Research Into Teaching with Whole class Interactive Technologies (RITWIT)

Abstract & Accommodation Deadline: December 1st, 2008

An International Conference hosted at the University of Cambridge

June 29-30, 2009

Information about the conference is summarised in our A5 flyer (hard copies available upon request):

Conference overview

The conference focuses on research into the pedagogy underlying use of innovative tools such as interactive whiteboards, visualisers, tablet PCs, remote input devices, voting systems, etc. How does their use facilitate or inhibit more effective whole class teaching and learning at school level? What are the implications for teacher development and educational policy?

The conference is for educational researchers, practitioners at all levels of experience (student teachers to senior leaders), teacher educators, advisers and consultants, inspectors and policymakers. Non-presenting delegates are very welcome.

Aims:

To exchange ideas, debate and explore issues arising in depth; to illuminate some of the key challenges facing researchers, practitioners, school leaders and policymakers in this area
To disseminate research findings and take stock of how use of whole class technologies have facilitated / inhibited teaching and learning
To move forward our collective thinking in this area; to develop a future research agenda and ideas for improving practice
To compare practice in different settings and countries and to set up national / international research and writing collaborations.

Conference Themes

Three broad themes are characterised at the school, national and international levels, each with a number of suggested subthemes and questions to help exemplify it (see Call for Papers for details of themes and presentation formats). Presentation content is flexible within the broad headings:

Pedagogy and classroom activity
Developing practice
Learning from other settings

Keynote speakers

Mal Lee, Director of Schools Networking Consortium and Managing Director of EdDirect, Australia, will offer an international perspective on the challenges facing practitioners, school leaders and policymakers in integrating whole class interactive technologies.

Sylvia Rojas Drummond, a Professor of Psychology at National Autonomous University of Mexico will discuss the implications of using interactive technologies for dialogic pedagogy and multimodal literacy.

Niel McLean, Executive Director - Institutional Workforce and Development & Learning and Teaching, Becta

See their profiles and abstracts on the Keynote Speakers page.

Timetable

Accommodation deposits (£50 per night, refundable if paper or visa application is rejected): please send these as soon as possible and no later than December 1st in order to secure a room

Abstracts deadline: December 1st, 2008

Confirmation of paper acceptance: mid-January 2009

Registration and accommodation fees deadline: April 17, 2009

Outcomes

All delegates will receive a CD-ROM containing the abstracts and texts of keynote speeches.

Presenters are asked to bring full papers for distribution at the conference. We expect to produce a peer reviewed, themed issue of the journal Technology, Pedagogy and Education (edited by Sara Hennessy & Paul Warwick, to appear in June 2010). After the conference all presenters will be invited to submit a full or short paper for consideration. Outcomes of formal and informal discussion sessions are expected to include plans for collaborative research and writing.

Contact Us

Conference Administrator:

Please direct all enquiries to Bryony Horsley-Heather

email: bsjh2@cam.ac.uk
telephone: +44 (0)1223 767659

Conference Organisers:

Dr Sara Hennessy Lecturer in Teacher Development and Pedagogical Innovation, Cambridge.

Dr Steve Kennewell Senior Lecturer in Education, Swansea Metropolitan University.