Prof. James Slotta
University of Toronto, Canada
Jim Slotta is Professor and President's Chair in Knowledge Technologies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Since 2005, he
has led a team of students, designers and developers to
investigate new models of collaborative and collective inquiry in K-12 science, including powerful new roles for technology enhanced learning environments.
Building on a background in physics and cognitive psychology, he has developed a pedagogical model known as Knowledge Community and Inquiry, in which students
explore investigate a phenomenon or issue within a carefully scripted and orchestrated sequence of learning activities. Their inquiry is situated within smart
classrooms and distributed learning environments, featuring user-contributed content, aggregated and emergent forms of knowledge, and a variety of scaffolds for
the orchestration of individual, small group, and whole class activities.
From 2006 - 2011, Slotta served as Canada Research Chair in Education and Technology. He has served as PI or co-I on more than 30 funded projects
totalling more than $30 Million, supervised 20 doctoral and post-doctoral researchers, and co-directed the NSF-funded Center for Technology-Enhanced Learning (2003-2008).
Prof. Chee-Kit Looi
Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
& National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Professor Looi Chee Kit is Research Chair Professor in the Education
University of Hong Kong. He is Emeritus Professor at National
Institute of Education (NIE) of Nanyang Technological University
(NTU).
During his stint in Singapore, Professor Looi Chee-Kit was with the
Learning Sciences and Assessment Academic Group in the National
Institute of Education (NIE) of Nanyang Technological University
(NTU). He was the Co-Director of the Center for Research and
Development into Learning (CRDL) of NIE, NTU.
Professor Looi’s research focuses on learning sciences,
computer-supported collaborative learning, mobile learning, AI &
Education, and computational thinking. Professor Looi is a Fellow of
the International Society of Learning Sciences, and a Fellow of the
Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education. He was the founding
member of the Global Chinese Society of Computers in Education, and
served as its President (2017-2019). He was a member of the Core
Expert Group for developing the framework for assessing
Collaborative Problem Solving in OECD PISA 2015, and a special
consultant to the Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal
University. Since 2021, Professor Looi is listed in the annual list
of the Top 2% of Career Scientists Worldwide, compiled by Stanford
University and Elsevier.
Prof. Piet Kommers
University of Twente, The Netherlands
Dr Piet Kommers coined ”conceptual representations for learning
through hypermedia” in the late 80ies. As UNESCO professor for
Learning Technologies he instigated projects for decreasing
youngsters’ distance to the labour market and the need for mentors.
In his recent book “Sources for a Better Education” he illustrates
the roads from a good to an even better teacher.
Speech Title "Education in the Geopolitical Landscape"
Abstract: The new media like social media, virtual reality and artificial intelligence encourage education to stretch along two dimensions. The first is to abandon ICT connectivity from the classroom. The reason is that teachers and parents capitulate for the delicacy of day-to-day trade-offs between strict curricula and allowing learners to participate in actual societal disputes, world conflicts, etc. The second is to accept that learners themselves are members of our society and need to become prepared to to-morrow’s reality like the need for 21st century skills. This keynote will elaborate scenarios for vital education the next decade.