Welcome to the Learning Futures Festival '09

The Beyond Distance Research Alliance welcomes you to participate in our 4th International Conference under the title of 'Learning Futures'. This year's event has included a series of online sessions and will culminate in the face-to-face event on the 8th January 2009.

Register Now for only £100 (Free for University of Leicester Staff)...

JAN 8

Face-to-Face One-Day Conference Thursday 8th January 2009 will see the climax of the Learning Futures Festival with a one-day face-to-face event to be held at Leicester City Football Club. This year's event will continue to build on the success of previous events and will hopeful start the process of shaping the future of education. This is your chance to get involved and have your say on how you would like to influence our future(s).

One-Day Face-to-Face Festival Programme

(09:30 – 10:00) Registration Opens
(10:00 – 10:15) Welcome - Prof Robert Burgess (University of Leicester)
(10:15 – 11:00) Keynote - Prof Sugata Mitra (Newcastle University)
(11:00 – 11:15) Refreshment Break
(11:15 – 12:00) Keynote - Ralph Schroeder (Oxford Internet Institute)
(12:00 – 13:00) Intervention Panels (a)
(13:00 – 14:00) Lunch
(14:00 – 15:00) Intervention Panels (b)
(15:00 – 15:30) Refreshment Break
(15:30 – 16:30) Plenary
(16:30 – 17:00) Close

Intervention Panels

The panel is intended to provide information and ‘sparks’ for debate by the conference delegates. Each intervention panel will last one hour. Delegates will have the opportunity to attend two panels during the course of the day.

Each panel has a broad topic:

Intervention Panels (a) - (12:00 – 13:00)
Strand 1: Future Learning
Strand 2: Future Technologies
Intervention Panels (b) - (14:00 – 15:00)
Strand 1: Achieving positive change in Higher Education (sponsored by the HEA)
Strand 2: Creating the Future

Each will consist of a Chair, and 4 intervention panel members. Each panel member is invited to offer a talk, a demonstration, a video, presentation or other ‘intervention’ with key points or issues for discussion as a ‘spark’ for the dialogue. Each panel member will have a maximum of 5 minutes to make his/her intervention at the beginning of the session. The Chair will then lead the discussion with the panel and the delegates. Each panel member will have 2 minutes to respond or summarise at the end of the hour’s session.