Handheld Learning 2009

Adrian Hall is an independent consultant with a respected profile in the use of mobile, game and social media technologies for learning. Prior to this Adrian held the position with Steljes Limited, one of the UK’s leading technology integration companies, is to develop thought leadership around the use of technology in education. He has worked on the Project Inkwell Group, an American based international think tank/lobby group for one to one access to technology for children.

Prior to this, Adrian worked for the UK’s Department of Education and Skills as a senior policy advisor on educational software. His responsibilities included developing the government’s policy in relation to the educational software industry, commissioning new and innovative curriculum software, including software to work on mobile devices, and developing thinking on the use of games in education.

Prior to this Adrian worked as an Archaeologist.

Between October 2000 and August 2004, Andrew was the UK's E-Envoy, responsible directly to the Prime Minister for co-ordinating the development of the knowledge economy in the UK. During that period, the UK moved to the top of world league tables for the use of digital technology. His responsibilities included helping to ensure internet access for everyone in the UK, and working with business and the public sector to make services accessible online. During that time Andrew had significant involvement with the education sector, especially in relation to the large investment that has been made over the last few years in technology.

Before becoming E-envoy, Andrew had a long career in both the public and private sector. He was a civil servant in the Inland Revenue for 18 years, working in a wide range of senior jobs, including Director of IT. He then moved to Prudential, where he ran operations and technology for almost five years, before having a stint at Citibank, initially as European Director of Operations and technology, before moving to the US to take up a global role with the Bank. He left Citibank in 1999, and became involved with venture capital, as well as carrying out some consultancy assignments within Government, including leading the first ever 'Gateway Review'. During this period, he was also Chairman of the Shropshire Learning and Skills Council, during its set up period.

Andrew left the E-Envoy role in August 2004. He now runs a small management consultancy, and has advised a number of other Governments in Asia, North America and Eastern Europe on how to develop the use of technology in their countries.

Andrew is a non executive director of United Utilities plc, and Spring Group plc, and Senior Vice President, Global Solutions, Entrust, a Dallas based software company. He is a member of Intel's Global Advisory Board, and a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars here and abroad.

He was awarded the CBE in the 2004 new year's Honours list.

Andy Black has worked in the Education sector for more than 20 years, primarily in the land based college sector. Major interests are the how the use of ICT can overcome barriers to learning among disengaged and disadvantaged learners. He has worked remote rural communities on this, changing staff attitudes to e-learning. He has written extensively on the subject and role of emerging technologies He has developed a sideline demonstrating gadgets and gizmo's, such as 40 gadgets in 40 minutes. He lives on line via his blog http://andysblackhole.blogspot.com.

Andy joined British Educational Communication Technology Agency (Becta) in July 2003 and was involved in supporting the Learning and Skills Sector. His current focus is as a Technology Research Manager.

He is most proud of a project involving an ICT terms glossary in British Sign Language on the web http://www.slcresources4ict.net. The project and a proof of concept mobile device version was show cased in October 2006 at Mlearn in Canada. He has attended all three previous HandHeld Learning conferences and is regular contributor to the HHL and GBL forum's.

His raison d'être is "don't forget the learners" and "flexibility is the key to the future". He intends to write a book titled "What do when the kit doesn't work", apart from tell jokes.

Annika is Education Director for the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. Prior to this Annika was Chief Executive of Futurelab, a leading educational R&D lab, which develops innovative resources and practices that support new approaches to teaching and learning for the 21st century. Prior to Futurelab, Annika focused on developing digital learning resources for those excluded from traditional education. Prior to this, Annika worked at the BBC and The Discovery Channel. Annika is passionate about bringing together industry, academia and practice to create radically new ways to address emerging educational challenges.

Anthony is Chief Creative Officer and CEO of Magic Lantern which he has lead for over twelve years. He is a BAFTA and Peabody Award winning interactive media producer who has worked on projects such as Top Gear, Doctor Who, Teletubbies, Spooks, FourDocs, The Guardian and many others. He works extensively in media policy and is currently a Member of the Content Board of Ofcom as well as having advised many government departments including DCMS and DCSF. Anthony has previously been Vice-Chair of PACT, Chair of the UK Digital Content Forum and a member of the Steering Board of the DCMS Creative Economy Programme. He has a passionate interest in the arts and advises Arts Council England as their Digital Media Associate and sits as a member of the Board of the English National Opera. In 2008, he held the post of News International Visiting Professor of Broadcast Media at the University of Oxford and has recently taken up a three year position as Visiting Professor at the Media School of Bournemouth University. He speaks and writes widely on the future of media and had a regular new media column in the Guardian Newspaper from 2006-2008. He is thirty eight years of age, married with two young children and lives in East Sussex. Anthony was awarded the OBE for services to media and creative industries in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2008. More than anything else, except his family, he likes asking his favourite question, why not?

Bill How has worked in the Education sector for over 22 years, primarily in the FE sector in Teaching and Leadership roles and is currently ICT Development Coordinator and Project Director (Intel Teach Advanced Online), working within Leadership and Innovation at the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.

A keen advocate for the potential of ICT as a learning tool, Bill became involved in shared practice on a wider scale in 2001 as a Becta ILT Champion and soon followed secondments with the LSDA as an e-Learning Coordinator and NILTA as its National Manager for the regions.

In 2004 Bill joined Northamptonshire LA’s innovation unit, the Learning Discovery Centre where he led a mobile learning project with the counties primary schools and could often be found travelling between the counties schools and colleges carrying bags full of mobile goodies to deliver ICT-Lite sessions to teachers and senior leaders (micro ICT lessons using only pocket devices). Bill co-authored Creative ICT in the Classroom: Using New Tools for Learning.

These days, Bill leads the Intel Teach Advanced Online CPD project (working with teachers from France, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Jordan, Israel and Portugal) and the SSAT’s Personalising Learning Using New Technologies think tank events.

Chris has led multicultural motion picture video and computer game publishing for nearly 3 decades, starting with his role as international marketing head at the original Atari in 1982, and as VP -International for Spinnaker educational software He was COO of Columbia Tristar International Video for 7 years and headed Sony Computer Entertainment in PAL countries from 1995-2005. Now in "retirement", he chairs the Edinburgh Interactive Festival. Codemasters Games, and serves on several boards, including Handheld Learning Ltd as non exec Chairman.

H andheld Learning conferences are unique in their breadth of coverage on the use of personalised technology in education. The conference welcomes diverse viewpoints and dispenses a wealth of knowledge in a friendly, unassuming, engaging and compelling manner. Really gets the passion for positive change flowing. The big winners, of course, are the kids, which is why we all atten d.

Christina Preston is an advocate of the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a catalyst for change in teaching and learning (www.mirandanet.ac.uk). She has fifteen years experience of teaching in a secondary school, including head of department, and fifteen years experience in training teachers as an adviser in Croydon LA and ILLEC leading to associateships in teacher education and research at the Work-Based Learning for Education Professionals (WLE) centre, Institute of Education, University of London, Bath Spa University, Brunel University and the Czech Technical University. Several research studies on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) funded by the Institute of Education (IOE), University of London, the TDA and Becta have influenced policy on Continuing Professional Development in England, China, Czech Republic and South Africa. Her other research publications cover informal knowledge creation and publication between teachers, innovative research methodologies in investigating the value of CPD, industry education partnership and world e-citizenship. In the context of innovative teacher education, she is the founder of the international MirandaNet Fellowship established in 1992 in response to a need expressed amongst teachers for a supportive community of peers who would mentor each other in the exploration of the role of digital tools in teaching and learning (www.mirandanet.ac.uk). At Masters level the MirandaNet iCatalyst CPD programme awards are made by the MirandaNet Academy at Bath Spa University(http://www.mirandanet.ac.uk/profdev/icatalyst.htm). The MirandaNet Fellows created World Ecitizens Fellows in 2002 as a voice for students after the events of 9/11 in New York (www.worldecitizens.net). The charity aims to encourage understanding between young people of other cultures and communities and to share across the world the fascinating diversity within nations.

Claire recently joined the TDA as Project Manager in the Technology in Learning and Teaching Team. Through focusing on three key areas; E safety, support for ICT development in ITT and the development of e maturity the team works to promote the use of technology in teacher training and in the classroom, highlighting its ability to engage and motivate learners. Prior to this, Claire spent ten years as a primary school teacher with her final position was as Assistant Head in the largest primary school in Sheffield. Having a great passion and belief in personalised learning through the use of ICT, Claire developed a creative curriculum that put children at the centre of learning. The success of which led to her becoming a Lead professional in creativity for Sheffield Local Authority and a consultant in the Sheffield Learning Consortium. Claire devised and delivered training for individual teachers, leadership teams and whole schools, supporting them in developing their own personalised curriculums. Claire is also a trained NQT mentor and advanced trainee teacher mentor and currently working on her dissertation in order to complete a Masters in Leadership and Management in Education with Sheffield Hallam University.

Derek began his teaching career in Dundee in 1994. Two years as a an ICT staff tutor in Dundee City Council led to a position as a lecturer on the B.Ed(P) and PGDE(P) courses at the University of Dundee. An interest in the use of ICT to motivate and engage learners caused him to reflect on the gains that could be achieved via computer games. This interest led to him establishing games based learning as a topic of study for his teaching students and then to his successful application to lead games based learning initiatives for Learning and Teaching Scotland via the Consolarium: The Scottish Centre for Games and Learning. Derek is now partnering local authorities and teachers throughout Scotland in the exploration of the impact of computer games in the classroom. The innovative yet grounded nature of his work has led to requests to present the work of The Consolarium to National and International audiences. Many of his ideas for using games in class such as using Dr Kawashima's Brain Training, Guitar Hero & Endless Ocean have proved to be very influential. His work was recognised at the Handheld Learning conference in 2008 when he won the inaugural Special Achievement Award.

Donald was CEO (and one of the original founders) of Epic Group plc, which established itself as the leading company in the UK e-learning market. He is now a board member of Ufi (learndirect), Brighton Festival and Caspian Learning, and a school governor. Donald has produced over 40 papers, dozens of book reviews and many articles on e-learning, and has been involved in games, simulations, mobile learning and informal learning. He has also won many awards for the design and implementation of e-learning, including the "Outstanding Achievement in e-learning Award" at the World Open Learning Conference. He is a regular speaker at national and international conferences and a regular blogger: donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com.

Eileen Devonshire is an Education and ICT Consultant, with more than 20 years experience in the field of; event organisation – from small subject specific conferences to national and international exhibitions; educational multimedia resources; technical standards, interoperability and specifications in education; public Sector Broadcasting and educational issues; ICT in the international arena; technologies to support personalised learning. Eileen has until recently been working with The Department for Children, Schools and Families (the then Department for Education and Skills, ICT in Schools’ Unit) working with others developing their Digital Content Strategy.

Gavin is an independent education and technology expert and Associate Director of the Innovation Unit in England. His background includes working in pracitice and policy making in and for schools, further and higher education. He now enjoys an international portfolio of work that comprises advice, policy and strategy development for governments, agencies and private companies. Gavin serves on a range of boards and groups including Curriki's Advisory Group and Becta's Research Advisory Group.

Graham Brown-Martin is the conference director and founder of Learning Without Frontiers (LWF) whose mission is to provide continuous dialogue concerning new learning and teaching practice leading to improvements of a transformational nature. To achieve this mission LWF hosts online communities, conferences and publishes content for international thought leaders, innovators and practitioners in the education, technology and entertainment sectors. Example communities including Handheld Learning and Game Based Learning . New communities with a focus on digital safety and recognition of innovation amongst young education professionals will be launched during 2009.

Prior to this Graham has enjoyed a career spanning the education and entertainment software industries, having built a number of creatively and technologically innovative enterprises that were sold to larger corporations including Philips Electronics and Virgin Interactive. Before starting his own companies Graham worked with the Open University and Research Machines. Graham has also worked in several developing nations.

Aside from his work and entrepreneurship in technology, Graham has also directed music videos for The Fall, Malcolm McLaren, Salt Tank and Future Sound of London amongst others and with artist, Buggy G Riphead, he designed the ship’s computer for the feature film, “Lost in Space”.

Graham has also appeared in a variety of media including The TES, The Assignment, Trace, Transculturalism, the BBC Money Programme, The Guardian, Management Today and The Times.

Graham has 4 children and lives in a leafy enclave between Peckham and Deptford in South-East London, UK.

Jill Attewell leads the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Research Centre at the Learning and Skills Network (LSN). TEL centre research focuses on the use of ICTs to facilitate, enhance, support or improve access to teaching and learning, especially post-compulsory learning. Jill is also Programme Manager of the Mobile Learning Network (MoLeNET).

Jill’s experience includes 13 years in education, mostly with LSN and predecessor agencies, and 10 years in the IT industry in the UK and the Far East.

A particular focus of the TEL centre’s work for seven years has been new and emerging technologies for learning including mobile phones, PDAs, computer games and interactive digital television.

Jill led m-learning (2001-2004) the first large mobile learning project funded by the EU. She co-chaired the MLEARN2003 and MLEARN2004 international conferences and is Vice President of the International Association for Mobile Learning.

Mark van 't Hooft, Ph.D., is a former teacher and technology specialist, and currently a researcher at Kent State University’s Research Center for Educational Technology. He is a founding member and current chair of the Special Interest Group for mobile learning (SIGML) for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). His research focuses on ubiquitous computing and the use of mobile technology in K-12 education, especially in the social studies.

The Handheld Learning Conference brings together some of the best and the brightest minds in the area of mobile learning, including teachers, students, researchers, and industry. We have reached a critical mass in mobile learning and related research. Venues such as the Handheld Learning Conference provide opportunities to share that research and participate in stimulating dialogue to build upon what we’ve learned so far.

Martin Owen is at present developing unique playful, tangible devices for early learning with his own company Smalti. He is also working as an independent researcher and consultant in technology enhanced learning with particular emphasis on social media, games, mobility and augmented reality. He is interested in the power of feedback and assessment supported by technology.

Martin Ripley is a leading international adviser on 21st century learning and technology.

Martin is co-founder of the 21st Century Learning Alliance www.21stcenturylearningalliance.com This group campaigns for a compelling view of learning in the 21st century. Acting on behalf of sponsors, Martin is also involved in establishing a new academy in Hammersmith & Fulham and which will focus on the new ICT and Creative/Media specialised diplomas. Previously, Martin was director of e-strategy at QCA; has acted as adviser to West Virginia on e-assessment, and in Hong Kong on the development of an academy for gifted pupils. He led the development and implementation of National Curriculum testing in the UK; was Director of the 160,000-strong student academy, based at the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth at the University of Warwick. Martin also acts as a consultant to Wireless Generation, based in New York.

Mike Sharples is Professor of Learning Sciences and Director of the Learning Sciences Research Institute at the University of Nottingham. He has an international reputation for research in mobile learning and the design of learning technologies. He inaugurated the mLearn conference series and is President of the International Association for Mobile Learning.

H andheld Learning is the essential event for me to keep up to date with the rapidly changing world of mobile learnin g.

Stephen's founded Ultralab in the 1980s, moving there from the UK Government's groundbreaking Microelectronics Education Programme. Over a score of years Ultralab grew to become Europe's leading learning technology research centre with projects that pioneered multimedia CD ROMs and on-line communities back in the pre-web 1980s! Stephen was the guiding "father" of a number of pioneering social networking projects including *ESW in the 1980s, Schools OnLine in 1995/6, Nortel's pivotal Learning in the New Millennium from 1993-2000, the Guinness Record holding Tesco Schoolnet 2000 from 1999, Oracle's Think.com from 1999 and many more. Today Stephen heads his own flourishing policy and learning consultancy Heppell.net which now has a portfolio of international projects, from school building to horizon scanning. He is an active professor at Bournemouth University and elsewhere. Stephen sits on a number of boards, including chairing the charity Inclusion Trust, and is executive chairman of global learning company LP plus.

Every pocketable device turned of is, potentially, a student turned off too. When you have seen the potential of persoanlised, seductive, delightful learning technology you simply want to give it all the help you can. "Learning" is our generation's contribution to a better tomorrow. Handheld Learning a core component of that.

Mike’s career spans 34 years in Electronics and Telecommunications, with the last 21 years in Mobile Communications. He was appointed Director of Cellnet in 1989 dealing with major infra-structure investments and commercial agreements. In 1993 the focus moved to launching Cellnet’s GSM service and establishing Roaming Agreements.

He was elected Chairman of the global GSM Association for 1995/96 and served on their Executive Board for 5 years. He has also served as a member of the UK Home Office Internet Task Force, UK OSAB (Ofcom Spectrum Advisory Board) and DCSF Home access to Broadband committees. He is the current Chairman of the UK Government Trade and Investment ICT Sector advisory board and Board member of UK Child Council for Internet safety, as well as a Vice President of IET

Mike chaired the Mobile Data Association 1998 - 2008, and is now Honorary President – MDA.

After looking after Cellnet’s 3G strategy and external relations he was appointed VP Technology for O2 Group in 2000, prior to demerger from BT. Mike’s focus today is on Third Generation mobile, Mobile data applications in the Public Sector and steering Telefonica Europe’s Group Research and Development in mobile.

In the last 5 years Mike has also been appointed Visiting Professor at Surrey University, De Montfort and Lancaster Universities, and to the Boards of Coventry University Board and Ravensbourne College . He was awarded an honorary Doctorate in 2008 for services to the Mobile Communications industry. He is a Fellow of IET/BCS/CIPS/RGS and a Member of the Royal Television Society.

Steve Moss joined Partnerships for Schools as Strategic Director (ICT) in April 2005. Steve has specialist responsibility, within PfS, for ICT in the Building Schools for the Future programme. He leads the ICT team in their work with local authorities, national agencies and the ICT industry to ensure that the ICT solutions procured as part of BSF can have a transformational effect on the processes of learning, teaching and administration in schools.

Prior to joining PfS, Steve was Assistant Chief Education Officer with Manchester City Council from 2003-2005, Senior Inspector / Adviser (ICT) in Cumbria from 1988 – 2002 and, prior to that, lectured in initial teacher training following a school-based career which culminated in headship of a school in Walsall.

Steve has wide-ranging experience of the strategic development of ICT in education and has worked with Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) on local and national inspection and evaluation projects. He was Chairman of the Board of NAACE, the professional association for ICT advisers and consultants, in 1998.

From 2000 – 2002, Steve worked with the Ministry of Education in Jordan, developing the use of ICT in the teaching of English, mathematics and science in high schools. He has also supported schools and educators in Australia, Hong Kong, Sweden, UAE and the USA.

Tim Tarrant is Head of the ICT Team at the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA). He formally led a team in the DfES ICT in Schools Division responsible for teacher training in ICT and laptop schemes for teachers. With Becta’s predecessor (NCET) he ran the first DfES laptop for teacher’s scheme. His background is in education, adult training and ICT. He worked in ICT as a systems analyst and computer programmer and ran training programmes to introduce computer-based systems. He later worked for 8 years in adult and community education in the Inner London Education Authority until its abolition. In 2006 he received the Outstanding Contribution to Design and Technology award from the Design and Technology Association. He spent a year teaching in a primary school prior to going to university.

Tony Parkin is Head of ICT Development, working within Leadership and Innovation at the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust. During his early career as a Science teacher he became intrigued by methods of improving learning and teaching through technologies, and joined the Inner London Education Authority as an education technologist in 1978. After working at several London schools and a college, his enthusiasm for the potential of ICT as learning technology and helping teachers and leaders develop their capability drew him to ILECC, the educational computing centre, where he went on to become Head of Curriculum Support before its closure in 1994. Brief stints at the University of North London and the House of Commons Library led to his appointment at SSAT in 1998.

I love Handheld Learning because of its relentless focus on the second word! The arrival of affordable, personal and flexible handheld learning devices offers a real opportunity for the much-heralded transformation to 21st century ubiquitous learning. We need to think more creatively about the learning, and what a range of consumer devices allows us to explore, and perhaps focus less on identifying a perfect educational device with inevitable built-in obsolescence.

Tony Vincent is former primary school teacher who is now an independent consultant and author. His learninginhand.com website is a popular destination for teachers interested in topics like iPods, podcasting, and handheld computers.

H andhelds are small computers that can do big things for learning, Handheld Learning is a big conference that can do big things for education and I am thrilled to be a part of i t.