International events: “Technology: at the heart of education and research” Conference in London

“Technology: at the heart of education and research” is the title and theme of this year’s JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) conference to be held in London on 12-13 April 2010.

Bill St. Arnaud, “Professional Engineers” President and Martin Bean, Vice Chancellor of The Open University (UK University for open education, established on the order of the Queen of the UK in 1969), will be giving the keynote speeches, both bringing different perspectives on putting “technology at the heart of education and research”.

“The effective use technology can bring a reduction in energy consumption, energy bills and environmental impact”, - considers a Canadian Bill St Arnaud.

Martin Bean has a passion for education and technology and is leading the Open University to provide innovative and high quality distance education using his experience from the UK as well as in North America, Asia Pacific and Europe.

The conference will see experts from across education and research answer questions, solve delegates’ problems and showcase the latest examples of how using a simple solution can save time, money and resources as well as in many cases, create inter-department working.

Among the topics are:

·         Copyright issues related to moving images and sound;

·         The technical infrastructure to support research through Lightpath and Aurora;

·         Accessing downloadable multimedia content for learning and teaching;

·         Web 2.0 and the law;

·         Online self evaluation tool to develop accessible resources.

Dr Malcolm Read, Executive Secretary at JISC, says, “Each year we aim to offer practical advice, guidance and best practice created by and for the academic and research community. This year is no exception as JISC brings together experts from the UK and internationally to discuss issues and solutions facing education and research in today’s challenging environment.”