vitta > conference > 2008 vitta annual conference and expo

Many of you would have seen the thought provoking presentation titled 'Shift Happens' originally created by Karl Fisch. In true Web2.0 fashion, it has morphed into a variety of versions with updated statistics, new content and regionally specific facts. Perform a search on the Internet and you will encounter many different versions.

Clearly the challenges facing us are not trivial ones and many of these same challenges will be faced by our students as they prepare for a workforce in which their place within it is uncertain. It’s hard enough for our students to make a career choice without the realization that they may well be planning for a future in which their choices will not be available or will have ‘shifted’ a small or significant amount.

As educators, many challenges lay before us. Not only do we need to stay abreast of the changes that are occurring, but we need to prepare our students for their journey beyond our class-rooms.

Many proponents of the latest technological devices hail them as the ‘solutions’ to our educational needs. Much has been made of the distinction between the place our students hold compared to us in this digital landscape – so much so, that it has almost become clichéd. Our students use technology extensively and we understand this. Is the answer to introduce the same technologies into our classrooms in an effort to engage our students? Are there technologies that are in fact the ‘answer’ to this dilemma?

I would argue that there is not one single technology that is the solution to this issue. In fact, no technologies are such that they can be placed into a classroom and instantly transform it into an engaging and dynamic learning environment. Students understand technology and how to use it, but they do not necessarily understand who they are as learners or the role technology can play in an educational environment. We all understand education. What we lack in the understanding of the cutting edge of technology. However, we can make up for this in the application of technologies as an extension of the classroom. We can create the dynamic environment through our own processes, enthusiasm and the use of a variety of technologies in unison.

It is my pleasure to officially launch the VITTA Conference theme for 2008: ‘Shift Happens: Technology Alone Cannot Save Us’.

The VITTA Conference Committee has started the process of addressing this theme in a variety of ways including through the sourcing of dynamic and thought provoking key note speakers and the design of conference strands based on exploring aspects of the theme.

A call for papers will be announced shortly. Information for Exhibitors

We are hopeful that this year’s conference will be the biggest and best yet. There will be more announcements to follow in the coming months. All the best!

Cheers,

Adrian Janson - VITTA President

Blog: http://jansona.edublogs.org

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