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5-7 Oct 09. Barbican London
Report by Simon Finch, Northern Grid
  
Keynote Videos
The Handheld Learning Conference was unlike any other conference I have attended in recent years. For those who bought tickets early, they received a ‘free’ Ipod Touch. The Touch is a web enabled handheld device, is easy to use and enables users to communicate with the wider world, wherever there is a wifi signal. The conference venue was well served by wifi with many delegates commenting on its quality and indicating in some cases that it was the best internet connectivity they had experienced at any conference.
 And so, with high quality internet access, anytime and anywhere, over a thousand delegates were able to communicate with each other, colleagues and followers on Twitter - in addition to updating their blogs in real time. This virtual conference back channel proved to be as useful, engaging and informative as the conference taking place all around us.
The programme included so many strands and sessions that there were several mini conferences taking place simultaneously. Monday (the first day and open to the public) was a blend of exhibition by commercial providers, fringe sessions and presentations by young learners. The feedback from delegates was very positive, particularly from those who had attended one or more of the 14 best practice sessions. The interesting aspect of delegates being online throughout the conference was the ability to follow the events and information from those sessions running concurrently with the sessions attended in person.
Pecha Kucha
The afternoon session on Monday included Pecha Kucha for 21st Century Education and a welcome antidote to the sense many delegates can have of being ‘talked at’ for an hour at a time. Presenters have 6 minutes and twenty slides to present an idea – and each slide displays for exactly 20 seconds. This intensive and brief presentation format is becoming increasingly popular and could be embraced by the NEN and individual RBCs. TeachMeet also use a similar format for micro presentations (7mins) and nano presentations (2mins).
 These adrenalin packed presentations engage audience, break down conventional barriers and encourage greater dialogue amongst all who attend. Add to this the Twitter Back Channel and the potential for engaging and appropriate sharing of ideas o take place and it can be seen that the handheld conference was by no means a conventional learning event.
A conference of any note should recognise the success and value of the great work taking place in learning communities and there Handheld Learning awards presented for individuals and organisations with the winners chosen by the public via text. It was also good to see that over a one hundred youngsters (under 16) were also present on the first day and several participating in the Y Factor sessions.
The ‘Learners Y Factor’ is an opportunity for ‘learners to present their work and explain how it has transformed, enriched and improved their learning experiences.’ The evening awards session saw Normanby Primary School (from Redcar and Cleveland LA and Northern Grid Overall Excellence in ICT Award winners 2009) winning awards for innovation, practitioner of the year and The Learners Y Factor.
Speakers
The line up of speakers was impressive and there was no shortage of big names and organisations represented. Tuesday opened with Zenna Atkins, Chairman of Ofsted and spoke anecdotally of her own ‘personal’ experience of education, and this personal focus was evident in many of the keynotes – and in truth left many of the delegates slightly nonplussed. It all rather depends on what delegates expect from keynotes; to be reassured or challenged? There did seem to be a common theme of ‘My education was rubbish but I survived and prospered’, which makes for an interesting conversation, but not necessarily a keynote. Whilst there may have been some delegates who were new to using technology to enhance and support learning many were perhaps a little weary of speakers returning to the theme of ‘It’s time to change the way we do things’. More useful perhaps, would be to have had a greater focus on how to achieve this change with practical suggestions. However it is true that the workshops and seminars were, in the main, overflowing with ideas, resources and experiences of supporting learning via new technologies and web tools.
 Artist McLaren, perhaps best known as the manager of The Sex Pistols was a highlight of the conference. Whilst some delegates felt he was rambling and perhaps self indulgent I felt McLaren’s session was engaging, stimulating and motivating. His message was I think, heartfelt and passionate. We must question and challenge conventional and traditional teaching and education systems and instead, nurture creativity – if technology can assist this – then use it with anger.
The Conference closing Keynote was delivered by Ray Kurzweil, technologist, inventor, visionary and described as "the ultimate thinking machine". His talk, via video link was overflowing with statistics and charts that indicated technology will get smaller, smarter, more powerful and cheaper – and machines will be more intelligent that humans by around 2020. Perhaps the single quote that many delegates took away from the conference (and was repeatedly posted on Twitter) was; ‘Mobile phones are misnamed; they are really gateways to all human knowledge’.
David Cavallo, Chief Learning Architect of OLPC gave one of the most thought provoking and engaging of all the speakers at the conference.
One Laptop Per Child is an ambitious programme to bring technology to children in those areas of the world where this has seemed impossible. Projects are established in countries as diverse as the Australian Outback, Uruguay and Rwanda. David’s description of how in even the most challenging environments where poverty, climate and culture are significant blocks to learning, the OLPC project is providing amazing opportunities for young people. I think this provided a very useful contrast to the perceived challenges many face in the UK in enabling children to access learning via technology and many delegates left the conference with a new found determination to overcome the barriers in their way.
And the Rest
 There were dozens of workshops over the three days and the feedback from delegates was positive. Four speakers worthy of special mention are Ollie Bray, John Davitt, Tim Rylands and the Learning and Teaching Scotland speakers. This was the first truly online conference I’ve had the opportunity to attend and the ability to communicate and share ideas digitally and in person added an exciting and purposeful element to the event.
The online dialogue started in the weeks prior to the conference with people connecting to plan meetings and discuss logistics and issues around travel, accommodation and planning sessions to attend. During the conference the ‘twittersphere’ was buzzing with comments and observations from all sessions simultaneously. At one point during three days the twitter hashtag #hhl09 made the top ten trending topics across the world on Twitter!
A key benefit of the online communications via Twitter is the opportunity to share reflections and ideas in the days after the conference. Receiving tweets from other people during keynotes and seminars was akin to sitting next to someone who nudged me and said ‘That’s interesting, I’ve made a note of it for you’. Another benefit of this live back channel of online communication is that colleagues unable to attend the event could, in near real time, participate in the discussions taking place at the venue.
The following is a selection of Blogs of those who were fortunate to have the opportunity to share in the experience of the Handheld Learning Exhibition and Conference 09
Blogs
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Labels: Northern Grid Created, Teachers, Tools, Reviews, News, Mobile, Handheld, Handheld Learning Conference
