Deadline: 15 October 2012
Call for Proposals are invited for UNESCO Mobile Learning Week which will be organized in Paris, France from 18th to 22nd February, 2013. These proposals are invited on the topic, “Mobiles for literacy, education quality and gender equality”. UNESCO is currently inviting proposals to present at Mobile Learning Week 2013 (MLW).
Presenters will have an opportunity to address an international audience of mobile learning experts, high-level education policy makers and individuals from relevant NGOs and corporations.
Themes:
Presentations for MLW 2013 should relate directly to one or more of the following themes, which stem from UNESCO’s Education for All (EFA).
Literacy levels for millions of children are also disturbingly low. As in the adult population, illiteracy disproportionately affects females and is concentrated in specific geographic regions. UNESCO is committed to understand how mobile devices either alone or in combination with other information and communication technology (ICT) and education initiatives can support the literacy development of adults and children.
Presentations focused on this theme should showcase innovative case studies or research that explores how mobile technology is being used to support literacy development. Presentations can also highlight particular policies and practices capable of supporting progress in this area.
Mobiles to Support Teachers and Promote High-Quality Education
The need to train high-quality teachers is urgent. In order to meet the EFA goal of providing universal primary education, the world needs to train and employ an additional 5.4 million teachers by 2015.
Compounding this numerical challenge are concerns surrounding teacher quality. Data collected by the UN has shown that a large number of teachers are unqualified or underprepared to meet the educational demands of the twenty-first century. Far from being evenly distributed, teacher shortages and deficits in teacher quality are most urgent in communities confronting other difficulties, including high unemployment, poverty, unreliable infrastructure, and political instability.
Conversations about ICT in Education sometimes overlook the key role played by teachers in learning processes. For this reason, UNESCO wishes to explore, directly rather than as an afterthought, how mobile technologies can (or might) support teachers and contribute to their professional development.
Presentations on this theme should illustrate how mobile technologies can help ensure that teachers who work with students are skilled and empowered professionals.
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