Opening keynote
e-Learning online conference 09 programme
Presentation and associated materials
Abstract
Using examples from his research into schools and work relating to the arts, Charles Leadbeater discusses in the opening keynote the role of innovation in education, exploring not only how the web can break down barriers but also how the benefits it promises can be nurtured and sustained.
Our web-enabled culture means that in theory more people than ever can participate in the creation of ideas and knowledge by contributing views and information to the wider community. But building a sustainable vision for 21st century learning must also depend on the maintenance of creativity, openness and good relationships within and between communities. The distinguishing characteristic of an effective learning organisation may not be how well it delivers learning but its ability to enable individuals to arrive at their own solutions, using digital media to achieve their goals. Too often, however, in the name of doing things for people, traditional, hierarchical organisations end up doing things to people. Public services, including education, need to rethink the way they build and sustain relationships with those they support:
‘There are good reasons for putting relationships at the core of effective public provision. Relationships are at the heart of what makes for a good life.’ Charles Leadbeater.
The real significance of digital technologies, in particular the internet, is their ability to encourage people to adopt new habits and roles, to become collaborators, distributors and editors as much as consumers of the ideas and achievements of others.
You can contribute to the discussion on how to prepare to meet the challenges of the next decade: the conference’s opening keynote takes place live in Elluminate and welcomes audience participation. Questions delegates might wish to consider in advance include: How should educational establishments deal with innovation both in ideas and means of delivery? What will the universities, schools and colleges of the future look like? Where will they be located, and who will they employ?
Presenter
Charles Leadbeater
Charlie Leadbeater is a leading authority on innovation and strategy, and is one of the most influential creative people in the world. He has advised companies, cities and governments, and is former Prime Minister Tony Blair's favourite corporate thinker.
We-think, his latest book, charts the rise of mass, participative approaches to innovation. It is one of several acclaimed books; Living on Thin Air, a guide to living and working in the new economy; Up the Down Escalator, an attack on the culture of public pessimsim accompanying globalisation and In Search of Work which was one of the first books to predict the rise of more flexible and networked forms of employment. He has also written extensively and influentially on the case for more personalised, participative approaches to education, most recently a report entitled What’s Next? 21 Ideas for 21st Century Education.
In 2002 he was listed by GQ magazine as one of the Most Powerful Men in the UK. The New York Times anointed Charlie’s idea, The Pro-Am Revolution, as one of the biggest global ideas of 2004. In 2005 Charlie was ranked by Accenture, the global management consultancy, as one of the 30 top management thinkers in the world. In 2007 the Financial Times ranked him the outstanding innovation expert in the UK, and in 2008, the Spectator Magazine described him as "the wizard of the web".
Charlie has worked as a senior adviser to several governments on the rise of the knowledge driven economy, the Internet, and on future strategies for more networked and personalised approaches to learning and education. The UK Government has turned to him for advice on policy issues ranging from health and education to climate change and culture. He was one of the first Europeans to advise the Chinese government.
Charlie has advised the European Commission, working as a special adviser on Competitiveness and the New Economy. In the run up to the EU’s Lisbon summit in 2000, he wrote the draft report presented at the Lisbon summit: "The New Economy: The European Model."
As a Senior Associate with the influential London think tank Demos, Charlie leads the Atlas of Ideas programme which is exploring the international dynamics of innovation. The Atlas programme has produced reports on India, China, South Korea, Brazil and the Islamic world.
He has advised a long list of organisations on innovation strategy, including the BBC, Vodafone, Microsoft, Cisco and Accenture. He is a regular speaker at major corporate and governmental conferences: recent engagements include Tetra Pak, Google, Linklaters and Barclays.
Facilitator
Sarah Porter
I am Head of the Innovation Group at JISC. The Innovation group leads activities that support core themes in the JISC’s strategy through innovation programmes and initiatives. The Group works closely with colleges and universities to carry out action research, and develop advice and guidance, products and services. The Group’s role is to: lead activities within the JISC’s strategic themes; support the implementation of the JISC strategy; liaise and collaborate with partners and other organisations; support the activities of JISC working groups and committees as appropriate; provide expertise in programme and project management; direct and manage innovation programmes and initiatives
These result in:
- enhanced capacity, knowledge and skills to enable positive and informed change in the sector (through piloting new technologies and approaches)
- guidance to the sector on ‘best practice’ models for using technology that can be used at departmental, institutional, regional or national levels
- strategic leadership to the sector and other bodies in specialist areas and to influence national and international agendas
- knowledge and experience as a basis for future funding decisions for the JISC and its sub-committees
- new or enhanced services, infrastructure, standards or applications that may be used at departmental, institutional, regional or national levels.
I have worked in the higher education sector for the last 12 years, in a variety of institutional and national roles. My particular interest is in how technology can enhance the day-to-day business of education and research; in particular the central importance of technology-users, institutional processes and practices, and education’s broader political and cultural context.