Looking forward to FOTE 2010

Aug 11

Posted by hhodges in FOTE10 | No Comments

by Helen Hodges and Justin Spooner from JISC RSC Wales





FOTE09 website

FOTE09 website

FOTE 2009 was one of the best events I attended last year, not least because as a result I wrote 2 blog posts (one about the event and one about about iTunesU) and Justin (my colleague who also attended wrote a blog about digital identity) AND the keynote speaker for our main JISC RSC Wales cross sector event in June, ‘Learning in a Digital Wales – Dysgu mewn Cymru Digdol‘, was Dougald Hine, who we heard speak at FOTE 2009 and who inspired us both because of his challenging ideas about the future of education.

oMbiel on iPad

oMbiel on iPad

FOTE 2010 is less than 2 months away now and I am already looking forward (being lucky enough to have got another ticket) to this years event. Although much of the programme is of interest, 2 things that stick out for me are the iPad session and the as yet untitled session led by oMbiel. oMbiel is an organisation that I came across recently, when asked by a  post 16 learning provider in Wales about the availability of mobile apps for helping orientate new students to a new campus and via a Google search I came across campusM … so I am looking forward to hearing more first hand. And then there’s the iPad … I admit that (having a tech mad husband too) I have had my own iPad since day one and that I have used it a bit for work, mostly for leisure but also as an Open University learner. The least successful/most gripes have come for me as a learner … I can view course resources and even download them to GoodReader to view offline but I can’t post to the Moodle forum or my course blog easily and making notes on the numerous pdfs we have to read is not a straighforward experience. That said, for all its faults I love the iPad and am hoping that ‘The iPad is the future of reading’ will convince me of its place in a learners’ hands.


Justin will also be attending again this year and I asked him what he is looking forward to. He said:

” I’m looking forward to the Computer Games in Education session. Gaming as an educational tool is almost always a contoversial subject when it is mentioned at our RSC events. I recently heard a programme on Radio 4 which was talking about gaming in the classroom; the effects sounded amazing, pupils were engaged, having fun, were actively interested in the subject and apparently even their grades improved. The programme presenter posed an interesting question though, as the games involved points being won and lost does this encourage gambling? Hopefully this talk will help to lay some of these perceived issues to rest and arm me with some answers when I get asked about gaming next time.”

FOTE09 Lunch

FOTE09 Lunch

Justin also said, ” I am looking forward to the drinks reception” but he made me promise not to actually put it in this blog …oops! Here’s to another great FOTE :-)

(P.S. If you would like to follow either of us on Twitter I’m @HelenHRSC and Justin is @JustinRSC)















Tags: , , , , , ,

Speaker Bio – Miles Metcalfe

Jul 27

Posted by Frank in FOTE10, Geolocation, Speakers | No Comments

Miles Metcalfe

Miles Metcalfe

Miles Metcalfe is a consultant who helps organisations large and small make better use of IT and social software to improve communication and collaboration to work and learn more effectively together. He is particularly interested in how “user-owned technology” transforms the relationship between the user and the organisation.

We are excited to welcome Miles back to the FOTE conference, after he delivered a highly entertaining keynote at our first ever Future of Technology in Education conference back in 2008. At the tim Miles was Head of IT Research and Development, Ravensbourne College and responsible for the College’s IT strategy, and for developing the technical resources the institution needs to face the challenges of creative technology in the 21st century.

Follow Miles on Twitter: @mmetcalfe

Miles Metcalfe – Campus of the Future (FOTE2008)

Tags: , , ,

Speaker Bio – James Clay

Jul 23

Posted by Frank in FOTE10, Mobile, Speakers | No Comments

James Clay

James Clay

We are thrilled to welcome James Clay back after his riveting talk on the ‘Future of Learning’ at FOTE09, which we added below, he will share with us why he thinks ‘The iPad is the future of reading!’.

James is and has been passionate about the use of learning technologies to enhance and enrich the learning experience since 1991. He has used, developed, managed and inspired others in a range of technologies, from DTP, CD-ROM, mobile devices, the internet, the VLE, the MLE, mobile learning through to Web 2.0.

James Clay has been ILT & Learning Resources Manager at Gloucestershire College since November 2006. He is responsible for the VLE, the use of learning technologies, e-learning, mobile learning, the libraries, digital and online resources and the strategic direction of the college in relation to the use of learning technologies.

James has extensive experience of mobile learning and has a vision that goes beyond mobile technologies and focuses on the mobility of the learner, blurring the demarcation between formal and informal learning. His current vision for tertiary education encompasses the use of Web 2.0 technologies embedded into an institutional VLE which can be accessed through mobile technologies. Allowing learners a focal point for their studying, whilst allowing the depth and breadth of Web 2.0 to bring a personalised learning experience to students at a time and space to suit them. For the future, James hopes that institutions and others will allow for a flexible, personalised, accessible learning experience for all.

James Clay previously was Director of the Western Colleges Consortium from 2001 to 2006. As Director he is responsible for the management, strategic direction and development of e-learning using a shared MLE across the four partner FE Colleges of the WCC.

Before the WCC he worked for at-Bristol, a Millennium project within the Harbourside of central Bristol – a job which involved delivering hands-on science education and designing educational websites on subjects as diverse as handheld learning experiences, via Antiguan racer snakes, through space science to the mummification process of ancient Egyptians.

Prior to the above, James spent ten years in Further Education as a lecturer in Business & Economics, employing learning technologies. His resources and websites were used extensively by students and were praised by verifiers and inspectors.

Follow James on Twitter – @jamesclay

Tags: , , , , , ,

Speaker Bio – Ray Fleming

Jul 23

Posted by Frank in Speakers | No Comments

Ray Fleming

Ray Fleming

Ray Fleming is the Education Marketing Manager for Microsoft UK, and has spent 25 years working within the education ICT industry. In that time he has worked for some of the main organisations in education ICT  – RM, Capita, and now Microsoft – in a variety of roles.

“In my current role I create a bridge between the education institutions and their suppliers of ICT, and am often involved in conferences and meetings where the purpose is to discuss the impact of ICT upon education, and the potential for transformation. Often, with commercial companies, the goal is to draw them closer to the educational world, and to help them to see the needs that universities, colleges and schools have. Similarly, with education organisations, I am often asked to tell the story of how technology is changing, and what the impact may be on education – both within and outside of the institution.”

Why not watch Ray’s talk from last year’s FOTE conference, entitled ‘The Collaborative Campus and the Cloud’ below. He addresses the challenges of cloud computing. ‘In the world of students, the debate about cloud or not is history – they just use the services. Now it is not just students but faculty too. Challenge for a business and the individual is ownership of information – where does the intellectual property of your institution sit? In your own or someone else’s systems?’

Follow Ray on Twitter: @RayFleming


Tags: , , , , , ,