Academy: Transforming the L&E Profession in PwC.

ENGAGE QUALITY EXCELLENCE AWARD

This year ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN will host the ENGAGE QUALITY EXCELLENCE AWARD, which recognises excellent contributions from teachers, educational practitioners, game developers and producers to the quality of game-based learning. It will be granted in three categories, presenting the best use of digital games in learning and teaching, the best digital games for learning, and the ENGAGE Inclusion Award. The ceremony will be preceded by a panel discussion with leading GBL experts, including David Wortley, Serious Games Institute, UK.

OEB INTERACTIVE

A range of new presentation formats at ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN will enable participants to join in, interact and share thoughts and ideas with other participants and experts in a range of Demonstrations, Best Practice Showcases, Knowledge Exchange Sessions, Learnshops and OEB Labs. Furthermore, you can join topical discussions and debates, such as the one led by John Traxler from Learning Lab, UK and featuring a host of experts, who will discuss and share the latest on Informal Ethics.

OEB 2010 will present another strand of the highly popular informal sessions on corporate learning and best practice solutions. Throughout the conference you can expect a range of interactive and open formats, such as unconferences and expert-led round tables and debates. Experience and be inspired by rapid-fire discussion sessions and share your thoughts with world experts in this highly exciting strand on corporate learning, led by Charles Jennings, Duntroon Associates Ltd, UK, and Jay Cross, Internet Time Group, USA.

The Battle of the Bloggers part III will also Tackle the Tweeters this year, asking for your input during the conference; on what topics should the Tweeters and Bloggers cross their swords? And Tweeters, use the OEB hashtag: #oeb10 this year: ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN 2010 wants to hear it from you!