RSC YH Exchange

ALT-C 2008: Rethinking the digital divide
9-11 September 2008, Leeds, UK
*Bookings close Friday, 15th August 2008 - book soon to confirm your place!*

This conference will explore and extend the debate over the digital divide, providing an opportunity to develop both thinking and practice. The premise to be explored in the conference is that the digital divide is multidimensional, rather than just being a problem of access, and that the divide is, in different ways, prevalent in many settings, and is not limited to the divide between first world and lesser developed countries. In addition, several forms of the digital divide manifest themselves in everyday situations encountered by many in the learning technology domain.

Full details of the conference programme can be found at:
http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2008/timetable.html

There will be major keynotes from:

*David Cavallo*, Chief Learning Architect for One Laptop Per Child.

David’s keynote will stress how solutions to the digital divide should support the development of collective agency that gives users power over their own lives.

*Itiel Dror*, Senior Lecturer, University of Southampton.

Itiel brings a unique perspective on learning and its fit with cognitive systems, and the bridge between cognition and learning technology.

*Hans Rosling*, Professor of International Health, Karolinska Institute.

Han’s Gapminder Foundation invented the Trendalyzer data visualisation tool. Hans will use this to analyse the economic, social and environmental divisions that exist in the world, and while pointing to the severity of the situation note that there are some reasons for optimism.

Alongside our keynote speakers, the programme will be interspersed with sessions addressed by eight invited speakers:

*George Auckland* (Head of Innovation, BBC Vision);

*Lisbeth Goodman* (Professor of Creative Technology Innovation, Founder and Director of the SMARTlab Digital Media Institute);

*Jane Hart* (Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies, and creator of the Top 100 Tools for Learning list);

*Denise Kirkpatrick* (Pro Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching, The Open University);

*Richard Noss* (Professor of Mathematics Education at the Institute of Education, Co-Director London Knowledge lab, TLRP Associate Director for Technology Enhanced Learning);

*Gilly Salmon* (Professor of e-Learning and Learning Technologies, University of Leicester);

*Clive Shepherd* (Chair of the eLearning Network); and

*George Siemens* (Associate Director, Research and Development, Learning Technologies Centre, University of Manitoba).