ICT in education

The manifesto was a key output from the Student Writing project. It is a series of brief statements that attempt to capture what is generative and productive about online teaching, course design, writing, assessment and community. It is, and may remain, a living document that is reviewed and reworked periodically with colleagues, students and amongst the programme team of the MSc in E-learning. Its primary purpose is to spark discussion, and to articulate a position about e-learning that informs the work of the project team, and the MSc in E-learning programme more broadly. This position is best summarised by the first of the manifesto statements:

Distance is a positive principle, not a deficit. Online can be the privileged mode.

Such a position is at odds with dominant discourses of e-learning that describe it either in terms of replication of offline practices, or in terms of inadequacy, where e-learning is the “second best” option when “real” (face-to-face) learning is not available or practical. We reject both of these discourses, and the instrumental approaches to e-learning that tend to accompany them.

The manifesto was actively developed over a period of a year, June 2010–May 2011. It was grounded in the work of the research associates and the key themes that emerged from their ethnographic accounts. It was shaped and refined during a series of intensive discussions amongst the project team that brought together our own research perspectives, knowledge, and teaching experiences.

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The intention is that over the next few months the manifesto will stimulate discussion on a wider stage, fuel further research, and draw attention to the work being done here at Edinburgh in developing new perspectives on e-learning.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) play an essential role in today's society. Knowledge of these ICT is increasingly necessary to access a wide range of services, knowledge and new forms of social organization are becoming more and more important in the field of education. Nowadays elderly people need to have some knowledge of these ICTs if they are to remain an active part of our society. All citizens should be included in this new society. Being part of this society offers great advantages, while on the other hand, the risk of being excluded is also an important issue.

Educational institutions, as Universistat per a Majors have created some programs to promote the use of these ICTs among the elderly, ranging from simple e-mail users or search engines to use other tools to get some experience with these technologies.

The motto of this conference: "No one is left behind" promotes the idea of teaching the elderly in the use of ICT so they do not feel excluded from society. The III International Conference on Elderly and New Technologies are intended to facilitate the inclusion of older people in the ICT society. Therefore, this conference aims to expand and share experiences, technology and tools, while discussed in depth the social realities and social impact arising from the impact of technological advances in the field of training of the elderly. Researchers, teachers and professionals from around the world will be taking on the task of explaining the technological development and progress and benefits to present and explain their research and results in the field of ICT for the elderly.

This conference is aimed at researchers, teachers, staff and students over the world. In addition, older students have not only the role of spectators, but once finished the conference, will establish a network among all participants to continue to innovate and exchange experiences, tools, content and other approaches and methodologies in the field of education ICT for the elderly.