A virtual conference on educational technology in Africa

e/merge 2008 - Professionalising Practices (7th - 18th July) is the third virtual conference on educational technology in Africa. e/merge (http://emerge2008.net) is primarily designed to share good practice and knowledge about educational technology innovation within the further and higher education sectors in the region, as well as to strengthen communities of researchers and practitioners. This includes sharing stories, sharing good practices and sharing research. The conversations in e/merge 2008 will engage with our regional context of unequal access to technology and to education within a global context of changes in teaching and learning tools and practices. The range of topics includes infrastructure, learning design, staff development, mobile learning, gendered use of learning technologies, open educational resources, new tools for educators, and learning environments. The interaction will include both asynchronous discussions and live online meetings.

What participants said about e/merge 2004 and 2006:
* "High calibre ... it met if not exceeded the quality of a face to face conference"
* "Thank you for a well organized, professional and thought-provoking experience"
* "technology ... can help make the difference through networking and exchanging of ideas"

The e/merge 2008 keynotes are:
* Dr Bakary Diallo, Rector of the African Virtual University on "Reaching the potential of ICTs in African Higher Education Institutions: Lessons learnt from the AVU Capacity Enhancement Program";
* Irene Karaguilla Ficheman, Researcher at University of Sao Paulo, Brazil on "Digital Learning Ecosystems: Authoring, Collaboration, Immersion and Mobility";
* Dr Ross Perkins, Senior Research Associate at Virginia Tech, United States on "Rethinking e-Learning Strategies in a Web 2.0 World";
* Howard Rheingold Author and Online Community Pioneer, Visiting Professor at Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley, United States on "A Social Media Classroom for Student-Generated Learning"; and
* Dr Sasha Barab, Professor of Learning Sciences, Instructional Systems Technology & Cognitive Science, Indiana University, United States on "The Quest Atlantis Project: A Curriculum for the 21st Century".

Conference Registration is open online at http://emerge2008.net.

The conference fees have been set to encourage participation:
* Participants based in Africa - R200
* Participants from other regions - R780 (approx US$100)
There will be a small number of sponsored places.

Full information is available on the conference website:
Web: http://emerge2008.net
e-mail: info@emerge2008.net
Hosted by the Centre for Educational Technology, University of Cape Town, South Africa.