e/merge 2006

Our planning meeting a few weeks ago came up with: "Learning Landscapes in Southern Africa".

I think we should stay focussed on designs for learning in Southern African tertiary education that combine face to face and online interaction.

Feedback on theme and scope will be appreciated :)

Proposed Schedule :
Convene Review Panel by 17th November 2005
Website with conference announcement and call for papers: 17th November 2005
Call for Papers: 24th November 2005
Call for conference hosts by 30th November 2005
Deadline for For Proposals: Jan 30th 2006
Feedback on Proposals: Feb 28th 2006
Enhancements to conference software starting March 2006
Deadline for Final Papers: April 28th 2006
Acceptance of Final Papers: June 14th 2006
Training of Conference hosts: June 2006
Deadline for Presentations: 3rd July 2006
Site Open for Introductions on 7th July 2006
e/merge 2006: 10th - 21st July 2006

Schedule updated on 21st November 2005

Would you regard this schedule as workable? How do you think this can be optimised?

Since e/merge 2004 I have received news from and about several e/merge 2004 participants.

Steven Yates (e/merge 2004 conference presenter) formerly of ITED at University of KwaZulu Natal now works for Derivco in Durban. Brenda Hallowes (e/merge 2004 conference host) has moved to Port Elizabeth. Tara Turkington formerly of the Durban Institute of Technology has moved to the University of the Witwatersrand. Daniella Giannini (e/merge 2004 conference host) married and changed her surname to Giannini-Gochago. She is also a mother of a baby son as of 22nd August! The sad news is that Peter Jamali who was an e/merge 2004 participant and a treasured colleague at UCT died in late August in Cape Town.

How about adding a comment to this message with some of your news?

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Conference Topics:

We will prioritise high quality papers and presentations which demonstrate responsiveness to the context of learning in Southern African tertiary education including digital divide, differential access to education and diversity. We would envisage papers in the following areas:
Research Methodology
Factors Affecting Access
Theorising computer supported collaborative learning
Learning Communities
Communites of practice
Staff Development
Learning Environments

We will also call for online workshops. These have a strong experiential and reflective component and will extend over one or both weeks.

Tracks:

e/merge 2006 will incorporate several tracks including:
1) Peer Reviewed Publication Track - potential for tie in with special issue of Journal
2) Peer Reviewed Proposal
3) Invited presentations and workshops
4) Panel Discussions

Do these work for you? How would you suggest that we could reframe or finetune these?

Scope and Parameters: e/merge 2006 will be focussed on Southern Africa tertiary education and will bring in colleagues from other parts of Africa and beyond to grow the network and enrich the conversations. We want the conference conversations to relate to the contexts of diversity and digital divide which prevail in Southern Africa. e/merge 2006 should support the growth of communities of practice of educational technology researchers and practitioners in Southern Africa and beyond. This means that we also want to get researchers and and practitioners engaged in bridging conversations which link research and practice.

Who is this conference for? e/merge 2006 is primarily for educational technology researchers and practitioners based in Southern Africa. The core group from Southern Africa will be strengthened and we will attempt to forge relationships to attract participants from other English speaking African countries. Particpants from other regions who have an interest in the use of educational technology in Southern Africa will also be warmly welcomed.

e/merge 2006 will be organised by the Centre for Educational Technology at University of Cape Town. We are open to collaborating with other organisations and networks in the region and beyond to ensure a high quality, dynamic conference. We will use viral marketing through individuals, mailing lists and blogs to publicise the call for papers and the conference.

What do you think of our concept for e/merge 2006? Do you have any ideas concerning how we should market the conference?

Hi all, this is the planning blog for the e/merge 2006 online conference. e/merge 2004 was the first online conference on the use of educational technology in Southern Africa. The conference attracted 163 participants from Southern Africa and further afield who engaged in vigorous conversation focussed on practice and research and sometimes just relaxed in the cafe'. As well as the online discussions there were online presentations with slides and voice, live online meetings and regular online chats.

We have more time to plan for e/merge 2006 to ensure that the interactions are both vibrant and useful to participants and contribute to the growth of communities of practice of educational technology researchers and practitioners across the region and beyond. The next posting will state our concept for e/merge 2006 and ask for feedback.