Connectivism Online Conference U of Manitoba

George Siemens is creating a learning space, populated by great presenters, over 1,000 attendees representing over 40 countries, to virtually explore connectivism and social software from February 2-9, 2007. The conference is online and free but already oversubscribed so...follow me in this blog as I report on the presentations from a higher education perspective.

Here's the blurb about the conference intent...."The evolution of teaching and learning is accelerated with technology. After several decades of duplicating classroom functionality with technology, new opportunities now exist to alter the spaces and structures of knowledge to align with both needs of learners today, and affordances of new tools and processes. Yet our understanding of the impact on teaching and learning trails behind rapidly forming trends. What are critical trends? How does technology influence learning? Is learning fundamentally different today than when most prominent views of learning were first formulated (under the broad umbrellas of cognitivism, behaviourism, and constructivsm)? Have the last 15 years of web, technology, and social trends altered the act of learning? How is knowledge itself, in a digital era, related to learning?"

Key themes will include: trends in K-12 sector, trends in higher education, research and net pedagogy, technological and societal trends, and connective knowledge and connectivism.

Confirmed presenters include: Stephen Downes , Will Richardson , Terry Anderson , George Siemens , Bill Kerr and Diana G. Oblinger, Ph.D.

Stay tuned - I'll be posting some filtering comments on the conference.