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The Future is a Mindset

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Last week we participated in the ILO Global Tour which traveled across 24 offices from Fiji to Lima. While in Turin we were joined by 30 local and global students who participated in a hackathon on the Future of Learning. Their stories were compared with the ideas of futurist Gerd Leonhard. The recording of this event is now available and can be watched here. The future is a mindset and “The illiterate in the 21th Century won’t be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn” (Alvin Toffler).  More of these ideas and insights can be captured on the following slidedeck.

Innovation Sprint @ITC-ILO. Making use of interactive video-walls.

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Learning Innovation is one of our crossing cutting strategic drivers that highlights the comparative advantage of our Center. To communicate this idea we made use of an 8 meter long video-wall (composed of 80 micro-tiles). For us the ideal opportunity to test digital storytelling in a large format. Interactive video-walls are used in exhibition spaces or musea to transform communication into an experience. Explore the following visual impressions that generated a new learning experience. Thanks to all colleagues who have contributed to this event!

 

 

Mobile Seamless Learning for the 21st century

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How can mobile technology benefit learning?

Using mobile devices for learning is a logical extension of our life in this tech-centric world. Undoubtedly, technologies affect learning in various ways. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) grant access to knowledge to all people regardless of where or who they are. We can now learn whenever the need arises. Learning is no longer limited to one location, nor does it follow a strict schedule.

However, despite the opportunities ICTs present, there are certain constraints mobile learning needs to deal with, such as digital literacy, data security, and infrastructure[i]. A customized mobile learning experience should be able to address these challenges.

How mobile learning can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?[ii]

The idea of learning in contexts builds upon the fact that learning does not happen in a vacuum, but is closely linked to objects and experiences in the real world so that knowledge becomes meaningful to learners.  Mobile learning provides “Just in time, Just enough, and Just for me” experiences. Therefore, learners have the mobility and are able to decide what and how to learn depending on the contexts which makes it different from being simply eLearning on a mobile device.[iii]

The ITCILO has developed a series of mobile learning projects since 2011.

By offering a learning solution flexible to learners, mobile learning can boost engagement and knowledge retention. “Mobile technology offers unprecedented power for users to access information and services that can create life-changing opportunities in education and employment,” said Brahima Sanou, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), at the Policy Forum on Mobile Learning held in Paris last year.

Moreover, UNESCO’s “Mobile Learning Project in Education for Sustainable Development and Micro-Gardening” [iv]has shown that ICTs can contribute positively to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), literacy and skills development.

Register for the upcoming course on Mobile and Seamless Learning

Building upon internal expertise and partnership with internationally recognized institutions such as the Open University of the Netherlands, an upcoming course Mobile and Seamless Learning will be available in September 2018:

By the end of the Mobile and Seamless Learning course, participants will be able to:

  • Have a global overview about the history of mobile learning research and development;
  • Have a basic understanding of related theories (e.g. situated cognition, experiential learning, anchored instruction, cognitive apprenticeship);
  • Explain how various learning contexts can be connected and integrated enabling a continuous learning experience (seamless learning);
  • Explain what are the existing gaps between different learning settings;
  • understand the challenge of learning transfer between different contexts, and
  • Be aware of the essential technologies, tools and principles that enables seamless learning (e.g. storytelling, collaborative and networked, project-based and competence-based learning).

More information about the course: https://www.itcilo.org/en/areas-of-expertise/learning-methodologies-and-technologies/seamless-learning-design-new

Contact person: Alessia Messuti a.messuti@itcilo.org

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Photo Credit: Alessia Messuti (Nairobi, Kenya)

References:

[i] (2017, June 28). Chinese spend 3 hours a day on their smartphones, ranking second in the world: survey. ChinaDaily. Retrieved from http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2017-06/28/content_29916917.htm

[ii] (2018, June 19). Social media use continues to rise in developing countries but plateau across developed ones. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewglobal.org/2018/06/19/social-media-use-continues-to-rise-in-developing-countries-but-plateaus-across-developed-ones/#table

[iii] Alhajri, R. (2016, October 10). Prospects and challenges of mobile learning implementation: a case study. Retrieved from https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/prospects-and-challenges-of-mobile-learning-implementation-a-case-study-2165-7866-1000189.php?aid=84267

[iv] (2017, March 24). Harnessing digital skills and mobile learning for inclusive sustainable development. International Telecommunication Union.  Retrieved from https://www.itu.int/en/mediacentre/Pages/2017-PR12.aspx

The future of learning is out there. Call for stories.

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The first edition of the ‘Future of Learning’ magazine has been launched earlier this year. It contains a selection of 12 stories that reflect interesting institutional learning practices incorporating signals from the future, from micro-learning to macro-learning, from real gamification simulations towards virtual augmented immersive learning experiences and much more. If you would like to receive a physical copy of this you just have to submit the form below and add your own future of learning story. We are currently capturing best, good and interesting practices from all over the world in order to get inspired. Join us on this future of learning journey.

FOL

 

[contact-form to=’m.scabini@itcilo.org’ subject=’Future of Learning Magazine’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Contribute your own future of learning story’ type=’textarea’/][contact-field label=’Physical address (to send the magazine)’ type=’textarea’/][/contact-form]

Learning and Technology Innovation for Capacity Development

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Technology transforming learning

Once thought of as just a part of ‘resources‘in the learning experience, we‘ve come to see how technology can be so much more than that. It can play a key role in all elements of the training and learning environment. Technology can shape, and reshape, who is the learner and who is the trainer. It can open up knowledge and content that otherwise would be less accessible, for example through access to open educational resources.

The benefits of engagement, interactivity and collaboration are all enabled and enhanced with technology. They are of course possible without it, you can still engage and motivate, personalise learning and facilitate collaboration, without any technology at all. However, at scale, technology greatly increases training institutions’ capacity for these outcomes.

Reinventing learning environments for the world of work

Learning technologies, knowledge-sharing platforms, communities of practice, mobile applications are more and more used in the world of work. However, the right expertise and the methodological know-how to design and implement technology enhanced learning are not always available. To this purpose, the ITCILO, in collaboration with the Open University of the Netherlands and Goethe University Frankfurt, developed a dedicated Online Programme in Innovative Learning Interventions. Professionals with a capacity-building function can explore the use of latest technology and innovation and see how they contribute to the impact of the projects they are currently launching.

By innovation, we mean new or improved technological products and processes, which can influence how individuals and organizations invest in achieving their objectives. Concepts such as Open Online Education, Learning Analytics, Mobile and Seamless Learning, New Immersive and Augmented Learning Experiences are examples of how integrated technology processes can make capacity development more impactful by rooting solutions in empathy with end-users and enhancing access to educational opportunities.

The opportunity

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The Online Diploma Programme on Innovative Learning Interventions aims at fostering the potential of:

  • the improved measurement, compilation and reporting of data about individuals for purposes of understanding and optimizing learning experiences through Trusted Learning Analytics;
  • learning and working across multiple contexts through social and content interactions using personal devices which enable the creation of Mobile and Seamless Learning experiences;
  • eliminating barriers to entry educational opportunities and broadening access to capacity development through Open Online Education paths;
  • augmented and immersive reality experiences which lead to transformative ways for creating engagement and interactions between individuals and environments, though New Learning Experiences.

More info:

http://www.itcilo.org/en/areas-of-expertise/learning-methodologies-and-technologies/diploma-programme