THE EDUCATE PROGRAMME WELCOMES UK AND INTERNATIONAL DELEGATES TO THE LONDON FESTIVAL OF LEARNING

Hundreds of experts in education and technology from the UK and overseas will be descending on UCL’s Institute of Education from tomorrow, for the week-long London Festival of Learning (June 22-30).

For the first time ever, three major academic conferences will be brought under one roof, offering a unique opportunity to share research and practice, and to develop networks of academics working in the field of education technology (EdTech).

The London Festival of Learning will comprise the annual conferences of the ICLS, L@S and AIED attracting 1,200 delegates and academics from around the world, presenting more than 500 research publications.

The Festival is hosted by the pioneering EDUCATE programme, which supports SMEs, start-ups and entrepreneurs seeking to design and develop their own evidence-based EdTech.

Rose Luckin, Professor of Learner Centred Design at the UCL Knowledge Lab and the Director of EDUCATE, said: “We are delighted to be hosting this prestigious event, during which we will welcome members of the Department for Education’s EdTech team. It is important that we maintain a dialogue with policy-makers about the future direction of EdTech and keep them informed of the many advances taking place constantly in its development.

“The Festival will bring together some of the brightest and most influential brains in artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies to present their work, to network and to share ideas.  This collaboration and cooperation is absolutely crucial to the future success of technology development.

“During the festival the EDUCATE programme will hold a three-day Showcase of its pioneering work with innovators and technologists, offering a chance for visitors to see some of the excellent work they have produced, and which could be used in schools.”

The EDUCATE Showcase will include the inaugural ‘EdWards’ ceremony, recognising the achievements of the cohorts that have completed the EDUCATE programme successfully, and a practitioner track during which school teachers will have a chance to find out about, and discuss, the latest innovations in EdTech and to input ideas into its future development.

The ‘EdWards’ will be presented by Lord David Puttnam, the award-winning film producer and Lord Jim Knight, the former Schools Minister.

Lord Puttnam said: “The significant impact of artificial intelligence and technology is already evident in education and in industry more widely. The ‘EdWards’ are a fitting celebration of the some of the best entrepreneurship in EdTech currently taking place in the UK and I am delighted to play a part in the recognition of such innovation.”

Lord Knight said: “For years I’ve been an advocate of the potential of technology to enhance teaching and learning. Too often I’ve been disappointed by results, which is why I am such a fan of EDUCATE. By linking academic research with product innovation, we are most likely to realise the potential and extend the reach of great teaching to more children.”

Among the keynote speakers at the London Festival of Learning will be: Gever Tulley, Founder of Brightworks and Tinkering School; Tom Mitchell, founder of the world’s first Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University, Nichole Pinkard, founder of Digital Youth Network and the social learning platform L3 and Professor Simon Buckingham-Schum, director of the Connected Intelligence Centre at Australia’s University of Technology in Sydney.

The full programme for each conference, and the Festival overall, can be found at: https://www.londonfestivallearning.com.

Members of the media are invited to attend the conferences, and the EDUCATE Showcase. To register your interest, and for further information about the London Festival of Learning and the EDUCATE programme, please contact:

Dorothy Lepkowska, EDUCATE Marketing and Communications Officer, on [email protected] or 07798 614256.

Note to Editors:

1. About EDUCATE

EDUCATE is an ERDF-funded programme that began in January 2017 to support EdTech development, and innovation and entrepreneurship in education through evidence-informed product or service development. Based at UCL Institute of Education, EDUCATE makes research and expertise accessible to enterprises and individuals who want to explore their ideas on how teachers and learners can benefit from the latest scientific advances. It shows them how to use research to inform their ideas, and to demonstrate impact to teachers and learners. Working with our partners we promote and support innovators with research, business and product development training. During the next three years EDUCATE aims to work with 250 start-ups and SMEs, as well as entrepreneurs who work in teaching and research, to create and perfect their concepts. Over time, we plan to expand our work to four new regional centres in locations around the UK. EDUCATE believes that enriching learning through technological innovation is vital if the UK is to maintain its place as a global leader in education.

2. EDUCATE full name

EDUCATE stands for Educational Technology Exchange programme

3. EDUCATE partners

EDUCATE is a partnership between UCL Institute of Education; UCL Engineering; BESA (the British Educational Suppliers Association); Nesta and F6S. It is part-funded through the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund.

4. EDUCATE social media names

Twitter: @EDUCATEldn

5. EDUCATE website

educate.london

6. About UCL and UCL Institute of Education

Set up in 1826 in the heart of London, UCL was the first English university after Oxford and Cambridge, and pioneered the promotion of inclusivity in higher education. It was the first to welcome students of any religion and the first to admit women on equal terms to men. Today, it is among the world’s top universities in international performance rankings. The UCL Institute of Education (IOE) was founded in 1902 and is a world-leading centre for research and teaching in education and social science. It was ranked first globally in education in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and has been judged by Ofsted as ‘outstanding’ on every criterion for initial teacher training programmes.