In the first week of November, we expect over 800 delegates from 77 countries (on last count) will be converging on Dublin for the ICDE World Conference on Online Learning. Another group of valued participants will be formally contributing virtual papers as part of the conference programme, and we expect many others will be following the event via our live stream and through various social media channels. Watch for our guidelines coming shortly on how you can maximise your virtual participation.
And before the Open Ceremony on Monday 4th November, more than 200 participants will join together on Sunday at DCU’s St Patrick’s campus for an interesting mix of pre-conference activities.
But that’s only the beginning of the action as our unique “Gasta” style lightning talks starting in the Convention Centre Dublin on Monday afternoon, coupled with Tuesday’s guided walking tours ending with a bit of “pedagogy in the pub”, should make for lively conversations. Whilst there is a serious side to the conference too, with some challenging invited speakers, lots of busy and bustling breakout presentations across 4-days and 10 parallel tracks, along with a mix of 15 interactive symposia, action labs and SWOT fora, we also hope that you have your ticket to the Gala Dinner. The conference dinner promises to be a grand event, where we will present a number of prestigious ICDE Awards as well as later in the evening encourage you to join our céilí dancers. We respectfully ask all guests to wear something “green” and there will be special green awards for those entering into the spirit of the occasion.
And the good craic in Dublin doesn’t stop at the dinner, as the final day of the ICDE World Conference starts with a future-focussed keynote by Professor George Siemens. This is one talk not to miss! George will explore some of the big questions facing us in the future and set the scene for the “Great Dublin Debate”. Our debate should prove to be a real highlight of the conference as you can expect two teams to draw on their considerable experience, intellect and no doubt spontaneous wit for a lively discussion presenting different futures for online education.
Our local NIDL team can’t wait to welcome you to Dublin as we have a number of other creative twists and little surprises to share when you arrive. If you haven’t yet registered for the ICDE World Conference, then please don’t delay any longer, as we really want you to join us in Dublin to help shape the future.
Go to the latest conference newsletter published earlier today to read lots more about the ICDE World Conference, including what’s new, the latest programme, our guiding aspirations, the conference app, an update for presenters, another speaker spotlight, information about our sponsors, the taste of Ireland, and more.
Digital Learning Dispatches 