A few thoughts about the first DHASA conference

Proteas, South African national flowers are in abundance in and around Stellenbosch

It was a good but not a really great start. The inaugural conference of the Digital Humanities Association of Southern Africa took place in Stellenbosch middle January.   The weather was great- sunshine and hot. The venue was also excellent and the catering average to good. So was the presentations: average to good but not really excellent. One of the keynote speakers could not make it to South Africa which is sad because it was this person that some of us wanted to hear. The organisastion of the conference was good and all are hopeful that the next conference will lift the standard higher and also bring in excellent keynotes to inspire and expand knowledge on this important issue.

There is serious concern about data that is constantly lost in our consumer-orientated world. Just think about what is lost when you change computers, discarded floppies and stiffies and CDs during the last twenty or so years. Is the cloud the correct answer? Another concern is to improve our digital products for users and those of us who did not know how to use Google analytics were getting an instant course to set us going.

The accommodation linked to the conference was expensive and we had to look for alternative accommodation to fit our budget. The Protea hotel (linked to the conference) is a really nice hotel but would have cost us double what we paid at the Stellenbosch hotel (which was not so nice), so maybe it is worth paying extra after all.

Also linked with the conference we could take additional tours over the weekend. This was a great experience. There were several options to choose from and the tour operators also invited people to ask for tailormade tours if needed. We were in a small group of ten (none from the conference though) on a tour to a number of wineries around Stellenbosch. We met people from the USA, England and Germany and we parted as friends after a lovely day. 

Be the change - knowledge as disobedience, expression and creatitvy

Auckland - beautiful city - we loved it (and also visited Hobbiton  from there

For more than three decades now we are experiencing change in society and the pressure is mounting on higher education to either provide effectively for the technology-based network society or to dissolve (to put it softly). Interdisciplinary and postdisciplinary education and research seems to be one way that higher education is trying to bring about positive change to stay relevant.

Did you know that the 1^st International Conference on Postdisciplinary Approaches was held in Neuchatel, Switzerland in 2013 and the second conference was hosted by the Copenhagen Business School in 2015? If not, here is your chance to become part of the new look and attitude towards knowledge: The 3rd event will take place in Auckland, New Zealand, from 2-5 February 2018. The 3rd International Conference on Postdisciplinary Approaches is open to academics from all walks of life, regardless of disciplinary background or affiliation. 

The theme for this conference is Knowledge as Disobedience, Expression and Creativity, welcoming all types of presentations that address postdisciplinarity, encouraging non-western perspectives. Researchers are invited to present in the form of research papers, movies or audio-visual material, exhibitions, performances, music, literary writings such as poetry or short stories and other creative expressions. A combination of several of these is also welcome. The only problem is that there is only space for 120 delegates so make sure you pre-register your interest on the web page to receive updates.

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The conference venue is the award winning AUT Sir Paul Reeves building on the campus of the Auckland University of Technology. ​

Also in 2018 and late 2017: Take a look at the conference cruises hosted by the Academic forum. The October 2017 conference cruise departs from Houston Texas and the January 2018 conference ship is the Royal Caribean Brilliance of the sea departing from Tampa, Florida on its way to Mexico.  

Looking ahead to Cape Town 2020 already

Table mountain from Bloubergstrand

The World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology (Waset) will host the 22^nd International Conference on Historical Sciences (ICHS) in Cape Town, on 2-3 November 2020 and this event should not be missed as this large, joined conference only takes place every 5 years. Also, do not be discouraged by the Term ‘Historical’ in the conference name as this is really an interdisciplinary conference in the true sense of the word.

The list of potential topics includes more than 60 themes. Topics include, but are not limited to Psychology, Communication Science, Geography, Health, Human rights, Country studies, Technology, Law and justice, Open learning and Distance education, Public administration, Sociology, Sport education, sustainable development, Violence, extremism and terrorism and Computing. Abstracts should not be longer that 500 words and there are strict rules that apply so ensure that you check before submission.

A doctoral consortium provides doctoral students with a great opportunity to explore and develop their research within an interdisciplinary setting. And there is an added bonus for those who want to volunteer as a chair, workshop organizer or even a keynote speaker: They will not have to pay the registration fee of 450 €. Accommodation and travel costs however, are not included in this offer.

The conference venue is the Cape Town Lodge hotel and conference centre. 

As you all know, Cape Town is a wonderful city and even South Africans enjoy the many tourist attractions and cultural diversity of this lovely city and its surroundings when visiting. There are not only world heritage sites such as Robbin island, but also one of the natural wonders to the world, Table mountain to explore while the surrounding wineries and the meeting point of the two large oceans at the southern tip of the African continent are all competing for your time and attention so do make sure that you also include some time before or after the conference to enjoy and explore. 

An event not to be missed by academics in higher education

The sun reflects on the clouds as we leave South Africa to participate in an educational conference

I often hear my colleagues saying that they only attend and participate in conferences linked to their specific field of interest and specialization. In the network society, this is, according to me, an academic suicide attempt. Most academics in Higher education are apart from their subject specific research also educators. Therefore we need to be informed about the opportunities and challenges and developments in the field of education. The 9^th annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies is an event not to be missed, irrespective of your discipline.

This Edulearn conference is hosted by the International Academy of Technology, Education and Development and will take place in Barcelona, Spain from 3 to 5 July 2017. Due date for abstracts is March, 30. The conference topics are divided into Education and Technology in Education, both with several sub-topics.

In the Education strand, there are 6 sub categories. 1) Experiences in Education with 13 linked topics, including management and higher education. 2) Pedagogical Innovations in Education with 10 listed topics including methodology, assessment, new models and tutoring and coaching. 3) Career development and training has 8 topics including lifelong learning and staff training. 4) Experiences in research with 4 sub topics including methodology, links between education and research and new projects. 5) International projects (6 sub topics) include networks and funding programmes and opportunities.  6) General has 12 sub topics including the impact of education on development and student support.

The Technology strand has 5 categories. 1) E-learning has 19 topics linked to it including issues such as blended learning, assessment, distance education, mobile learning and MOOCS. 2) Computer supported collaborative work has 7 topics, including the use of social and digital media use in education. 3) Emerging technologies has 11 topics linked to it, including multimedia and the use of ICT for development. 4) Educational software and serious gaming has 8 topics linked and personally, I think this should be an important development in higher education in the next 5 years. 5) e-Content management and development has 9 linked topics including learning analytics, open access education, digital identity management and security and data protection.

Early bird registration closes 4 May and the registration cost is 480 Euro. The venue is not confirmed yet. I am sure that each one of my colleagues will be able to find an area of interest at this conference that they can link to their teaching and research. 

Highly recommended international workshops in Stellenbosch

Not far from the university town of Stellenbosch, the lovely town of Strand (meaning beach) provides a great place to unwind after the conference. Today the sea is like a dam -deceiving because this is also known as the Cape of storms. 

The centre for Higher and Adult Education in Stellebosch is presenting international workshops during March 2017. “The question of doctorateness: An international workshop for postgraduate supervision and doctoral candidates” will be presented by Prof Trafford and Prof Leshem based on their excellent book titled Stepping stones to achieving your doctorate. The conference will be presented 20-21 March and repeated 23-24 March. The registration fee (R5 100) include a copy of the book.

On 23-24 March Dr Plowright will present a workshop on “Challenging the mythology of methodology: upping your game in mixed methods research and supervision”. This workshop will cost R3 850.

Both these workshops will be held at Devon Valley Hotel, not one of our favourite hotels in Stellenbosch (too expensive, old and run down and not near the sites we wanted to visit and unaccommodating staff, parking is a nightmare, etc – but this was a few years back so it could have changed).  The price tag was the same as that of Spier but there is no comparison between the two facilities. So here is a few words on the choice of accommodation:

Normally, if it is not too expensive, try to stay in the conference hotel – you will have extra networking opportunities, especially with the keynote speakers, if you want to and you can easily and quickly go to your room to rest, fetch something or getting some work done between sessions. After the conference dinner, you do not have to drive and when the weather is terrible outside, you do not need to face it.

So, if possible, do use the conference hotel but there are also those times that you really want to be at another place than the conference. When we attended a conference in Mauritius, we definitely did not want to stay in the conference hotel because we could stay at a resort on the west coast of the island that combines work with a tropical vacation and island sunsets. We also booked with our credit card that promised a cash payback so the resort accommodation was indeed affordable and desirable.  

How about A conference in Los Angeles?

Technology is challenging academics to change and develop constantly

I always wanted to go to Los Angeles and in May 2017, we will DV present papers at the Global spring Education conference that will be hosted by the University of Riverside. The university hosts 4 such conferences each year (winter, spring, summer and fall). The short, two day conference is expanded with an optional third day excursion (which is not included in the $500 registration fee, but lunches and coffee breaks are included though). There is a long list – more than 60 - possible topics for abstracts and I am sure everyone in education would find a suitable topic to present research on. This also means that participants can expand their knowledge and insight into related or yet unknown fields by attending other presentations. Accommodation is provided by the Hampton Inn & Suites Riverside/Corona East at a special conference rate.

The university also hosts several other conferences, some of them also more than once in one academic year. The management conference is held in spring and fall. There are also HR conference, business research and information and network security conferences listed under the management banner but the most interesting symposium to me is the Women’s leadership conference that will take place in June 2017. I think female academics and females in academic leadership should explore such opportunities for networking and development to the full.

And for those who are in Psychology and nursing, the university also hosts annual conferences in these fields.  

To return to education, it is important that academics take note and respond to the changes and challenges that the network society is asking and demanding from education. The use of technology in education is no longer optional, but it should always also be remembered that technology itself does not enhance learning. Just like the printing press, (which was the previous great invention in educational development), it only opens up opportunities. One aspect of technology that can be put into great use in education, to my mind, is gamification, and that will also be the topic of some of my papers for 2017. 

The Society of Biblical Literature 2017 call for papers is open

Do not miss the cows at the Boston airport!

18-21 November 2017, the Society of Biblical Literature, with was founded in 1880 and is currently on of the largest societies in Biblical scholarship and Theology, will have its annual conference in Boston, USA. The call for abstracts (500 words) is open and will closes on 7 March 2017. 

This is one of the most important conferences for Theologians, students, religious leaders and lay persons interested in Theology. The conference normally has more than 1200 academic sessions. It also host one of the largest exhibitions of literature (books and other resources related to Theology) in the world which attracts Biblical scholars of all levels and interests to the conference. Authors, aspirant authors, and publishers also gather to network and promote at the conference.

And if you need to plan ahead, here are the venues for the next four annual SBL conferences: In 2018 the SBL will meet in Denver CO, in 2019 it will move to San Diego CA, back to Boston MA in 2020 and down to San Antonio TX in 2021.

In the past, Theology was the leading change agent in academic circles. Not only did Theology inspire and established European universities, it also adapted very quickly to the use of technology to improve and expand its influence on society. The use of the printing press during and after the Protestant Reformation that started in 1517 (exactly 500 years ago), is one of the most important examples of how Theology embraced and used technology to its advantage. The development of the technology-driven, network-based society which is currently evolving, should stimulate Theology in this centenary celebration year to once again take on the challenges and positively infuse change towards new and different ways of practicing Theology, provide education and serve society in general. Hopefully, this conference will aid towards speeding up this process in academic circles. 

Is distance education the way forward? Join the July conference in the Maldives

The sun sets over the Indian ocean islands

The technology-based network society does not need brick and mortar structures for work or education and it is time that higher education adapts to different ways of providing educational services to the changing society. This does not mean that face-to-face, structured and paced education is a thing of the past, but it does mean that there are more options available and many of them are becoming easier to implement successfully in the higher education sector due to the fact that the geographical an time distance are becoming less of a stumbling block as technology develops and is implemented in educational structures. Could it be that we are on the brink of a new dawn in distance education?

The 2017 International Conference on Education and Distance Learning will be held on the Maldives from 4 to 6 July with a one day tour of the islands on the last day. No information is available for accommodation or the conference venue yet, but the Maldives (stunning white sand beaches and crystal clear blue water) should be enough to draw our attention don’t you think?

Abstracts can be submitted until 15 February and the organisers promise a short five day peer review time. The conference is linked to the International Journal of Teaching and Learning but there are three different options for submissions of papers.  Registration fees depend on the option you choose. If you want to publish in the journal, the fee is 500 US Dollar, for presenters 350 US Dollar and listeners 300 US Dollar. This includes lunches, coffee breaks and dinner, as well as the conference bag and a souvenir. Registration must be done before 25 March 2017.

Topics include:

Blended Education
Language Education
Business Education
Professional Development
Contemporary Issues in Education
Science Education
Curriculum
Secondary Education
Distance Education
Special Education
Digital Education
Social Sciences
Teacher Education
E-Learning
Teaching Methods
Early Education
Engineering Education
Mobile learning
Accreditation
Multimedia in e-learning
Health Education
Web-based learning
Higher Education
Digital classrooms
International Education

Qatar sale and due dates for E learning Update conference in South Africa, Academic Forum cruise conference

Willem joined the armed forces at OR Tambo international airport - a tourist attraction on its own

Qatar is currently having a special on international flights (they fly to 150 destinations). The sale ends on 16 January and you need to fly before 15 December (and there are also blackout dates). So if you need to book a flight, check their options and remember to also read the terms and conditions that applies to the sale. I like to fly Qatar and also see that other travellers are awarding them full marks so do make sure that you investigate one of their flight options when planning your trip. I also mentioned previously that Qatar is now offering stopover options with their flights. This is a perfect way to work a short vacation into your conference travel and also to counter the effects of jet-lag. 

Second, the 10th annual Elearning Update Conference starts in 238 days on 5 September at the Emperor's Palace at the OR Tambo international airport in Kempton Park (Johannesburg). The call for proposals is open but ends on 15 January. Notifications of Abstract acceptance will be done by 20 January – remarkable. The conference costs R3500 for South African presenters and R350$ for foreigners (with a special price for students and an early bird discount).

‘The focus is on learning with technology. The focus is not on the technology, and neither on the specific application where the learning takes place. We want to know how and when technology adds value to the learning process. So, regardless of whether your application is pre-school or post-graduate (or anywhere in between) come and tell us what you are doing and what you have learnt.  The idea of the conference is that we might learn from things that resonate with us.’ (Quoted from the web page).

And third, a reminder about the cruise conference to Alaska in May hosted by the Academic forum. The call for abstracts for the Alaska conference ends 5 March but the reservations for accommodation on the ship needs to be done before 28 February so get to work! Also, I see they announced the January 2018 cruise conference that will leave from Tampa, Florida to Mexico.

Oh, and I was looking at domestic flight prices last night and decided not to book - too high, but this morning Kulula and British Airways sent an e-mail promoting a sale, so I already booked on BA. Do check it out.

Abstracts to be submitted for SAICET (educational technology) in Pretoria, South Africa

Although Pretoria is known as the Jacaranda city, in April, pansies are in abundance

May 2017 be a wonderful conferencing year to all academics. Back to full strength regarding these posts, I want to draw your attention today to a very important conference that will take place in Pretoria soon. 

There is still time to submit an abstract (maximum 500 words) for the South African International Conference on Educational Technology (SAICET) before the 31^st of January, or, if you only want to attend without presentation, you should register before the same date to save $100. Registration from 1^st of February will be $500, which is a lot of money for South Africans to pay but I really do think this conference is worth the money. We are experiencing the fourth revolution in society (first was the development of language, then came writing and after that the printing press), which is a technology-based, networking society and education needs to urgently adjust to this new world if it wants to stay relevant and a major influence in society. Therefore, academics do need to take note of the development and potential of using technology in education. By now I am sure that all of us understand that technology does not enhances learning nor does it replace it, but it surely does provide alternative and additional modes of instruction, learning and assessment that can enhance the learning experience.  

The SAICET conference will be held in the Manhattan hotel in Pretoria, next to the Gautrain station. There is major refurbishing taking place at the hotel at the moment and hopefully this will be finished by April when the conference will take place (24-26 April 2017). (This is not the best hotel in Pretoria if you need accommodation due to noise levels, but the conference facilities seem to be fine).

The African Academic Research Forum is hosting this conference and the range of topics is impressive. The more than 50 topics include issues such as blended learning, e-moderating, digital libraries, (and a number of other digital and Computer related topics), Distance Education, Games in Education, e-learning, e-portfolios, mobile learning and social media in education to name just a few.  The theme of the conference is ‘beyond the horizon’ which is certainly what we need to look at in 2017. 

Hurry up to submit abstracts before 9 January for Assessment in Higher Education

The triangle of effective education, using alternative modes of assessment to enhance transformation and change.

You need to submit your abstract before 9 January 2017 to participate in the 6th International Assessment in Higher Education (AHE) Leading assessment for learning in Higher Education conference that will take place in Manchester, UK on 28 and 29 May 2017. 

The conference venue is the four-star Macdonald Manchester Hotel and Spa which have limited discounted room rates for the conference. Early bird Conference registration ends first of May for 345 Pounds, after which you pay 395 Pounds. The registration fee includes coffee and snacks as well as lunch for both days but it excludes the conference dinner that will be held on the first night (47,50 Pounds). It does, however, includes a Master class of your choice on the pre-conference day, which is, according to me, highly recommended for all conferences.

You may ask why attending a conference on assessment is so important? Well, contrary to popular opinion, teaching and learning is not all there is to education. Effective education forms a triangle of teaching and learning on the bottom line of the triangle and assessment the pinnacle that ties teaching and learning together and ensure that the student is able to transform his/her competencies/skills/knowledge/understanding/values/behaviour/worldview/etc if the assessment is done well and outcomes based towards life-long, self-directed learning. Too often, assessment is seen as a subordinate part of teaching or a grading system by educators and a sifting process for students when they decide what to cram for tests and exams.  

Technology opens a world of alternative assessment options which can replace written, timed, and venue-based assessment with creative alternatives that would save money and could change assessment as we know it altogether.  

Conference themes are:

·        Exploring approaches to assessment and feedback in higher education·

·        Enhancing assessment and feedback at programme and institutional level

·        Cultivating assessment literacy

·        Integrating digital tools and technologies for assessment

·        Developing academic integrity and academic literacies through assessment

·        Assessment for Social Justice

Conferences in the USA and Europe with Clute Institute

Warnemunde, an awesome little town in Germany where we had a lovely time during a cruise conference

The Clute Institute was formed in 1985.  In the past, we presented at two conferences that were hosted by the Clute Institute.We met Ronald Clute and Diane, his right hand, at the first conference and it was very nice to see their faces again at the conference the following year. Both these conferences were held in Europe although the Clute Institute is based in the USA. We really enjoyed these conferences as they both were linked to cruises but unfortunately it seems as if these type of conferences are no longer part of the Clute Institute planning (which is really sad), although there are still European conferences on the calendar. In 2017, the Stockholm conference offers an additional classic boat tour on the day after the conference.  

In 2017 the Institute will be hosting conferences in Hawaii, Sweden and within the USA in Las Vegas, New York and San Diego. The USA conferences will also have additional morning tours on the day after the conferences end. 

There are three different strands to choose from, namely Business, Education and Science Education (Science Education will only be presented at the Hawaii conference in January though). The business and Education conferences are linked together and hosted in the same venues with registration fees covering both strands. The web page lists a large array of topics that are acceptable for these conferences which offers a variety of options to choose from and make conference attendance interesting.

The Institute also publishes 19 peer reviewed, open access journals. 

Questions and answers on Tripadvisor

Due to the advice of locals on TripAdvisor, we were able to enjoy a wonderful day in London (14 hours layover)

I already mentioned the forums on TripAdvisor in a previous post. This is one of the most helpful tools when planning a trip. You can check if your question was already addressed and check the answers or you can start a new line of questioning. and you will receive answers from other travelers or locals within a few minutes to a few hours. I often receive notifications of questions regarding places that I visited and some times I am amazed at how quick others respond to these questions.   

We once had a layover (less than 24 hours) in London and wanted to go to the Eye from the airport and back but since this was our first time in London, we had no idea what type of transport to use (bus or train) and where to get on or off. Our questions were promptly answered with full detail and even links to maps and prices included. One person even told us to 'turn right and look up as you exit the building'. You can ask just about anything on these forums and because the answers are often supplied by locals, you normally get very valuable and extra information included in the answers. 

Everybody knows one or two horror stories related to vanishing accommodation agents or paid transport that never showed up. Therefore I also often book our tours on TripAdvisor which means that I now trust a few service providers which I normally try to book before looking for other options (some times, in more remote places, these 'trusted' options are not available). 

Lastly,  just a piece of interesting information about the TripAdvisor logo which you often see displayed at hotels and restaurants: This owl has one red eye and one green eye. They represent the choice you make (yes or no) based on the reviews you read.