In The Wild @Channel 4: Wellbeing, the Web and the Future of Education

  Channel 4 Building 
  Originally uploaded by Liz Ng.

Today I am squatting in quite possibly the coolest working environment I know at Channel 4 where some exciting new media/education developments are afoot. More on that later.

I'm passing through really on other business but have also managed to get some more information on an innovative conference this May 10, to which a limited number of invites are open to edu.blogs.com readers.

In The Wild: Well being, the Web and the future of Education will take place in Channel 4 and "will bring together 200 young people educators, policy makers and representatives of the broadcast and digital media worlds together to explore some of the most important challenges facing young people as they are growing up today and some of ideas that are shaping the future of output of Channel 4 Education".

Basically, a great chance for teachers and students to influence how Channel 4 spends its money on educational new media output for the next few years.

I'll be speaking there alongside Dr Rachel O'Connell, Chief Safety Officer at Bebo.com. Our session title is "Living Online", which describes perfectly what the young people of today (and some of us older ones) are already doing in a big way. I'm meeting her later on this afternoon, hopefully to spend five minutes working out how to achieve that interesting (and maybe tricky) balance  between the concern many of the educators might have about social tools and the enthusiasm young people (and teachers like me) have for social networking and living life online.

The "Informal Learning" part of the conference includes Pat Kane who, as well as being one of my favourite 1980s musicians, is nowadays a major activist on the way we learn and work. He's written a hugely successful book, The Play Ethic: A Manifesto for a Different Way of Living, now on my Amazon wishlist if anyone's feeling generous ;-)

Alongside Pat is James Bradburne, whose work on design, creativity and gaming for learning is fascinating. I'm looking forward to working with James on the Channel 4 Education Advisory Board over the next 18 months or so.

Anyway, sounds like my kind of conference. I hope some of you might be able to get off school and even bring some kids with you, but be quick in signing up - the tickets are jumping off into the post to those early birds.

 

Comments

[Lucy Crichton]

Pat Kane wrote for Connected a few issues ago:
www.ltscotland.org.uk/ictineducation/connected/articles/12/byteback/theplayethic.asp

Cheers
Lucy

[Stuart Sutherland]

If you've any of those invites left Ewan, I'd love to take one off your hands. Sounds like a very promising, interesting event. Have a restful Easter weekend.

Best wishes,
Stuart

[Amal]

You are merely inspirational!So motivating Iam impressed.

[Ellie Maxwell]

Hi Ewan,
They're all sold out so if you hear of any going spare we'd love to know as well! Love the blog by the way :-)
Best,
Ellie

[Ellie Maxwell]

Hi - just to let everyone know, they've posted some more tickets so if you go now you can get them!
Best,
Ellie