Planning ahead for 2018 already? Conference in Auckland

We had an awesome time in Auckland

The 3rd International Conference on Post-disciplinary Approaches is open to all academics, regardless of disciplinary background or affiliation. The first International Conference on Post-disciplinary Approaches was held in Switzerland in 2013 and the second conference was hosted by the Copenhagen Business School in 2015. This third conference will take place in Auckland, New Zealand, between 2 and 5 February 2018.

Post-disciplinarity could be seen as invitation, openness to different interpretations, critical analysis, and creative problem solving and also questioning conventional processes of knowledge creation. The theme will be Knowledge as Disobedience, Expression and Creativity. All types of presentations that address post-disciplinarity are welcome but the organisers ‘particularly encourage non-western perspectives vis-à-vis oral literature, art and performance’ which is especially of interest for those of us working on decolonisation and Africanisation.  Presentations can be done in the form of research papers, movies or audio-visual material, exhibitions, performances, music, literary writings such as poetry or short stories or other creative expressions, or a combination of these.

It is still way too early to have a programme ready, but two keynote speakers are already listed: Prof Linda Tahiwai Smith who is the pro-vice Chancellor of the Maori University of Waikato and Prof Welby Ings from the faculty of design and creative technology at AUT University.

Interested academics are invited to pre-register to ensure that they receive updates and book their place as the maximum participants in this conference is 120 people.

Although Higher Education Institutions are encouraging Multi-discipline research, the question remains if multi- and/or post-disciplinary research would not do more harm than good in the longer run? Normally our research work through to our teaching and to me it is still unclear how multi- and post-disciplinary research could successfully be taught at university level. At the moment the career and study paths of students are focused on specialisation in one specific field and opening this up, could offer difficult challenges, but it should also be clear that universities will have to change and co it fast in order to stay relevant to the technology-driven, network society.  

Flying Emirates, Qatar or Turkish airways to your conference?

I love the window seat!

Last week we were informed via news networks that some direct flights to the USA and the UK will be affected by a new ban on laptops in hand luggage. (I always wish they will start measuring and weighing and counting the pieces of hand luggage when I see the travelers who  take everything but the kitchen sink with them on the aircraft. Only once I saw airport check-in people taking action against this abuse). The most interesting part of this ban is the airlines picked, like Emirates and Qatar with their strict security while other airlines like our own local SAA is not subjected to the rules although, as you know, security is non-existent at some of our international airports. And extremists are found everywhere and can be recruited by international terrorist organizations even in their countries of birth (as was seen last week with the incident at the British parliament), so why pick on certain airlines and some flights?  Will it not help just to have the laptops started at security in order to show that it is actually a working instrument and not a bomb? Or will it still work if it is also used as a bomb?

Anyway, Emirates send us e mail that informed us that we will be allowed to use our laptops up to Dubai where they will pack it for us for the journey to the USA. This will cause additional waiting time and standing in lines in the USA, but which we are by now accustomed to - we know beforehand that we will have to waste at least 3 hours in the airport building on arrival or in transit in the USA, no matter which airport we travel to, and even if we use the machines and the 'We have been here before" lines. The message for today: if you are travelling soon, ensure that you check out the airline's web page and arrive at the airport early and make provision for enough time at the destination airport in order not to get stressed.

We are off to the Postgraduate conference at Spier near Stellenbosch and cannot wait for the conference to start.

Higher education for the future: Conference in the United Kingdom

Milton Keynes is about 50 miles from the international airport in London. During a layover of several hours, we went sightseeing in London

The call for abstracts is open until 1st of May for the Online, Open and Flexible Higher Education Conference (OOFHEC) 2017 that will take place at the Open University Milton Keynes from 25 to 27 October 2017.  The theme is: Higher Education for the future: accelerating and strengthening innovation. 

Themes include the following:
Strategies for the future of continuous professional development
Open education and widening participation
Research and innovation for new modes of teaching and learning
Higher Education for a diverse future
Engaging students for learning at all stages of life
Policies for change in Higher Education
Quality assurance and accreditation of online and blended higher education 

The scope of the conference will fall on the change and transformation that was brought to higher education based on e-learning and online learning (yes, this is the two terms, stated next to each other in the conference announcement - maybe the first step we need to take on the path towards looking at the university of the future is to sort out and educate academics on the use and meaning of terms). New models for teaching and learning create exciting opportunities to enhance the quality and impact of learning on students both on and off campus. 

The conference announcement on the web does not include fees and registration dates. 

Keep in Mind that the ICDE conference will also take place in October, two weeks before this conference, and the venue for the 2017 conference is Toronto, Canada. So, for my South African Colleagues, if possible, try to link two or more international conferences close to each other in dates and make the most of the grant money. I normally ask for financial assistance to go to the most expensive conference and then pay for the less expensive one myself - it is also normally cheaper if you do not present at these complementary conferences. 

Free city tours when in transit on some airports

Although Dubai airport does not offer free city tours for layovers, it does offer paid tours that are awesome

Normally the university try to book the most direct flight to the conference venue, but too often that means missing out on lots of fun and additional experiences. Years ago, when I booked a flight to Europe via Dubai, the lay-over was more than 8 hours and Emirates took us to a hotel, feed us an brought us back to the airport in time for the connecting flight, which was awesome. The next year the flight schedules changed and the lay-over was shortened but the option for stop-overs (this time not for free) was introduced and ever since we make use of this extra vacation time. 

There are a number of airports that offers city tours for transit passengers free of charge. The Doha city tour takes 3 hours and is free, on a first come-first-serve basis for all passengers with an 8 hour lay-over, travelling on Qatar's airline. If you have a long lay-over in Istanbul traveling on the Turkish airline, you can choose from three tours between 6 to 9 hours. Not that you would want to leave Singapore's Changi Airport, but I you do, have more than 5 hours you can check the schedule for the 6 times per day that the two and an half hour tour departs from the airport.  South Korea,s Seoul Incheon airport provide you with not less than seven options fro tours ranging between one and five hours in length and the Taipei Tayuan airport in Taiwan also offers two daily tours, one departing at 8:00 and the other at 13:30, which will take between 5 and 6 hours to complete. 

The Narita airport in Japan also offers free tours but without transport. The tour takes about 3 hours. The only city in the USA that offers free city tours for lay-over passengers is Salt Lake City in Utah, that offers a 2 hour city tour. 

Most large airports also have city tour options that are convenient and fun such as the Hop On Hop Off tour buses that we now enjoy so much (maybe because we are older and do not like to reinvent the wheel so much each time we set foot on an aircraft, or maybe we became lazy when it comes to certain destinations).  

International conference on the dynamics of change in Higher Education

Education is the great engine of personal development - University of South Africa

The University of South Africa (Unisa), as one of the oldest distance education institutions in the world is currently exploring change in the realm of higher education. This institution see itself as an Open Distance Education provider and also one that wants to focus on providing high quality education for the people of Africa. In the light of the move towards a technology-based, network society, it is of the greatest importance that higher education should be moving forward it it want to stay relevant and desirable.  

The Change Management unit (CMU) in partnership with the Archie Mafeje Research Institute for Applied Social Policy (AMRI) in the college of Graduate studies at Unisa are aware of the challenges and opportunities that come with the shift in society and one of the forthcoming events planned in this regard is the International Conference on the Dynamics of Changing Higher Education in the Global South. The event will take place in Pretoria, also known as Tshwane, from 16 to 18 August 2017. 

Themes that will be debated include:
Changing the idea of the university and analysing the dynamics of change in higher education
Decolonising/indigenising/diversifying/depatriarchising knowledge and curriculum
Investing in higher education and the role of governments
Changing university institutional cultures
How do we build the university of the future?
Teaching, learning and assessment for a new generation of students
The role of ICT in Open Distance and E-Learning
Leadership for the transformation of African universities

Abstracts to the maximum of 300 words must be submitted by 14 April 2017. 

Call for participation in the Learning LandsCAPE Conference: hurry up!

Beautiful Cape Town. this is from the V&A waterfront.

There is still time to participate and registrar for the 5th Learning LandsCAPE Conference that will take place at the Belmont Square Conference Centre in Rosebank, Cape Town from 9 to 11 May 2017. 

The last day of the conference will focus on Gamification@Work and everyone is invited to submit proposals or suggestions on how this very important upcoming aspect of the educational landscape can unfold in South Africa. 

All aspects of education are included, such as digital, blended and contact learning and the focus will be on the following topics: 
Gamification and adult learning
Google tools for 21st century learning
E-learning and economics
Developing emotional intelligence through play
Building the knowledge ecosystem: Integrating learning and knowledge management processes and systems
The current state of e-publications for mobile learning
Insights from delivering online education
Pedagogical possibilities of ICT and technology affordances
Creating and sustaining diversity and inclusion in organisations: strategies and approaches learned. 

The conference fee is R7000 but less R500 if paid before 31 March 2017. This includes refreshments and lunch but exclude travel and accommodation. 

If this is too short notice but you are still interested, you need not wait until next year. The sister conference is called E-Learning Update in Gauteng and the theme of this conference for 2017 is Trends in Learning and Teaching - the return to reality. 

Study laws and cultures before embarking on conference travelling

In St Petersburg we saw several extra long cars with beautiful flowers on them parked around the beautiful buildings where wedding photos were taken

I do not exaggerate when I say that I used to be a very ignorant traveler. Years ago, when I first traveled to Israel, I took biltong (dried meat) with me and offered some to the tour guide and bus driver. I was shocked and even irritated when they looked at it and then asked what is was and how it was made. Only later I realised that they would not eat pork and that even the way in which food is prepared has special meaning for them. A few days later the guide offered us some dates, which was kept in ice-cold sugar water. This time it was him who could not understand that we thought that such a delicacy is way too sweet for our taste. 

Years later we bought biltong on the airport before leaving for Canada, not knowing that this country had very strict custom laws and that our 'soul food' would not be allowed past customs. During the flight, we were informed about the custom laws and also made aware that we would not be able to take the biltong with us. We still had a few hours before landing so we ate all the biltong while watching movies and so we did manage to take our biltong with us, although not in our baggage. Several times after this incident, when we landed in the USA, custom officers immediately asked if we brought biltong with us when we informed them that we are from South Africa. But by then we have learnt the lesson and made a habit of studying the custom laws of each country weeks in advance of our journey. 

We also make sure that the dried fruit and nuts we pack in our bags are in line with the requirements of the specific countries - pack roasted nuts and not raw ones. We double-checked that we had spotless clean shoes arriving in Australia - no mud or dirt that could infect the soil. And we always dress conservatively when visiting places of worship all over the world.  

A friend once told us that he hitch-hiked in South America and was puzzled because no one offered to give him a ride. He discovered afterwards that the thumb sign that we use in South Africa to indicate that you would like a ride is in fact seen as a a rude gesture in South America. 

So, to conclude, ensure that you are familiar with both the custom laws and the culture of the countries you are visiting.

Visas for Russia no longer needed for South Africans - conference opportunities

Colourful flowers in the streets of St Petersburg, Russia, in summertime

It was announced only a few days ago that South Africans would no longer need visas to visit the Russian Federation. This is excellent news. In the past, it was very difficult to get a visa to visit Russia and people had to present an impressive list of documents in person to the embassy. This strict requirement seemed strange to me as Russia had good relationships with the freedom fighters of Africa and South Africa and why would these severe restrictions be in place when South Africa is governed by those freedom fighters on the one hand and both South Africa and Russia are BRICS partners? Well, at last the good news came and academics can look forward to awesome conference opportunities within the Russian Federation.

If you hurry with an abstract and you can get it submitted before the end of today (15 March), you could be travelling to Moscow to attend and present at the 14th African Studies Conference, presented by the Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Science from 17 to 20 October 2017 on the theme "Africa and Africans in national, regional and global dimensions." Abstracts can be in either English or Russian, 300 words in length and linked to any of the following broad categories. Each of these eight categories have sub categories (so look on the web page if you are interested).
Cultures and Languages
Economics
Global issues
History
International relations (including BRICS)
Migrations and Diasporas
Social issues.

I also saw on the web page that people are encouraged to make their own reservations for accommodation. When we visited St Petersburg, we were not allowed to step on Russian soil without a professional guide. Hopefully, this chaperoning will also end and tourists will be allowed to roam this beautiful country on their own if they want to.

ICKET 2017 in Russia and more open for South Africans

We just stared at the coloured marble columns and the exceptional paintwork in St Petersburg, Russia

The lifting of the visa restrictions for South Africans who want to travel to the Russian Federations is great and welcome news to all academics. The 6th International Conference on Knowledge and Educational Technology (ICKET) will take place in Moscow from 28 to 30 August at the Best Western Plus Vega Hotel and Convention Center. The registration fee is 350$ for presenters (there are also publication options available) and abstracts must be submitted before 15 April 2017. Registrations must be done by 20 May. 

To say that almost every aspect of Knowledge and Education technology will be covered is not an exaggeration of the scope of this conference. I am sure every academic can find at least a hand full of topics on which to present and another hand full that are of interest to him or her. Just look at this impressive list of topics:

Information Technology and Applications	Agents and Datamining
Augmented and Virtual Reality	Biometrics, Bioinformatics and Healthcare
Computer Human Interaction	Computer Vision and Image Processing
Cyber Security	Digital Graphics and Multimedia
Distributed and Parallel Computing	E-Commerce and E-Business
Electronic Design Automation	Fuzzy Logic, Reasoning and Artificial Intelligence
Games and Entertainment	Genetic, Evolutional, Computational Intelligence
GIS and Remote Sensing	Handheld Devices and Micro Systems
Information and Communication Systems	Information security
Heuristic and Semantics	Intelligent and Multi-agent Control Systems
Information Technology in Accounting and Business Administration	Information Technology in Design, Architecture and Building
Information Technology in Education	Information Technology in Governance and Government Policy Making
Information Technology in Literature and Art	Machine Intelligence and Information Fusion
Mobile Data Communications	Operating Systems and Design
Simulation Methodology	Programming Tools and Compilers
Signal and Information Processing	Software and Firmware Engineering
Natural language processing	Advanced Knowledge Technologies
Sustainable Energy Management and Environmental Issues	System and Information Management
Telecommunication and Information Networking	Knowledge Technology and Applications
Business intelligence & Customer Relationship Management	Communication, collaboration and information sharing
Content management & digital rights management	Context modeling and management
Digital libraries, Archives and Repositories	Domain analysis and modeling
e-Business and interoperability issues	e-Learning, e-training and executive training
Decision support systems and intelligent systems	Human-Machine Interaction
Impact measurement of knowledge management	Innovative Approaches to Knowledge Management
Intelligent multi-agent systems	Interoperability
Intelligent information systems	Intelligent problem solving
Knowledge Relationship Discovery	Knowledge Management and Projects
K-Economy, k-community and k-enterprise	Knowledge acquisition
Knowledge Management strategies and implementations	Knowledge Reengineering
Knowledge Visualization	Ontology sharing and reuse
Knowledge Representation and Reasoning	Knowledge Services
Learning organization & organizational learning	Metadata and structured documents
Semantic Web and Ontology	Organizational semiotics
Ontology matching and alignment	Organizational memories
Process knowledge and semantic services	Social networks and the psychological dimension
Ontology Engineering and Technology	Tools and technology for knowledge management
Studies, metrics & benchmarks	Data Structure and Algorithm

eLearning Africa 2017 conference in Mauritius

Beautiful, wonderful Mauritius. 

Although the 12th International elearning-africa.com web page for 2017 is finally up and we now know that the conference will take place in Mauritius during the last week of September, much of the content (such as the references to the accommodation) on the page is still related to the 11th conference that was held in Cairo in 2016. And I could not find a call for papers or a specific date for submissions but I do plan to go back as I assume the page is still under construction and hopefully it will be upgraded soon. 

I am sure a great number of people are not only interested in the topic of the development and use of ICT on development, education and training in Africa but also would not like to miss out on the opportunity to visit Port Louis, the capital city of Mauritius, one of the most beautiful islands in the world. The conference will take place at the Swami Vivekananda International Convention Centre (SVICC).

The theme, it seems to me, will focus on learning in context. In Africa, this is of vital importance and it affects every aspect of life. It is sometimes funny (to Africans) to hear how people from the rest of the world see and think about Africa. They do not seem to understand how big and how diverse the 54 countries (spanning 5 time zones) on this continent are or even gasp that Africa is not a single country. I was asked recently where we are from and when answering that we are from Africa, and the university of South Africa, the reply question was: "Is that near Cairo?" Do you know that there are more than 3000 langues spoken in Africa? That South Africa has more than 30 languages of which 11 are official languages? 

Although the face of Africa is rapidly (and often sadly) changing, we who call this continent home are excited about the expanding of communication technologies that open up new opportunities to support and expand learning in all contexts. Let me quote from the web page:

"Therefore, when it comes to education and training, an understanding of the specific context is essential. As new communication technologies extend the reach of opportunity, it is vital for educators, policy makers, partners and investors to take account of the local context and conditions.

So what are the main contextual and cultural considerations affecting the development of new opportunities through technology supported learning? How can we localise content to maximise opportunity? How should we apply or adapt technology to meet local conditions and needs?"

This conference is MUCH more than just a conference. It is also a major networking opportunity, exhibitions are great, competitions are inspiring and the sponsors also worth noting. See you there!

Africa, history and education: conference in Uganda

History: the castle in Cape Town at nigh.

The African Association for History Education (AHE-Afrika)’s Second International Conference on “Teaching and learning history in a changing Africa: possibilities and challenges in the 21st century” will be held at the Makerere University, College of Education & External Studies (CEES), School of Education Department of Humanities and Language Education Kampala, in Uganda  on 7 and 8 December 2017.

The African Association for History Education (AHE-Afrika) is actually based in the Faculty of Education at the University of Pretoria but works in partnership with the Makerere University. 

The First International Conference on History Education in Africa, was held in Durban, South Africa, in 2015, and this second conference aims to give the African perspectives on education a larger space in international research and debates regarding history education. The working language of the conference will be English. The registration fee of 120 USD that includes lunches, teas and the dinner. The closing date for submission of abstracts is 15 May 2017.

Proposals for papers, panels and round-table discussions on all aspects of history education in Africa, including political and practical issues related to curricula, textbooks, pedagogy, teaching practices, and teacher education at primary, secondary and tertiary level. Scholars, postgraduate students, and practitioners are invited to submit proposals. African scholars and proposals on the following topics will be particularly welcomed:

▪ History education in colonial and post-colonial societies in Africa

▪ History education in contemporary multi-cultural societies in Africa

▪ History education, citizenship, democracy and human rights in Africa

▪ History education in emergency and post-conflict settings in Africa

▪ Teaching controversial and sensitive issues in history in Africa

▪ History education between nationalism and globalisation in Africa

▪ History education, memory and cultural heritage in Africa

▪ History education and historical consciousness in Africa ▪ History in the Social Studies Learning Area in Africa

▪ The role of language in history education in Africa