ELTWeekly Issue#20, Worldwide ELT events

The Handheld Learning Conference, October 5-7, London

The Handheld Learning Conference is the world’s leading event about learning using mobile and inexpensive access technologies, attended by more than 1,500 international delegates.

Lead speakers for 2009 include:

• Malcolm McLaren, Agent provocateur and artist
• James Paul Gee, Presidential Professor of Literacy Studies at Arizona State University
• Professor Elizabeth Hayes, Arizona State University
• Gordon Shukwit, Director of IT and Learning Technologies, Apple Inc
• John Davitt, International Learning Advocate, NewTools.org
• Tim Brighouse, Former Commissioner for London Schools
• Donald Clark, e-Learning Expert
• David Cavallo, Chief Learning Architect, MIT OLPC
• Tim Rylands, Teacher & Innovator

With many others soon to be announced.

Now in its fifth year the event has become the largest of it’s kind; bringing together thought leaders, innovators, practitioners, developers, policy and decision makers from the education, technology and entertainment sectors.

Over 3 stimulating days this group will demonstrate, debate and explore how mobile technologies such as phones, entertainment devices, GPS locators, and netbooks can be deployed to enable transformational improvements in learning across schools, home, further education, training and business.

This year’s theme is “Creativity, Innovation, Inclusion & Transformation” recognising that 2009 is the European year of creativity and innovation, and the value these elements have to learning, whilst identifying that real transformation will only occur following universal inclusion e.g. Home Access.

As always the conference will stage an excellent mix of inspirational talks from leading thinkers and practitioners, lively interactive debates, learners and practitioner showcases, special interest breakouts, networking and social sessions, plus an exhibition featuring the principle industry leaders.

Delegates will:

• Exchange ideas and learn about best practice
• Expand their professional network
• Debate new thinking on learning and teaching using low cost access technologies
• Review evidence of improved learner attainment
• Participate in the creation of a valuable online resource for policy makers, education professionals and the public
• Gain a clear understanding of how to positively embrace current and emerging technologies within their strategies for teaching and learning.

For further details and pre-registration, please visit: http://www.handheldlearning2009.com/

International Conference on Applied Linguistics, September 26-27, Tehran, Iran

The International Conference on Applied Linguistics: Developments, Challenges, and Promises will be held in Tehran ’s ( Iran )  Milad Tower Conference Hall on September 26-27, 2009. The conference aims at exploring some vital issues in applied linguistics that have shaped, and are still shaping the identity of the profession. Applied linguists from across the globe are invited to contribute to a lively debate that would include ideas from some of the prominent figures of the field.

Different themes will be explored in the course of the two-day conference: applied linguistics and its definitions; globalization and its impact on ELT; applied linguistics and English as the world’s lingua franca; post method era and teacher qualifications; research debates in applied linguistics ….

The keynote speakers for the conference are (alphabetically arranged):

– Professor Guy Cook, The Open University, London

– Professor Hossein Farhady, American University of Armenia

– Professor Alastair Pennycook, University of Technology, Sydney

– Professor Barbara Seidlhofer, University of Vienna

– Professor Henry Widdowson, University of Vienna

Pre-conference workshop (September 25):

Alternative assessment: Dr. Chirstine Coombe, Higher College of Technology, UAE

The deadline for abstract submission is June 14, 2009. Notification of acceptance will be sent by July 10. Early registration deadline is August 5; all the participants whose papers have been accepted must register before the deadline.

To submit an abstract, please visit the conference website at: www.appliedlinguistics.ir

For any queries, please contact Ramin Akbari at akbari_ram@yahoo.com.

Research Into Teaching with Whole class Interactive Technologies (RITWIT), June 29-30, Cambridge

The conference focuses on research into the pedagogy underlying use of innovative tools such as interactive whiteboards, visualisers, tablet PCs, remote input devices, voting systems, etc. How does their use facilitate or inhibit more effective whole class teaching and learning at school level? What are the implications for teacher development and educational policy?

The conference is for educational researchers, practitioners at all levels of experience (student teachers to senior leaders), teacher educators, advisers and consultants, inspectors and policymakers. Non-presenting delegates are very welcome.

Aims:

• To exchange ideas, debate and explore issues arising in depth; to illuminate some of the key challenges facing researchers, practitioners, school leaders and policymakers in this area
• To disseminate research findings and take stock of how use of whole class technologies have facilitated / inhibited teaching and learning
• To move forward our collective thinking in this area; to develop a future research agenda and ideas for improving practice
• To compare practice in different settings and countries and to set up national / internationalresearch and writing collaborations.

Mal Lee, Director of Schools Networking Consortium and Managing Director of EdDirect, Australia, will offer an international perspective on the challenges facing practitioners, school leaders and policymakers in integrating whole class interactive technologies.

Niel McLean, Executive Director – Institutional Workforce and Development & Learning and Teaching, Becta.

Karen Littleton, Professor of Psychology in Education at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland, is our Conference Discussant and will lead a session pulling together emerging themes and issues for subsequent discussion by all participants.

Sylvia Rojas-Drummond is unfortunately no longer able to join us as she has been asked to lead a major evaluation of an elementary school curriculum review in Mexico which will now occupy all of her time over the coming months.

See their profiles and abstracts on the Keynote Speakers page.

For further details and pre-registration, please visit: http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/events/conferences/ritwit/