The 21st century is a digital age that permeates all our lives
- We work in new ways
- We communicate in new ways
- We socialise in new ways
- We must educate in new ways
Digital technology, in the forms of mobile apps, games and other interactive resources, offers new and exciting ways of learning that can be personalised and can be fun.
The technology is there. From smartphone to PS3, Xbox to Nintendo Wii, ipad, Samsung galaxy. Myriad digital devices that offer all the creative possibilities of the use of graphics and animations, video and still images, speech and music, GPS, at everyone’s fingertips.
The trick is how to harness it.
- We know that times are hard for schools, with budget cuts and continuing changes to curriculum.
- We know it is difficult for schools to keep pace with the exponential progress of technology.
- We know that it is difficult for schools to gather the expertise they may need to fully realise the exciting potential of digital technology for teaching and learning.
We want to help, and that is why we are establishing the Brighton Digital Education Forum to:
- Share experience, and exchange ideas
- Encourage use of digital technologies in schools
- Work with and within schools on digital media projects
- Educate teachers about digital technology
- Help schools develop exciting teaching and learning opportunities using the technology
- Involve pupils through work experience
We believe that digital media will have a vital role in transforming education from a system designed for industrialisation to an environment appropriate to our 21st century information society, an environment where learning for all is collaborative, and fun, and happens throughout life, not just in the classroom.
Whilst the initial focus of the group will be to engage with local schools and other education institutions in teaching and learning projects that harness the exciting potential of digital media through workshops, teaching activities, and work experience schemes we also recognise that learning is not just for school.
So, it is intended that the activities of the forum will broaden out to include other training initiatives outside school environments reaching out to all ages, the socially excluded and the elderly.
The forum is being established in the first instance by Phil Jones MD Wired Sussex, Mick Landmann MD Vivid Interactive and Richard Vahrman MD Locomatrix, all Brighton based.
We will also look to participate in conferences and exhibitions such as BETT and Learning Without Frontiers and promote leading edge digital resources that are ‘Made in Brighton’