endnotes


Chalkface


Ducking and diving If you recall last month’s Chalkface, you will remember the announcement of a game to play at the E-Learning Awards gala dinner in November. More details are emerging from game sponsors Unicorn and Chalkface’s colleagues at the Awards. The game looks set to be both competitive and fun, with the winner invited to nominate a charity, which will receive a donation. In many ways Chalkface is convinced it will


be a fitting way to round off Olympic year, especially as the commentator for the race will be E-Learning Awards favourite Alan Dedicoat. More race news as the months pass, and those attending the dinner will be given full details on how to get ready to take part. But does the graphic give any clue?


Are you sitting comfortably? Increased productivity in the workplace is a must given the dire economic circumstances, so Chalkface was disappointed to learn that research has revealed that employees who can’t get comfortable at their desk could be costing their employers on average £3,279 (such a wonderfully precise figure) per person per year in lost revenue through time off sick and lost output. Seven in 10 employees report spending an average of 51 minutes a day rearranging their workspace and fidgeting to get comfortable. No wonder no one has time for a lunch break. Such dramatic figures suggest it’s time for a short e- learning video on how to keep a tidy desk and a


decent posture needs to be seen by every office worker at the start of the working day.


Reading between the sheets It seems that quite a few workers have found one interesting solution to the problems of working at an uncomfortable desk: go to bed to work. Chalkface has carried stories before on e-learning in the bedroom so we failed to be surprised by a recent survey for an IT security outfit which found that a third say they or their partners work from bed. Leaving aside just how uncomfortable it is wrestling with a laptop in the bed, Chalkface reckons there is a trend going on here which no one has noticed. Surely there has to be a strong correlation between the desire of employees to spend as much time as possible tucked up under the duvet and the increasing demand for ‘mobile’ learning? This latest learning space may not have surfaced yet but it surely will. E-learning companies should take note and respond accordingly.


Conference and event diary


Innovative Learning: Maximising Technology, Maximising Potential 27 June 2012


The Barbican, London There is a fundamental shift under way, one that is changing the ways and means in which we learn, acquire and develop skills. Ever faster advances in technology have opened up new learning methods and workplace training opportunities. Future learning will be more personalised, collaborative and informal. The European Commission’s report ‘The Future of Learning: Preparing for Change’ sets out the pressing need for holistic changes to be put in place, which will make flexible and targeted lifelong learning a reality. How can we ensure that improving accessibility to resources will also improve learning outcomes and results? This conference will look at developing


innovative learning methods to fulfill the educational, training and skill requirements that can help contribute to economic growth and prosperity.


may 2012 e.learning age The delegate rate is £350 + VAT for public sector


and £895 + VAT for private sector. The conference is offering a charity rate of £195 + VAT. www.publicserviceevents.co.uk/2 21/innovative-learning


eLearning Africa 2012 23–25 May Cotonou, Benin eLearning Africa is the continent’s largest annual conference on ICT for development, education and training. It is a networking opportunity and a platform for discussion amongst decision-makers in government, the private sector and education. Keynote speaker is Sugata Mitra, the man behind


the ‘hole in the wall’ experiment conducted in a New Delhi slum in 1999 which showed the value of minimally invasive education – the provocative yet persuasive theory of how children are able to teach themselves with little supervision. www.elearning-africa.com


Online Educa 28–30 November Berlin, Germany


18th International Conference on Technology-Supported Learning and Training


Learners increasingly outpace their teachers, mentors and trainers when it comes to the use of new technology in the classroom. So how can education and training adapt? How can technology give learners the freedom to choose, and is there a way for it to offer a more inclusive future for lifelong learning? Under the overall theme ‘Reaching Beyond


Tomorrow’, Online Educa Berlin, the conference for the corporate, education and public service sectors, will explore how we can best prepare for a more inclusive future in which technology enables everyone to improve and enrich themselves. A call for papers has been issued. www.online-educa.com


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